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(08/31/12 4:11am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU’s women’s volleyball team looks to improve on their 3-0 record this season during the Indiana Invitational this weekend. The Hoosiers are fresh off winning the Black Knight Invitational last weekend, where they defeated Stony Brook, Army and Quinnipiac. IU Coach Sherry Dunbar said she expects the competition to be greater than it was last week.“I think every week it gets tougher,” Dunbar said. “We’re going to face two teams that are 3-0 right now and another team that’s really scrappy, so it should make for a lot of healthy competition in our gym.”Cleveland State will be the cream and crimson’s first opponent when the two teams square off at 7 p.m. Friday in the University Gym.The Vikings are a perfect 4-0 for the year, including winning the IPFW Invitational this past weekend in Fort Wayne.IU will be the first team from a BCS conference that Cleveland State will play this year. The Vikings will be looking to beat the Hoosiers for the second straight year as Cleveland State won a five set battle 3-2 last year in Blacksburg, Va.The Hoosiers will have to stop Kara Koch, the Horizon League Preseason Offensive Player of the Year.For the third time in four matches, IU will play against a team picked to finish second in their respective league, as the Vikings are predicted to be the runner-up in the Horizon League this season.Seventeen hours later IU will play Bowling Green at noon on Saturday.Bowling Green is winless this season, losing by a combined total of 6-1 in total sets played against Marquette and Northwestern this past weekend.IU plays their first game against a BCS school when they play Georgia Tech at 7 p.m. Saturday.The Yellow Jackets come in at a perfect 3-0 for the season, capturing the Georgia Tech Courtyard Invitational title this past weekend by defeating California State Fullerton, Charleston Southern and SMU.When Georgia Tech plays IU, it will be the Yellow Jackets’ first test against a BCS school opponent. Yellow Jackets Monique Mead and Bailey Hunter received All-Atlantic Coast Conference preseason team honors. Mead was also named a preseason player-of-the-year candidate by the American Volleyball Coaches Association.Dunbar said IU went to Atlanta two years ago to play in their tournament.“They are a great program in the ACC,” Dunbar said. “So it’s good to play teams in that kind of bracket because that’ll help your RPI later in the season.”Junior outside hitter Jordan Haverly said the Hoosiers are focusing on two things in practice this week leading up to the game: serving and defense.“Aggressive serving is a way to get teams out of their system which will really help us,” Haverly said. “And defense, we just want to be known as a really scrappy team that makes a lot of plays and makes it difficult for teams to score on us.”
(08/29/12 4:51am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Junior outside hitter Jordan Haverly took part in a defensive drill. She moved low to the ground, pivoted her feet and took the ball from the coach and bumped it with her forearms, reaching about 15 feet in the air.After she was done with her set of drills, IU Coach Sherry Dunbar gave Haverly coaching advice and put her arm around her, and the two shared a smile. Haverly said she missed this last year.“We were at a spring tournament, and it was the last match of the day,” Haverly said. “It was actually match point, too, which was extra frustrating. I went up to hit a tight ball, and I came down and landed on one leg.”That was the last point Haverley would play for a year and a half as she tore her ACL, MCL, LCL and meniscus and suffered bone bruising when she landed.The severity of her injury was immediately apparent to Dunbar and her team.“We all knew when she fell it was the ACL,” Dunbar said. “And when you’ve been in the business this long enough and they fall like that, you know it’s pretty serious.”Because the injury happened in spring, Haverly had all summer to brood about the mishap. When the first match came the next fall, she said the emotional toll was traumatic.“After the tournament, (the opposing coaches) were like, ‘It would have been a different result with you out there,’” Haverly said. “I just started bawling because I was so mad, you just feel helpless.”Haverly was not the only member of the team who had a tough time with her injury. As senior middle blocker Samantha Thrower explained, Haverly was irreplaceable.“She’s as big a part of the team as anyone else on the team,” Thrower said. “When you’re missing a piece on the court, it affects everybody.”The problems kept coming for Haverly as complications with her original procedure forced her to have two additional procedures.During the first few weeks of rehabilitation, darting around a volleyball court could not have been further from her mind, as she was focused on the smallest of tasks.“For the first couple weeks I couldn’t even pick my leg up by myself,” Haverly said. “Tasks you take for granted, like bending your knee and trying to walk again, were what I was trying to do.”Going to practice for Haverly meant going to rehab. Usually, she did an hour of rehab before practice, some during and more after. “Every once in a while I got to do a couple things that involved volleyball,” Haverly said. “Just to, like, keep me sane.”Even during the grueling rehab work, she said she never considered hanging up her volleyball shoes and calling it quits.“No, that was never really an option,” Haverly said. “It never crossed my mind, honestly.”Haverly said there is no doubt in her mind she is ready to get back on the court and is completely healthy and recovered.“I’m definitely 100 percent,” Haverly said. “There’s obviously always little things that you can improve on like muscle strength, but I’m as good as it’s going to get right now.”As Dunbar watched the junior make her way back onto the court this fall, she said Haverly has gotten stronger with every practice.“I think it’s still coming back,” Dunbar said. “She’s still got some cartilage floating around in there a little bit. But she still understands the game better than anyone I’ve ever coached, so the spring in her step is coming back, and it’s going to keep coming back as the season goes along.”When it comes to being back on the court, facing other opponents, Haverly said there is no greater feeling.“This first weekend that we’ve had so far was the most fun I’ve had since we went to the Sweet 16,” Haverly said. “Being able to be physically out there with my teammates again is just a really special bond, and it’s hard to describe.”
(08/29/12 3:58am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>From ids reportsFreshman setter Katie Gallagher was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week. This is the first time in three years a Hoosier volleyball player has won the award.Gallagher led IU to a perfect 3-0 start to the season last weekend. She has been the team’s primary setter in practice and in games, with senior setter Whitney Granado out until mid- to late September as she battles an illness.Gallagher leads the Big Ten in assists per set, averaging 12.91 over the first three matches.The freshman topped the 50 assist mark twice during the weekend when the Hoosiers downed Army and Stony Brook. Gallagher also led the team in total digs this weekend with 38.“It was great to see Katie step into such a big role her first collegiate weekend,” IU Coach Sherry Dunbar said. “She displayed a very calming presence and allowed the hitters to do their job.” In the final point against Stony Brook, Gallagher recorded her first collegiate ace to secure the win for the Hoosiers. Gallagher did not learn she was the recipient of the award until after a teammate, junior defensive specialist Caitlin Hansen, congratulated her in the locker room.“I just found out in the locker room, actually,” Gallagher said. “Caitlin was like, ‘Congratulations,’ and I said, ‘Thanks, but what are you talking about?’”Gallagher said she is working hard this week to improve the consistency with her tempo for the Hoosiers’ upcoming matches.“I’m definitely working on keeping a consistent tempo to the pin hitters now,” she said. “I’m going to keep working on it this week and hopefully execute it for the weekend.”— Evan Hoopfer
(08/27/12 3:16am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU volleyball team had a perfect start to its season, going 3-0 last weekend in West Point, N.Y., at the Black Knight Invitational.“At times everybody shined, because that’s what our team is going to have to do all year,” IU Coach Sherry Dunbar said.The season started with a match against the Stony Brook Seawolves on Friday.The Hoosiers won the match three sets to one.IU won the first set 25-20. IU continued to succeed in the second set, allowing the Seawolves 13 points. Stony Brook battled back in the third set, and the Hoosiers lost their first set of the season, 28-26.After squandering a 21-18 lead in the third set, IU came back to clinch their first match of the year in the fourth set, 25-23.The Hoosiers trailed in the final set 23-21 before they rolled off four consecutive points to take the set and the match.“I was proud of them,” Dunbar said. “A lot of times we were behind in the match, and we came back. I thought it was a good first match for us to have to fight hard.”IU then played Team Army. The Black Knights came into the invitational with the best 2011 record of all participating teams.The two teams traded 25-22 victories in the first two sets with IU taking the first and Army taking the second.Keeping with the theme of the match, IU took the third set 25-22 after resisting a late Army rally.The Hoosiers rolled to a 25-14 victory in the fourth set to secure their second win of the season.In the third and final match of the weekend, the Hoosiers had their first three-set sweep against Quinnipiac. The Hoosiers tamed the Bobcats by taking three sets, 25-15, 25-8, 25-13.After the first set was tied 10-10, IU averaged 2.5 points for every Quinnipiac point during the remainder of the match. After sitting out last season with an ACL injury, junior outside hitter Jordan Haverly came back into competition and was voted the best among her peers. She received the tournament’s Most Valuable Player honor.“I was just really excited to play again,” Haverly said. “Honestly I wasn’t expecting that.”Sophomore middle blocker Morgan Leach and senior right side hitter Kelci Marschall were named to the all-tournament team in addition to Haverly.Freshman setter Katie Gallagher played for senior setter Whitney Granado, who was out because of an illness.“There was a lot of pressure on her, obviously,” Haverly said. “We had a really tough match against Army. The crowd was really intense and loud and crazy, and she handled herself really well, played really well, and all of us are really proud of her.”Dunbar said she especially liked Gallagher’s demeanor on the court and the effect it had on her team.“I thought she played very mature for being a freshman,” Dunbar said. “I thought she had a very calming presence about her on the court and did her job.”
(08/26/12 10:08pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU volleyball team had a perfect start to their season, going 3-0 this the weekend in West Point, N.Y., in the Black Knight Invitational.“At times everybody shined,” IU Coach Sherry Dunbar said. “Because that’s what our team is going to have to do all year.”The season started off with a match against the Stony Brook Seawolves on Friday. The Hoosiers won the match three sets to one.IU won the first set 25-20. IU continued to succeed in the second set, allowing 13 Seawolves points. Stony Brook battled back in the third set, and the Hoosiers lost their first set of the season, 28-26.After squandering a 21-18 lead in the third set, IU came back to clinch their first match of the year in the fourth set, 25-23.The Hoosiers were trailing in the final set 23-21 before they rolled off four consecutive points to take the set and the match.“I was proud of them,” Dunbar said. “A lot of times we were behind in the match and we came back. I thought it was a good first match for us to have to fight hard.”Then, IU played the host team, Army. The Black Knights came into the invitational having the best 2011 record of all participating teams.The two teams traded 25-22 victories in the first two sets with IU taking the first and Army taking the second.Keeping with the theme of the match, IU took the third set 25-22 after resisting a late Army rally.The Hoosiers rolled to a 25-14 victory to secure their second win of the season.In the third and final match of the weekend, the Hoosiers received their first three-set sweep against Quinnipiac. The Hoosiers tamed the Bobcats by taking three sets, 25-15, 25-8, 25-13. After the first set was tied 10-10, IU went on to average 2.5 points for every Quinnipiac point during the remainder of the match. After sitting out the entirety of last season with an ACL injury, junior outside hitter Jordan Haverly came back into competition and was voted the best among her peers. She received the tournament’s Most Valuable Player honor.“I was just really excited to play again,” Haverly said. “Honestly I wasn’t expecting that.”Sophomore middle blocker Morgan Leach and senior right side hitter Kelci Marschall were named to the all-tournament team in addition to Haverly.Freshman setter Katie Gallagher played for senior setter Whitney Granado, who was out because of an illness.“There was a lot of pressure on her, obviously,” Haverly said. “We had a really tough match against Army. The crowd was really intense and loud and crazy, and she handled herself really well, played really well, and all of us are really proud of her.”Dunbar said she especially liked Gallagher’s demeanor on the court and the effect it had on her team.“I thought she played very mature for being a freshman,” Dunbar said. “I thought she had a very calming presence about her on the court and did her job.”
(08/24/12 4:17am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU’s volleyball team will receive its first taste of competition this season when they fly to the Black Knight Invitational in West Point, N.Y.IU Coach Sherry Dunbar said she wants her team to experience not only the tournament but also the scenery West Point offers.“We have a professor at West Point that’s going to take us on an hour-and-a-half tour, which I think is going to be remarkable,” Dunbar said. “It’s a great two-part thing. West Point had a great year last year, and I think it’s a good first tournament.”The team is not going just for a tour. They go to West Point to win.“Everybody has the same expectations that you’re going to come out and be a different team,” Dunbar said. “So I think we absolutely have expectations to win.”Stony Brook will be the team’s first opponent. Play will start at 1 p.m. Friday.The Seawolves had an overall record of 15-13 last year and were recently voted to finish second in the American East conference, according to the conference coaches’ poll.After battling the Seawolves, the Hoosiers will focus their attention to a team of Black Knights.The match against Team Army will start at 7:30 p.m. Friday. Army boasted a 23-8 record last season, the best of all the competitors this weekend.Like Stony Brook, the Black Knights were picked to finish second in their respective conference, the Patriot League, and also garnered two of the 16 first place votes.Senior outside hitter Ariana Mankus and sophomore setter Mary Vaccaro earned spots in the Preseason All-Patriot League team.IU will conclude its opening weekend of play at 4 p.m. Saturday against Quinnipiac. The Bobcats will try to recover from a 4-25 campaign last year and are picked to finish ninth out of nine teams in the Northeast Conference Preseason Coaches’ Poll.IU is the only team from a BCS conference to take part in the Black Knight Invitational. Junior outside hitter Jordan Haverly will see her first action since the team’s Sweet Sixteen run in 2010 after sitting out the entirety of last season with an ACL injury.“I just can’t wait to be able to play again,” Haverly said. “Like, against real teams, not just ourselves.”After the tough season the team had last year that was lowlighted by a 1-19 record in the Big Ten, senior right-side hitter Kelci Marschall said she is ready to get the jersey back on and the start the season with a clean slate.“Every year is different,” Marschall said. “Every year presents new challenges and new strengths, and it’s a lot of fun to put it on the court and see what we can do with it.”
(08/23/12 2:16am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Just a year removed from the team’s best season ever, including a Sweet 16 berth, the IU women’s volleyball team failed to follow 2010 with another strong season, finishing with a 9-23 overall record, a 1-19 record in Big Ten play and a 0-12 record in away games. “We wanted to win so bad,” senior right-side hitter Kelci Marschall said. “We came in and wanted to win every day and got better every day but just couldn’t get it going. It was painful.”Ashley Benson, IU’s only First Team All-American in program history, graduated after the 2010 season.Another key loss was junior outside hitter Jordan Haverly, who suffered an ACL injury and was out for the entire year.Haverly said she felt awful not being able to help her teammates physically during the season.“You always feel like it’s your fault because you’re sitting there helpless,” Haverly said. “So it was really frustrating, but it was just more incentive to work even harder in rehab.”After the season, the team resolved to be the hardest-working in the country.“You can’t hope to win. You have to put in the work to win,” IU Coach Sherry Dunbar said. “I think they can honestly look back and say, ‘We worked as hard as we possibly could, and we dedicated this entire summer to not coming in and putting in a little time, but coming in and busting it every single morning at 6:15.’”One important change was the addition of a new strength and conditioning coach, Chris Virtue.Some of Virtue’s new players said they feel the push he gave them has opened their eyes to what hard work is.“We’ve worked harder than we’ve ever worked,” Haverly said. “We’re more determined than we’ve ever been. We’re just tougher.”Marschall said going through the experience of training has brought the team closer and sharpened its chemistry.“We’ve done so much with mental training and mental toughness,” she said. “And being put through physical tests to improve our mental toughness and working together have made us have way more chemistry.”Senior setter Whitney Granado is out battling a case of mononucleosis until late September.Until Granado’s return, freshman setter Katie Gallagher is taking her place.“It’s obviously a huge loss when your senior setter who’s been playing for the past three years can’t start with you,” Haverly said. “So to go from somebody you know like the back of your hand to someone brand new is obviously a challenge, but I know Katie can do it.”Granado is not absent from the team. She comes to practices and coaches her teammates from the sidelines.“It’s nice to still have Whitney on the sideline talking to us,” Marschall said. “She’s got that leadership personality, and she definitely still helps us and definitely still coaches us.”Granado, Marschall and Haverly were appointed team captains by their teammates and are expected to be the leaders this season.“You have to make sure who wants to be captain,” Dunbar said. “I think it’s a huge sacrifice. It’s not a burden, but it’s heavy. You got the team on you, and you have to do everything great.“You can’t have off days. I’m not saying you’re going to play perfect all the time, but you can’t mentally have off days because you’re leading a program.”A new rule change allows teams to make 15 substitutions, an increase from 12 in previous years. Dunbar said this will benefit IU greatly.“Last year, we used 12 subs every single set,” Dunbar said. “It gives us more options when we have four (defensive specialists) that are good, and if we play Marschall all the way around but she’s not having a great back-row experience, we can sub somebody in right away.”The team’s main obstacle is the fear of having another poor season, Marschall said. “I think that’s our number-one thing this year is getting rid of that fear,” Marschall said. “Fear of losing, fear of repeating anything like that is something we got to get rid of. Otherwise, it will hold us back.”
(08/20/12 3:41am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Saturday marked the beginning of the Hoosiers’ volleyball season as the team split into two squads for the annual Cream and Crimson scrimmage at University Gym.The tune-up was preparation for the team before heading to West Point, N.Y., for the Black Knight Invitational next weekend.The crimson squad won the match by taking two of the three sets, but many players switched teams between sets.Freshman outside hitter Amelia Anderson finished the match by recording two straight aces to secure the win for the Crimson team 27-25 in the third set.“I’ve been coming here since my sophomore year (of high school),” Anderson said. “It’s just really exciting to put that jersey on, and even though it’s not for a real game, just being in the gym and the atmosphere, it’s really exciting.”IU Coach Sherry Dunbar said she was impressed with Anderson and the other freshmen in their first experience playing in front of a collegiate crowd.“I thought our freshmen did a pretty good job for their first time on the floor,” Dunbar said. “I thought Amelia did well when she came up with those two aces at the end. That’s really tough for a freshman to do.” Anderson, a 6-foot-1-inch freshman, is one of five to come into the IU program this fall. Right-side hitter Mariah Coleman, defensive specialist Courtney Harnish, setter Katie Gallagher and defensive specialist Kyndall Merritt also played for the first time in their collegiate careers.The only player missing from action was senior setter Whitney Granado. Granado, the team’s setter, is currently battling a case of mononucleosis. IU Assistant Coach Paul Koncir said she is not expected to be ready to compete for the Hoosiers until Big Ten play starts in late September.Dunbar said the point of having a scrimmage is to get nerves out of the way early so her players can be more lucid once the regular season begins next weekend in New York.“That’s why we do this scrimmage, to be honest,” Dunbar said. “To get the jersey on and get a feel of what a match feels like, get that tightness out so we can actually relax when we play.“The last thing you want is a team that’s tight.”Dunbar said there were several areas the team needs to improve, such as her middle blockers’ lack of aggression.“I think we’ve got to get our middles more involved in the offense,” she said. “They’ve been really good in practice, and I was really disappointed because they are way better than they looked tonight.”
(04/30/12 4:09am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>No. 7-seed Indiana was unable to advance in the Big Ten tournament after losing to No. 2-seed Michigan 4-2.After beating Wisconsin 4-0 the day before to open up the tournament, IU lost its chance to secure an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, which would have happened with a Big Ten tournament victory.IU Coach Lin Loring said he does not think an at-large bid is probable, with his Hoosiers being on the very outskirts of the bubble. “We’re just a real long shot,” Loring said. “There will be too many conference automatics that are not ranked that are taking up spots. I told the girls, we were just one win away. We were literally a couple of games from getting in.”The cutoff ranking for getting in the tournament is usually 44, Loring said. The Hoosiers will likely finish the season at around 50, as they are currently ranked 53.Michigan, ranked No. 15 in the nation, opened the match by defeating the tandem of junior Leslie Hureau and sophomore Sophie Garre 8-2.The Wolverines secured the doubles point when sophomore Kayla Fujimoto and freshman Katie Klyczek lost a tight one 8-6. Senior Evgeniya Vertesheva and freshman Shannon Murdy were trailing 6-5 when their match was called early.The Wolverines took the quick 2-0 lead when Vertesheva fell to No. 85 Brooke Bolender 6-1, 6-1 in the first singles match. Bolender avenged her loss to Vertesheva earlier in the season when these two teams met.Freshman Alecia Kauss won the first point of the day for the Hoosiers when she defeated a Wolverine for the second time this season 6-3, 6-1.Klyczek then lost 6-4, 6-1 but was followed by Murdy winning 6-3, 6-3.In a rematch of the battle on April 1, when Hureau won in three sets in a match of No. 1 players, No. 71 Hureau faced off against No. 12 Emina Bektas. The marquee match again went to three sets, but this time Bektas won, ending the Hoosier’s regular season 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.“I thought we played pretty good,” Loring said. “They are just really tough in doubles. Again, we gave them all they could handle in the singles. We thought with a break here and there we could win it, but give Michigan credit, they won the close ones.” Prior to Hureau’s match with Bektas, it was announced that Hureau had made the First Team All-Big Ten for the third consecutive year. This is the first time a Hoosier has made First Team All-Big Ten for three consecutive seasons in 17 years. The Hoosiers have to face the possibility that they have played their last match of the season. The announcement about whether Indiana will be invited to play in the postseason will come soon.The postseason for women’s tennis is similar to basketball’s, in which a 64-team field will compete in a bracket-style tournament. The defending champion is the University of Florida.Loring said if the team does not get into the tournament, this season will be one in which the Hoosiers were close in a plethora of tough matches but just could not close the deal. “It’s frustrating because we were just so close,” Loring said. “We only had one loss outside the top 35, and that was Wisconsin, and we obviously avenged that one at the Big Ten quite impressively 4-0. To only have one loss out of the top 35 and not make the tournament is pretty frustrating. Another top-40 win would have put us in. We were one win away.”
(04/27/12 4:09am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The No. 7-seed Hoosiers avenged arguably their worst loss of the season by beating No. 10-seed Wisconsin in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament 4-0.The doubles lineups were altered in the cream and crimson’s last match against Northwestern, and IU Coach Lin Loring kept the new doubles lineups intact against the Badgers. “We haven’t been winning the doubles point in big matches, with the exception of Ohio State,” Loring said. “We just thought, what the heck, better late than never, we’ll try some new combinations, and they played good today.”In the three slot, senior Evgeniya Vertesheva and freshman Shannon Murdy made quick work of their foes, setting the tone for the match with an 8-1 win. The first match of singles was a rematch with Hureau against Wisconsin’s Alaina Trgovich. In the April 15 match, Hureau lost in three sets. She avenged her loss by dominating 6-0, 6-0.Wrapping up the match for Indiana was Klyczek, who also won in straight sets 6-1, 7-5.The win for Indiana snaps their five-match losing streak and gives them a precious Big Ten tournament win. Loring said he thinks not having to play in Madison was an advantage for his Hoosiers.“Home court is always a big advantage in tennis because each tennis court plays differently,” Loring said. “Wisconsin was really the only bad match we played this year, so I think the girls felt like they had something to prove, and they did it today.”Indiana advances to the second round of the Big Ten Tournament to play No. 2-seeded Michigan, who had a bye in the first round. Play begins Friday at 2 p.m. Michigan, ranked No. 15 in the nation, narrowly escaped Bloomington with a victory as the Wolverines won 4-3 on April 1.
(04/27/12 4:07am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The No. 7-seed Hoosiers avenged arguably their worst loss of the season by beating No. 10-seed Wisconsin in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament 4-0.The doubles lineups were altered in the cream and crimson’s last match against Northwestern, and IU Coach Lin Loring kept the new doubles lineups intact against the Badgers. “We haven’t been winning the doubles point in big matches, with the exception of Ohio State,” Loring said. “We just thought, what the heck, better late than never, we’ll try some new combinations, and they played good today.”In the three slot, senior Evgeniya Vertesheva and freshman Shannon Murdy made quick work of their foes, setting the tone for the match with an 8-1 win. The first match of singles was a rematch with Hureau against Wisconsin’s Alaina Trgovich. In the April 15 match, Hureau lost in three sets. She avenged her loss by dominating 6-0, 6-0.Wrapping up the match for Indiana was Klyczek, who also won in straight sets 6-1, 7-5.The win for Indiana snaps their five-match losing streak and gives them a precious Big Ten tournament win. Loring said he thinks not having to play in Madison was an advantage for his Hoosiers.“Home court is always a big advantage in tennis because each tennis court plays differently,” Loring said. “Wisconsin was really the only bad match we played this year, so I think the girls felt like they had something to prove, and they did it today.”Indiana advances to the second round of the Big Ten Tournament to play No. 2-seeded Michigan, who had a bye in the first round. Play begins Friday at 2 p.m. Michigan, ranked No. 15 in the nation, narrowly escaped Bloomington with a victory as the Wolverines won 4-3 on April 1.
(04/27/12 2:52am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The No.7-seed Hoosiers avenged arguably their worst loss of the season by beating No. 10-seed Wisconsin in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament 4-0.The Hoosiers started strong by nabbing the doubles point to begin play Thursday, something they failed to do in the April 15 match against Wisconsin. The doubles lineups were drastically altered in the cream and crimson’s last match against Northwestern, and IU Coach Lin Loring kept the new doubles lineups intact for their first-round matchup against the Badgers. “We haven’t been winning the doubles point in big matches, with the exception of Ohio State,” Loring said. “We just thought, what the heck, better late than never, we’ll try some new combinations, and they played good today.”In the three slot, senior Evgeniya Vertesheva and freshman Shannon Murdy made quick work of their foes, setting the tone for the match with an 8-1 win. The one slot saw a Hoosier victory and secured the first point of the match for IU. Junior Leslie Hureau and sophomore Sophie Garre won a tight match 8-6.Sophomore Kayla Fujimoto and freshman Katie Klyczek were deadlocked in their match, but it ended before a winner was declared because the doubles point was already decided. The match was at 8-8 when play was called off.The first match of singles was a rematch with Hureau against Wisconsin’s Alaina Trgovich. In the April 15 match, Hureau lost in three sets. She avenged her loss by dominating 6-0, 6-0.After falling behind 2-0 in the first set, freshman Alecia Kauss secured the third team point for IU by winning 6-4, 6-2.Wrapping up the match for Indiana was Klyczek, also winning in straight sets 6-1, 7-5.The win for Indiana snaps their season-long five-game losing streak and gives them a precious Big Ten tournament win. Loring said he thinks not having to play in Madison was an advantage for his Hoosiers.“Home court is always a big advantage in tennis because each tennis court plays differently,” Loring said. “Wisconsin was really the only bad match we played this year, so I think the girls felt like they had something to prove, and they did it today.”Indiana advances to the second round of the Big Ten Tournament to play No. 2-seed Michigan, who had a bye in the first round. Play begins today at 2 p.m. Michigan, ranked No. 15 in the nation, narrowly escaped Bloomington with a victory as the Wolverines won 4-3 back on April 1.The match featured three Hoosiers pulling off upsets against nationally ranked competition. Most notably, Hureau took down the then-No. 10 player in the country, Emina Bektas.Loring said trying to have success against Michigan for a second time this season will be a tall task.“I think we snuck up on them the first time, and I don’t think they realized we were pretty good,” Loring said. “I don’t think we’re going to be able to sneak up on them this time, so we just have to play really, really well.”
(04/26/12 4:15am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU Coach Lin Loring was disappointed after the match against Wisconsin on April 15, saying it was a match that got away from the Hoosiers.“Wisconsin’s a match we should have won,” Loring said. “We lost three three-setters and should have won the doubles point. But like I said, if something could go wrong, it did.”Indiana (15-10, 4-7) will look to redeem its worst loss of the the year as it plays Wisconsin (12-11, 3-8) at 2 p.m. today. The Big Ten Tournament will take place in Columbus, Ohio, at the Ohio State Tennis Complex. The No. 7-seed Hoosiers will play the No. 10-seed Badgers in a rematch of the April 15 contest in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament.“We’re going to play Wisconsin again,” Loring said. “I think the kids are excited about another shot at Wisconsin because I think we played one bad match all year, and that was it.”The second match between these two teams will be merely 11 days after Wisconsin took the win on its home court. The final score that day was 5-2 in the Badgers’ favor.Indiana lost the doubles point when junior Leslie Hureau and freshman Shannon Murdy lost the deciding match 8-6. Since Murdy was inserted into the doubles lineup with Hureau on March 23, they have gone 7-2 together and were up 6-5 against a Michigan tandem when the match was called early.In the April 15 match against Wisconsin, three singles matches went into three sets, and the Badgers won all three.Indiana will benefit from having its No. 4 player back in singles action. The first time these two teams met, freshman Carolyn Chupa was out with an injury. Chupa played in the Hoosiers’ match against Northwestern this Sunday and will have a greater chance of being healthy for the upcoming match.Also, there is potential for bragging rights at the family dinner table, as Carolyn’s sister Angela Chupa plays doubles for the Badgers. The Hoosiers are in the midst of their worst losing streak of the season. They have lost their past five matches and been outscored 28-7 in total team points.Despite their recent slide, lone senior Evgeniya Vertesheva, who will play in her last Big Ten Tournament this weekend, said she thinks the scores are not indicative of how they have played recently. “I think the last couple of matches, we’ve put up a good fight against some of the top teams in the Big Ten,” Vertesheva said. “I feel we should be confident going into the tournament because on any given day, we can beat anyone.”The fact that Wisconsin will not have home-court advantage this time proves to be vital for the team, Loring said.“This is a team we should beat,” Loring said. “Minnesota/Wisconsin is just a tough road trip. It would be a good way to end the season if we could reverse that loss to Wisconsin. We’re looking forward to it.”
(04/24/12 2:08am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The skid continued for No. 47 Indiana, as the team lost to Illinois and Northwestern this weekend and extended its losing streak to five matches.The team started the weekend by losing to No. 21 Illinois 4-3.Action started with the doubles, and the first match went the way of the orange 8-4 when sophomore Sophie Garre and freshman Katie Klyczek lost to the No. 59 doubles tandem in the nation.IU then responded with a thumping put on by junior Leslie Hureau and freshman Shannon Murdy 8-1. With the doubles point in the balance, the orange captured the point when senior Evgeniya Vertesheva and sophomore Kayla Fujimoto lost a tight one 8-6.The doubles point was the difference in the match.Singles action began with an Illini victory, as Murdy was defeated 6-3, 6-2.In a battle of ranked competition, No. 77 Hureau took care of No. 98 Allison Falkin 6-1, 6-1. Fujimoto then added another Hoosier victory as she won in the six slot 6-4, 6-3.Illinois responded yet again, downing Vertesheva 6-4, 6-4 in the two slot. Not to be outdone, freshman Alecia Kauss stymied her foe in a close match 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (7-2).With the score at three apiece, it all came down to the three slot in which Klyczek was facing Marisa Lambropoulos. After losing the first set 6-3, Klyczek took the second set in a tiebreak 6-7 (9-11). But in the third and final set of the day, Klyczek fell 6-2.The loss for Klyczek gave Illinois the conference win and handed IU its fourth consecutive loss.IU Coach Lin Loring said he was proud of how his team fought but that the theme of not being able to close the deal has stayed consistent all season for the Hoosiers.“Again, we were right there,” Loring said. “We were up 5-4 in the deciding doubles match and just couldn’t close it out, so we were literally a couple games away from beating Illinois.”The Hoosiers looked to redeem themselves when they played Big Ten powerhouse Northwestern. The Wildcats, ranked No. 12 in the nation, are the current Big Ten leaders.It was Senior Day, and IU sought to send its lone senior, Vertesheva, off into the sunset with an upset win.However, Northwestern dampened the festivities with a resounding 7-0 drubbing.Changing up the doubles lineups, Fujimoto and Klyczek were defeated 8-3 in the two slot. The Wildcats secured the doubles point when they ousted the French duo of Hureau and Garre 8-6.In her last doubles match in Bloomington, Vertesheva teamed up with Murdy to win 8-5. The Hoosiers did not fare well for the singles, either. The first to fall for IU was freshman Carolyn Chupa 6-3, 6-1. Shortly after, fellow freshman Klyczek fell 6-2, 6-3.A long gap ensued, but Hureau lost to No. 17 Kate Turvy 7-6, 6-1. Murdy fell 6-4, 5-7, 6-1, Vertesheva fell 6-2, 7-5, and Kauss fell 6-2, 4-6, 6-4.It was the last match Vertesheva would play for the cream and crimson in Bloomington. After her grueling match concluded, her whole team mobbed her with hugs. The first one was Hureau, who has been Vertesheva’s teammate for three years.“I’ve had a wonderful time here at IU,” Vertesheva said. “I’ve had wonderful support from my coaches and teammates who taught me a lot of things, and I’m very thankful to everyone who supported me throughout my years at college.”Vertesheva will be missed by her coach, who said he always admired the way she never complained.“Genya has spent her whole career here either at one or two singles, so that’s irreplaceable,” Loring said. “She’s been a star in the classroom, she’s got a 3.7 or 3.8 in economics, and she’s total low maintenance, she never needs anything, never wants anything, she’s just a coach’s dream.”
(04/20/12 2:45am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Sunday will be Senior Day for IU, and the Hoosiers will play one of the Big Ten’s toughest teams in Northwestern.Lone senior Evgeniya Vertesheva will be honored at the end of the match, and she said she feels a particular pressure to lead her team.“I just want to do really well in my last home match,” Vertesheva said. “Especially on my Senior Day, I’ll try to play my best tennis.”Before the No. 47 Hoosiers (15-8, 4-5) return home Sunday, they will hop on the bus and travel to Champaign, Ill., to play against another top-tier conference foe in the Illinois Fighting Illini.No. 21 Illinois is one of the hottest teams in the Big Ten, which is reflected in its 15-6 overall record and 7-2 Big Ten record. After dropping three straight matches early in the season, the Illini have been humming through their schedule.They have won nine of their past 10 matches. During their streak, they have limited opposing Big Ten teams to either zero or one total team points four times.The No. 48-ranked Rachael White and Allison Falkin and the No. 59-ranked Marisa Lambropoulos and Melissa Kopinski will battle IU for the doubles point early in the action.The Illini lack highly ranked singles players, as their lone representative is No. 98 Falkin. She is likely to be on the other side of the court to IU junior Leslie Hureau, who is ranked No. 77 in the nation.The match against the orange and blue starts at 4 p.m. Friday.After battling against one of the best teams the Big Ten has to offer Friday, the Hoosiers will get no break in the schedule as they return home to play traditional conference powerhouse Northwestern on Sunday.Northwestern (15-7, 8-1) is the highest-ranked Big Ten team at No. 12 in the country, according to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. After a significant, mid-season lull in which they lost five consecutive matches to high-caliber competition, the Wildcats have found their groove, winning 10 of their last 11. During their tear through the conference, they have beaten eight nationally ranked teams.The big purple is anchored by No. 17 Kate Turvy and No. 67 Brittany Wowchuk in singles. They feature the No. 25-ranked tandem of Linda Abu Mushrefova and Nida Hamilton and the No. 90-ranked duo of Mushrefova again and Veronica Corning.The Hoosiers are currently riding a streak of their own — a three-game losing streak. Vertesheva said she will tell her team not to dwell on last weekend’s losses, underscored by a loss against Wisconsin, who is just 2-7 in the conference.“We don’t have to lose our confidence after these couple losses because at this point all Big Ten teams are pretty good and on any given day a team can beat another one, and we just have to stay positive,” Vertesheva said.
(04/17/12 3:37am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>“It was just one of those weekends where if something could go wrong, it did,” IU Coach Lin Loring said.Indiana suffered two crippling losses this weekend, with the Hoosiers being outscored by a total of 12-2 against two teams that were below them in the Big Ten standings before the weekend.Loring said the Hoosiers had hoped to play both matches outdoors but that inclement weather prohibited doing so.“These were both really good indoor teams that we wanted to play outdoors,” Loring said. “But for both of these matches, we had to play indoors, so that was a bad thing because I think we’re definitely a better outdoors team.”The No. 47 Hoosiers began the weekend by squaring off against No. 31 Minnesota. The Gophers blanked IU, winning 7-0.The No. 45 ranked tandem of Natallia Pintusava and Magdalena Wiecha bested Indiana’s duo of sophomore Sophie Garre and freshman Katie Klyczek 8-4.Junior Leslie Hureau and freshman Shannon Murdy then responded by taking their match 8-6, but with the doubles point up for grabs, a tightly contested match went Minnesota’s way as senior Evgeniya Vertesheva and sophomore Kayla Fujimoto fell 9-7.Minnesota proceeded to defeat IU in the singles matches, winning every match but one in straight sets.Klyczek was the first Hoosier to fall, losing 6-2, 6-2 in the three slot. Fujimoto followed by falling 6-4, 6-4.When freshman Alecia Kauss lost her first singles match since March 25 by the score of 6-3, 6-3, it marked the loss for Indiana.Murdy then lost 6-0, 7-6 and No. 124 Alexa Palen took out Vertesheva 6-2, 6-4. The lone Hoosier to push a match to three sets was No. 65 Hureau at the one position, in which she was defeated 6-1, 4-6, 6-4.This was the first time this season that IU failed to score at least a single team point.“I thought we competed really hard against Minnesota,” Loring said. “They have very, very fast indoor courts, and we came back in a lot of second sets and made matches out of them, but their style of play was really tough for us on the fast-paced courts.”After a disappointing day in Minneapolis, the Hoosiers tried to pick up a win against Big Ten cellar-dweller Wisconsin, but they fell 5-2.In doubles, Garre and Klyczek fell 8-5, while Vertesheva and Fujimoto were victorious 8-6. Hureau and Murdy lost the match and secured the point for the home team, losing 8-6.In singles action, the Hoosiers picked up two quick victories, with Vertesheva and Murdy winning their matches 6-2, 6-1 and 6-2, 6-4, respectively.Those were the last points IU would be awarded the rest of the day. After Fujimoto lost 7-5, 6-4, the remaining three matches would all go down to three sets and Badger wins.Hureau lost her three-set battle 6-4, 1-6, 6-2, and then Klyczek lost her match 6-0, 4-6, 6-3. The Wisconsin win cemented the third-straight loss for IU.Kauss lost 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the final match of the weekend.“Wisconsin’s a match we should have won,” Loring said. “We lost three three-setters and should have won the doubles point, but like I said, if something could go wrong, it did.”
(04/13/12 3:36am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>For the first time this Big Ten season, the No. 47 Hoosiers will be favored to win both matches in a weekend.Indiana, 15-6 (4-3), heads northward and into the central time zone to play Minnesota and Wisconsin, two teams that are unranked and below the Hoosiers in the Big Ten standings.This will be the first time that the team will go on the road after a four game home stand, which freshman Alecia Kauss said is different from playing in the comfort of home.“Here it’s a home court advantage with the fans that come,” Kauss said. “But I think we can bring the same level of intensity. We’ve shown that when we’ve been on the road in past weekends.”At 4:30 p.m. Friday, the Hoosiers will play the Golden Gophers. Minnesota, who is 13-5 (3-4) on the season, has been struggling mightily as of late.After rocketing to a 12-1 start to the season, the Gophers have proceeded to lose four of their past five matches. Most recently, they lost a heartbreaker to Ohio State 4-3 in which five of the six singles matches had to go to three sets.Oddly enough, Minnesota has stumbled at home, as well. Not winning a home match in more than a month, the last time the Gophers were victorious in Minnesota was February 26.After battling some gophers, IU will hop on the bus to face off against a group of badgers at noon Sunday.Wisconsin 10-9 (1-6) shares the cellar of the Big Ten with Iowa and Michigan State, two teams that IU has already beaten this season.Similar to Minnesota, the Badgers are in the midst of a skid, having lost five of their past six matches. They will also be looking for their first home conference win of the season.Wisconsin’s lone Big Ten victory came against Michigan State, who is 0-7 in the conference.IU will be flying out to Minnesota, which Kauss explained can be tiresome.“Sometimes you’re a little tired after a flight,” Kauss said. “But every time we fly, we don’t play till the next day, and we get to practice the morning of the match.”Kauss has been a big part of the team’s recent success, as she has gone 4-0 in her past four singles matches, including her first victory against a nationally ranked opponent in No. 121 Sam Critser of Michigan.“I think I’m coming into my own,” Kauss said. “I feel like my rhythm has become a lot better.”After a bit of a slump in which she did not feel like she was playing to her full potential, Kauss has gotten her swing more on track, and the results have reflected this improvement.“I’m just getting my strokes grooved better,” Kauss said. “I wouldn’t say I was struggling, but I didn’t feel like I was playing the best I could, and this past weekend I really felt I was finally hitting like I can and driving through it. I’m playing how I know I can play.”
(04/09/12 1:26am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>For the second straight weekend, No. 45 Indiana split two matches against ranked competition at home.The Hoosiers started the weekend taking on No. 72 Iowa. IU denied Iowa its first road win of the season, as it defeated the Hawkeyes 6-1.Junior Leslie Hureau and freshman Shannon Murdy took the opening match of doubles play when they rolled against an Iowa tandem 8-1.To secure the doubles point, senior Evgeniya Vertesheva and sophomore Kayla Fujimoto were victorious in their match 8-4.After a long battle in the one slot, sophomore Sophie Garre and freshman Katie Klyczek fell short to a Hawkeye pair 8-6.The Hoosiers dominated the singles action, winning five of the six matches. Freshmen Carolyn Chupa and Klyczek started in impressive fashion, giving up just three games between the two of them.After losing the first two games of the match, Chupa went on a tirade, not losing another game for the 6-2, 6-0 final. Klyczek easily disposed of her Iowa opponent, winning 6-1, 6-0.Murdy saw her first singles action of the Big Ten season, and she capitalized on the opportunity by winning 6-1, 6-4. The singles win secured the fourth team point and another win against a ranked foe for IU.IU Coach Lin Loring said she was happy for and proud of Murdy.“She did a really good job,” Loring said. “She’s been playing well in practice, and her shoulder is finally healthy. We’re very even in our last four or five positions.”Fellow freshman Alecia Kauss took care of her opponent 6-3, 6-1.Hureau, the reigning Big Ten player of the week, defeated another ranked foe by taking down No. 115 Sonja Molnar 6-1, 7-5.Loring said Hureau had had trouble with Molnar in the past, dropping both of her matches against her in previous years.“Leslie has never won a set off that girl,” Loring said. “Their No. 1 player has always been one of the top two or three in the Big Ten, and she’s never won more than three games in any set against her, so that’s a great win for Leslie.”IU turned around Sunday squaring off against No. 17 Nebraska in blustery conditions. The Huskers took the match 5-2.Nebraska took the opening match of doubles play, dominating Vertesheva and Fujimoto for the 8-0 win, and then secured the doubles point with an 8-5 win against Hureau and Murdy.The No. 1 slot had a Hoosier victory as Garre and Klyczek took the close match 8-6.In singles, No. 40 Mary Weatherholt proved to be too much for Hureau, as Hureau lost for the first time since Feb. 24.After losing the first set in a tiebreak 7-6, Chupa put up little resistance when she lost her second set 6-0.Vertesheva fell to No. 117 Patricia Veresova in straight sets 6-2, 6-1, and Klyczek also lost her match 6-3, 6-3.The Hoosiers saw victories in the five and six slots, with Kauss winning 6-1, 6-1 and Fujimoto downing her Husker foe 7-6, 6-2.Loring said she felt as though Nebraska was able to adapt to the weather better than the Hoosiers.“Early on, when it was windy, I thought they handled the wind real well,” Loring said. “They’re a little stronger than we are, and they hit the ball a little harder, so they dealt with the wind better than we did.”
(04/06/12 2:41am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The No. 45 Hoosiers welcome two more ranked Big Ten schools to Bloomington this weekend. On Saturday, the team will face off against No. 72 Iowa, and Sunday the cream and crimson will do battle with No. 17 Nebraska. Both matches start at 11 a.m. at the IU Tennis Center.The Hawkeyes (7-9, 1-4) jumped into the rankings this week after beating Penn State and narrowly losing to Ohio State this past weekend.Iowa has been struggling as of late, going just 2-6 in its past eight matches. The black and gold also look to amend their road woes, as they are 1-6 in away matches.No. 115 Sonja Molnar is Iowa’s lone ranked singles player, and Iowa has no ranked doubles tandems.IU will face its second top-20 team in three matches when it welcomes the Big Ten’s newest member, Nebraska. The Cornhuskers (18-2, 4-1) boast the Big Ten’s best winning percentage and rank only behind undefeated Michigan in the Big Ten standings.Nebraska has three ranked singles players in No. 40 Mary Weatherholt, No. 109 Janine Weinreich and No. 117 Patricia Veresova. They also feature the No. 40 doubles duo of Madeleine Geibert and Stefanie Weinstein.Most likely squaring off against Weatherholt will be junior Leslie Hureau. Hureau, the newly appointed Big Ten Player of the Week, will try to knock off her third player ranked in the top 60 in Big Ten play.The recent success can be accounted for in part by the addition of Hureau’s new doubles partner, freshman Shannon Murdy, into the doubles lineup.Murdy has gone 3-0 in her past four matches, as she and Hureau were up 6-5 on a Michigan tandem when the match was called early.Murdy was understandably excited when IU Coach Lin Loring gave her the nod.“I was really excited because I was glad I was finally able to contribute our team winning matches,” Murdy said. “And I was also a little bit nervous because I hoped I could do well so Coach would keep me in the lineup.”The Kelley School of Business was a key reason why Murdy elected to spend her collegiate days in Bloomington.“The business school is top 10 in the country here,” Murdy said. “And I knew I wanted to major in accounting, so that was a deciding factor. Also, I love the coaches and the team here, so it just seemed like the overall perfect fit for me.”Murdy, a Georgia native, said she appreciates the cooler weather and the chance to play indoors for a change. “I like the weather here a lot more than Georgia,” Murdy said. “Georgia at this time is really hot, and I like playing indoors, too. I never really got to play indoors that much because Atlanta doesn’t really have any indoor courts.” Ironically, it was here in Indiana that Murdy started to grow a passion for peaches, and now she looks forward to going home and enjoying the fresh fruit of her state.“When I go back for the summer, I’m definitely going to eat some more Georgia peaches,” Murdy said with a chuckle.
(04/04/12 2:45am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Junior Leslie Hureau’s recent success has not gone unnoticed.Hureau was named Big Ten Player of the Week by the conference Tuesday, marking the first time a Hoosier has won the honor this season.The French native received the award after going 2-0 in singles this past weekend against Olga Chernova of Michigan State and Emina Betkas of Michigan.Since Hureau lost to No. 39 Shannon Matthews of Notre Dame on Feb. 24, she has gone on a tear and not lost a single match.The No. 99-ranked Hureau is riding a seven-match win streak. During which she has taken down No. 55 Petra Januskova of Penn State.She also upset No. 10 Betkas of Michigan this past Sunday. During Hureau’s winning streak, she has won 14 of the 17 sets played. Hureau finished March like a lion, as she went undefeated the entire month. She has not lost a singles match in 40 days and counting. She is also undefeated in Big Ten play this season, going a perfect 5-0.Hureau is anchoring the No. 1 spot for the cream and crimson this year.Hureau has gone 13-3 in singles matches for the team potion of the schedule. All of her losses are to players ranked in the top 40 nationally. Hureau hopes to spend Easter weekend increasing her win streak to nine, as the Hoosiers will welcome Iowa on Saturday and Nebraska on Sunday to the IU Tennis Center. Both matches commence at 11 a.m.