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(10/04/13 2:55am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU Coach Ron Helmer will travel with the men’s and women’s cross country teams to compete in the Lehigh Paul Short Run at 10 a.m. Saturday in Bethlehem, Pa. Saturday’s race is named after Paul Short, who was a four-sport athlete at Lehigh University and became a member of the Athletics staff in 1938. Short passed away Nov. 17, 1967, at the age of 57. The Lehigh Paul Short Run is staged every year in October in remembrance of him. There will be 12 men and 11 women competing for the Hoosiers Saturday. The women will start the meet by running a six-kilometer race. The men will be running an eight-kilometer race starting at 10:10 a.m. with a staggered start. Helmer said the team is prepared for this weekend and he is confident in how the runners have been training.“We trained really well,” Helmer said. “The challenge that I knew we were going to have with a bunch of young people is that we need to translate training into racing, and we have an opportunity this weekend to do that.”Helmer classified this weekend’s race as a high-level meet. The team is more concerned with beating the competition and less concerned about the actual time in which it finishes the race. Two teams the Hoosiers are looking forward to competing against are Georgetown and Villanova. Senior Erica Ridderman said because they have only raced smaller schools and each other, they feel like they have something to prove this weekend. “I know there are nine teams who are ranked,” Ridderman said. “Villanova, Georgetown and a few others. If we can get in there and be competitive it would be really good.” Ridderman is anticipating that the race will start off at a fast pace. Although Helmer expressed that a specific time is not a priority, he said the Lehigh course is “a relatively fast course.”The Hoosiers swept their last race at the Indiana Intercollegiate by winning both the men’s and women’s races, and they will be looking to have the same type of success Saturday.“We’re really looking forward to a chance to compete against some really good teams and see what we can do,” Ridderman said. Follow reporter Frank Bonner on Twitter @Frank_Bonner1.
(09/25/13 3:15am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>This week’s Big Ten Runner of the Week was awarded to junior Kelsey Duerksen of the Hoosiers’ cross country team. Duerksen helped lead the team to a first place finish at the Indiana Intercollegiate meet.This was the fifth consecutive year IU finished first in the event.She finished first overall, running the 5-kilometer race in 17 minutes and 28 seconds, giving her two first place finishes for two consecutive years. Although Duerksen has been awarded runner of the week three times during her track seasons, this week’s award is her first as a cross country runner. Duerksen will be seen in action again Oct. 5 when Indiana competes in the Lehigh Paul Short race at Lehigh University.— Frank Bonner
(09/24/13 4:11am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU senior Samantha Ginther has returned to the IU women’s cross country team as an active runner after sitting out last year because of injuries. Ginther had a cist on her navicular bone along with two stress reactions in her foot. “It was a lot, and it wasn’t something that was super duper serious at the time, so, luckily we caught it early enough before it became too serious,” Ginther said, “But the cist in my navicular is what kept me out for the long period of time.”Ginther ran four years at Carroll High School in Ft. Wayne before coming to IU. During her freshman year at IU she never finished outside of the Hoosiers’ top four runners in any of her races. She was named the Academic All-Big Ten her sophomore year. In the 2011-12 season, the year before her injury, Ginther placed first for the Hoosiers and 64th overall at the Adidas Invitational. She also competed in the NCAA National Championships as an individual qualifier, where she placed 173rd overall.“Up until that point where I got injured, I had just started to train really well,” Ginther said. “I had just started running with the top two girls on our team, so that was a good step forward.”Ginther’s injury prevented her from running for eight weeks, and she said when she could run again, she was not in good enough shape to compete in last year’s cross country season. The coaching staff redshirted her.“I probably would have been able to race OK, but it would not have been the best year possible, so that is why we saved it for this year,” Ginther said. Ginther will lead the team accompanied by three other seniors. Seniors Samantha Gwin, Erica Ridderman and Lyndsey Wall are also in their last year.Although Ginther did not race for the Hoosiers, she trained the entire year in preparation for her return.IU Coach Ron Helmer said he is confident Ginther is ready for this season.“What I’m seeing now is a pretty prepared athlete,” Helmer said. “I think she’s way ahead of where she’s ever been before.”Follow reporter Frank Bonner on Twitter @Frank_Bonner1.
(09/23/13 3:09am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU men’s and women’s cross country teams each finished in first place at the Indiana Intercollegiate meet in Bloomington on Friday. The men’s team scored 25 points; the women’s team scored 21. All the IU runners on both teams finished in the top 10. Junior Kelsey Duerksen was the overall winner for the women’s 5-kilometer race, crossing the finish line in 17 minutes and 28 seconds. “I was hoping to run around 17:20,” Duerksen said. “Team-wise we definitely did well.“Junior Nolan Fife was the top runner for the Hoosiers in the men’s 8-kilometer race, crossing the finish line in 25 minutes and 10 seconds to grab third place. Junior Rorey Hunter followed in fourth place in the pack of six IU runners. Freshman Carl Smith, sophomore Owen Skeete, junior JR Ricker and junior Evan Esselink tagged along to grab fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth place, respectively. “With the conditions, it wasn’t as fast as some of us would have liked to have run,” Fife said, “but it was a little bit faster than two weeks ago. I guess you could kind of throw time out the door with the rain.” Friday’s meet was a chance for the Hoosiers to compete against the entire state of Indiana, measuring themselves against the competition. Every college or university in Indiana with a cross country team was represented, with more than 750 runners making their way to Bloomington.It was the first time IU had played host to the annual event since 2011. Purdue finished second in both the men and women’s races. Duerksen said defeating Purdue helped IU get some momentum to start the season.“Beating Purdue is good,” she said. “It’s a step in the right direction.”Duerksen crossed the line by herself, but senior Samantha Ginther and freshman Bethany Neeley, finished behind her for third- and fourth-place finishes. Senior Erica Ridderman finished in sixth place. Junior Brianna Johnson and freshman Amanda Behnke crossed the line together, finishing in seventh and eighth place, respectively. “It was a good, honest pace,” Fife said. “Coach wanted us to make sure it was an honest pace from the start. A lot of our guys were there early.” Fife said Friday’s run showed the top five scoring runners for the men’s team are up for grabs.“Today we established that we’ve got a lot of guys that can run in our top five,” Fife said. “Today was not the same five it was two weeks ago. There is a handful of guys that were within 10 or 15 seconds, which is exactly what we want.”Follow reporter Frank Bonner on Twitter @Frank_Bonner1.
(09/06/13 3:08am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU men’s and women’s cross country teams will kick off their seasons with the Indiana Open at 9:20 a.m. Saturday at the IU Championship Cross Country Course. According to IU Coach Ron Helmer, Saturday’s meet will be used as more of a workout for the team. The only other school outside of IU expected to attend is Wabash. Saturday’s race will be a no scoring event, and Helmer said it is not one of Indiana’s high-scale races.“We are going to run an honest pace, but what I would like to see is nine, 10 or 11 guys still together with a mile to go,” Helmer said. “But I want it to be an honest enough pace where some of those people within that 11 or 12 have to extend themselves pretty significantly to keep with the group.”The women will be running a five kilometer race, while the No. 20 ranked men’s team will be running eight kilometers. The men’s team lost two All-Americans in Andy Bayer and Zach Mayhew due to graduation. Junior Nolan Fife said with the loss of those two, the team lost a lot of leadership.“We lost a lot of fire power this last year with Andy and Zach up front leading the team with their leadership roles,” he said. Although IU’s team lost two significant runners, it still has five returners who competed for Indiana in the NCAA National Championships last year. Juniors Evan Esselink and JR Ricker, sophomores Matt Schwartzer and Owen Skeete and senior Robby Nierman are all returning from last year’s qualifying 2012 Championships team. “What we’re really looking to do this year is being able to form a strong pack and move our pack up further than it was last year,” Fife said.Last year’s NCAA Championships individual qualifier junior Kelsey Duerksen will be returning for the women’s team. Senior Erica Ridderman and junior Molly Winters will also be returning for the women. Senior Samantha Ginther will be back on the cross country course once again on Saturday after sitting last year’s season out due to injuries. “I think we’ll just kind of relax for the first half of the race and then get going after that,” Ginther said. “It’s still so early, and we’re training and we’re tired, but we still need to get out on the grass and run a little bit,” Helmer said.Follow cross country reporter Frank Bonner on Twitter @Frank_Money1.
(04/29/13 2:32am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The (18-4) IU men’s tennis team started the Big Ten Conference tournament this weekend. IU Coach Randy Bloemendaal said the Hoosiers were looking to do well in the Big Ten tournament in order to receive a bid in the NCAA national tournament. The competition started Thursday against Penn State. IU defeated Penn State for the second time this season with a 4-2 score. The No. 21 ranked doubles team of freshman Sam Monette and senior Isade Juneau led the way in capturing the doubles point for the Hoosiers. Junior Dimitrije Tasic and freshman Chris Essick sealed the deal by winning their match allowing IU to go up 1-0 on Penn State. Juneau and Essick contributed in the singles competition as well. Juneau defeated Penn State’s Thomas Hanzlik in three sets while Essick defeated Chris Young in a three set battle as well. The other singles victory that gave the Hoosiers their team victory over Penn State was senior Josh MacTaggart’s win over Bryan Welnetz. Tasic’s match was stopped once the Hoosiers clinched the victory so he did not get a chance to finish. IU advanced to the quarterfinals where they faced No. 23 Michigan University. The Hoosiers competed against Michigan earlier in the season on March 31 where they lost a nail bitter at home. The Wolverines were one of four teams that succeeded in beating IU at home. Michigan found a way to beat the Hoosiers for a second time on Friday wining with a 4-2 score.IU started off the competition with the lead as they were able to walk away with the doubles point. Monette and Juneau came through for the Hoosiers for the second consecutive time as did Tasic and Essick. However, unlike the Penn State match, the Hoosiers were only able to win one singles competition. Juneau defeated Michigan’s Barrett Franks in two sets but none of his teammates were able to score anymore points for the Hoosiers. Although the Hoosiers lost the Big Ten tournament, three of their players received awards from the Big Ten Conference. MacTaggart was named Big Ten All-Conference alongside his teammate Monette. MacTaggart has won this award for three consecutive years. Monette is the third Hoosier in IU history to receive this honor as a freshman. Essick was awarded the Big Ten Sportsmanship award as a freshman as well. Bloemendaal has sent ten Hoosiers to All-Conference teams since he has been at IU.
(04/25/13 2:24am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The No. 53 IU men’s tennis team (17-13, 6-5) will be starting the Big Ten Championships today in Columbus, Ohio. IU will start off the tournament by facing Penn State at 4 p.m. today, a team who the Hoosiers beat 5-2 earlier in the season. The Hoosiers finished the regular season with a 6-5 conference record, putting them at the sixth spot in the conference standings. Penn State struggled all season in the Big Ten, winning only two out of 11 conference matches. The Nittany Lions ended their regular season with a four-match losing streak. The Hoosiers are using the Big Ten Championships as a way to get into the NCAA Tournament. IU Coach Randy Bloemendaal said there are still some things that the team needs to work on before going deep into the tournament.“We still haven’t been a team that has been clutch, good under pressure,” Bloemendaal said. “I think we have been a team that’s been consistent until the last two matches, really, and put ourselves in position to win.” Bloemendaal said when it comes to the Big Ten Championships, it is just as much physical as it is mental. Another key detail to keep in mind is that the Hoosiers will be playing at a neutral site. IU has only played in two neutral sites all season, losing two out of three matches played. Senior Isade Juneau said he is staying focused on IU’s team goal of making the tournament.“It is a big tournament, and lots of things can happen,” Juneau said. “If we do well in this tournament, we can have the NCAA after that, so hopefully it will be good.” These tournament matches that the Hoosiers are competing in will be the last matches that senior Josh MacTaggart and Juneau will play for IU. As long as IU keeps winning throughout the tournament, these two players will be able to prolong their college careers.“One thing we have to do in this tournament is we have to stick together,” MacTaggart said. “We have to fight together as a team. We really have to come together and just fight for each other on the court.”
(04/24/13 9:15pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The No. 53 IU men’s tennis team (17-13, 6-5) will be starting the Big Ten Championships today in Columbus, Ohio. IU will start off the tournament by facing Penn State at 4 p.m. April 25, a team who they beat 5-2 earlier in the season. The Hoosiers finished the regular season with a 6-5 conference record, putting them at the sixth spot in the conference standings. Penn State struggled all season in the Big Ten, winning only two out of 11 conference matches. The Nittany Lions ended their regular season with a four-match losing streak. The Hoosiers are using the Big Ten Championships as a way to get into the NCAA Tournament. IU Coach Randy Bloemendaal said there are still some things that the team needs to work on before going deep into the tournament.“We still haven’t been a team that has been clutch, good under pressure,” Bloemendaal said. “I think we have been a team that’s been consistent until the last two matches really and put ourselves in position to win.” Bloemendaal said when it comes to the Big Ten Championships, it is just as much physical as it is mental. Another key detail to keep in mind is that the Hoosiers will be playing at a neutral site. IU has only played in two neutral sites all season, losing two out of three matches played. Senior Isade Juneau said he is staying focused on IU’s team goal of making the tournament.“It is a big tournament and lots of things can happen,” Juneau said. “If we do well in this tournament we can have the NCAA after that, so hopefully it will be good.” These tournament matches that the Hoosiers are competing in will be the last matches that senior Josh MacTaggart and Juneau will play in at IU. As long as IU keeps winning throughout the tournament, these two players will be able to prolong their college careers.“One thing we have to do in this tournament is we have to stick together,” MacTaggart said. “We have to fight together as a team. We really have to come together and just fight for each other on the court.”
(04/22/13 4:23am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The No. 53 IU men’s tennis team competed in three matches over the weekend, losing two out of the three. Competition started for the Hoosiers in Champaign, Ill., where they lost 6-1 to the No. 31 Fighting Illini. IU’s only point came from senior Josh MacTaggart as he beat Illinois’ Bruno Abdelnour in three sets. The two competitions the Hoosiers played on Sunday were not just typical home matches. Sunday was a special day for two players in particular, senior Isade Juneau and MacTaggart, because it was IU’s senior day. They started off their senior day with a match against Northwestern. Although Juneau was able to beat Sidarth Balaji in two sets, the Hoosiers lost the match with a 6-1 score. IU Coach Randy Bloemendaal said it was a tough senior day at first.“You don’t want to see a lot of senior days like that,” Bloemendaal said after the loss. “I feel bad for them to kind of go through that kind of a senior day, but we still have another match ahead of us so hopefully we finish it off a different way.” IU was still able to get one win on Sunday against Vincennes, where they performed a 7-0 shutout. Both seniors won their singles and doubles competitions. Bloemendaal was able to reflect on what the two seniors meant to the team but said he did not want to reflect too much because the season is not over yet. “They are both kind of mini versions for what the program has done for the last four years,” he said. “I think they’ve help set the standard for going out and winning consistently for the team, and both of them have been able to win a lot of big matches in their careers.”MacTaggart already held the title for most singles victories in IU history before stepping into senior day. His doubles victory against Vincennes tied the record at 102 for most doubles victories by an IU tennis player. Both Juneau and MacTaggart can say their last home competition as a Hoosier athletes was a victory. “It is definitely a weird feeling to be done here,” Juneau said. “But I am happy with all I have done here and I would not change anything.” Juneau said he will definitely keep on playing after college.However, MacTaggart said he is not sure if he will pursue a tennis career after college. “It’s been great, college tennis has been awesome,” MacTaggart said. “But I have to make a decision as to weather I want to keep playing tennis or if I want to try and get a real job.”Teammates such as freshman Sam Monette are happy for the two seniors but said it is a bittersweet experience.“Those two guys were a really big inspiration for all of us throughout the year since we are a really young team,” Monette said. “Isade is one of my best friends so it is really hard to see him leave like that.”
(04/12/13 3:35am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU Coach Randy Bloemendaal and the men’s tennis team will be continuing its quest for a NCAA Tournament bid this weekend against the Minnesota Gophers and Wisconsin Badgers. The Hoosiers are currently on a five-game winning streak after winning five consecutive home games. The Hoosiers will be traveling on the road this weekend where they have struggled all season. IU is traveling to Minneapolis, Minn., Friday for another Big Ten Conference showdown. “Minnesota is playing well and they have been doing well in the Big Ten,” Bloemendaal said. The Gophers have a 5-2 conference record and are currently 5-2 at home. Minnesota has won its last three home matches and will be looking to push it to four against IU. The Gophers are coming off of a 7-0 loss at the hands of the Ohio State Buckeyes last weekend. Indiana competed against Ohio State earlier in the season and lost 7-0 as well. The Hoosiers conference record is 7-2 and a win over the Gophers would help them move up in the conference standings. “It is always a tough match with us, so I am expecting another really good match with Minnesota,” Bloemendaal said.Once the Hoosiers are finished in Minneapolis, their next stop will be Madison, Wis., to compete against the Badgers on Saturday. The Badgers are 10-9, having all ten of their victories come out of their backyard. However, Wisconsin is currently on a seven game losing streak and hasn’t won a home match since March. However, Bloemendaal said he does not believe that Wisconsin will just lie down. “Wisconsin has been a little bit down but every road victory in the Big Ten is tough,” he said. Bloemendaal has expressed how important his two seniors, Josh MacTaggart and Isade Juneau, are in close matches and said he will need them this weekend. It was a big weekend for MacTaggart at home last weekend as he became the second player in Hoosiers’ history to win 100 doubles matches, but he said playing on the road is a different feeling.“It is definitely different mentally, going on the road,” MacTaggart said. “You really can’t relax at all, we are a lot more in the comfort zone at home.”Competition will start for the Hoosiers in Minneapolis at 4 p.m. EDT Friday and will pick back up on Saturday in Wisconsin at 2 p.m. EDT.
(04/03/13 3:36pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU Coach Randy Bloemendaal and the IU men’s tennis team will play its fourth consecutive home match at 2 p.m. today against Purdue University. The Hoosiers found a way to win two of their last three home matches against No. 35 Michigan, No. 51 Michigan State, and Butler. IU has only lost three of the 11 home games it has played this season. The team’s overall record is 11-10 and will be looking to go two games above .500 against the Boilermakers. After the heartbreaking 4-3 lost to Michigan on Sunday, Bloemendaal said how important it is for his seniors to perform well in every competition. “We need those guys to win,” Bloemendaal said. “We really do we need them to come through for us.”The Hoosiers only have two seniors in Josh MacTaggart and Isade Juneau. The rest of the roster consists of one junior and five freshmen. Purdue’s roster is similar to IU’s considering they only have two seniors as well. The Boilermakers have a 14-6 record, winning four of their seven away matches. Purdue is currently on a two game losing streak, having lost to both Michigan and Michigan State at home over the weekend. Although the Hoosiers lost a home match to Michigan as well, they defeated Michigan State in a 6-1 victory. IU will be Purdue’s fifth Big Ten opponent. The Hoosiers are 1-3 against the Big Ten this season.
(03/29/13 4:57am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU Coach Randy Bloemendaal and the men’s tennis team will play host to its first Big Ten home competitions this weekend. No. 51 Michigan State will travel to Bloomington to compete Friday, and the No. 35 Michigan Wolverines will compete against the Hoosiers on Sunday.All of the Hoosiers’ competitions so far this season have been indoors. This weekend, however, IU has a chance to play its first outdoors match. The matches are expected to be played on the outside courts at the IU Tennis Center, but they will not know for sure until the day of because it all depends on the weather. “It has to be above 50 for two out of the three hours we are supposed to play, and (the winds) have to be forecasted for 20 miles an hour or less,” Bloemendaal said. “We’re ready to be outside.” Last weekend the Hoosiers went on the road to compete in conference play. Their first match was against Penn State in which they won 5-2. After their win against Penn State, they traveled to then-No. 5 Ohio State and lost 7-0. Bloemendaal contributes the win and the loss to his veteran players.“Against Penn State, my seniors did a hell of a job that day just jumping on their opponents,” Bloemendaal said. “But as good a job as the seniors did against Penn State, I thought they did a horrible job against Ohio State.”Michigan State is 7-9 overall and 3-4 on the road. The team was on a three-match losing streak before beating Wisconsin last weekend in East Lansing. MSU competed against Michigan on March 14 and lost by a 4-3 score. The Wolverines are 7-7 overall and 2-5 on the road. They came off of a three-match streak before losing to Minnesota Sunday.Since IU will be squaring off against Michigan State first, they can learn from the mistakes they make and build on the actions they did well in order to prepare for Michigan. Bloemendaal believes that winning against both teams is definitely an option for the Hoosiers.“We are capable of winning both matches, and I don’t look at us as the underdog in either match,” he said. The 9-9 Hoosiers have played their best tennis at home this season, generating a 6-2 home record. IU has not lost a home match since Jan. 2, against the Oklahoma Sooners, who were ranked No. 8 in the nation at the time. “Right now I’m focused on Michigan State,” Bloemendaal said. “I think they are well coached, but at the end of the day we really should be a little bit better.”
(03/28/13 7:42pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU Coach Randy Bloemendaal and the men’s tennis team will be host to its first Big Ten home competitions this weekend. No. 51 Michigan State will be traveling to Bloomington in order to compete Friday, and the No. 35 Michigan Wolverines will compete against the Hoosiers on Sunday.All of the Hoosiers’ competitions so far this season have been indoor matches. This weekend, however, IU has a chance to play its first outdoors match. The matches are expected to be played on the outside courts at the IU Tennis Center, but they will not know for sure until the day of because it all depends on the weather. “It has to be above 50 for two out of the three hours we are supposed to play, and (the winds) have to be forecasted for 20 miles an hour or less,” Bloemendaal said. “We’re ready to be outside.” Last weekend the Hoosiers went on the road to compete in conference play. Their first match was against Penn State in which they won 5-2. After their win against Penn State, they traveled to then-No. 5 Ohio State and lost 7-0. Bloemendaal contributes the win and the loss to his veteran players.“Against Penn State, my seniors did a hell of a job that day just jumping on their opponents,” Bloemendaal said. “But as good a job as the seniors did against Penn State, I thought they did a horrible job against Ohio State.”Michigan State is 7-9 overall and 3-4 on the road. The team was on a three-match losing streak before beating Wisconsin last weekend in East Lansing. MSU competed against Michigan on March 14 and lost by a 4-3 score. The Wolverines are 7-7 overall and 2-5 on the road. They just came off of a three-match winning streak before losing to Minnesota last Sunday.Since IU will be squaring off against Michigan State first, they can learn from the mistakes they make and build on the actions they did well in order to prepare for Michigan. Bloemendaal believes that winning against both teams is definitely an option for the Hoosiers.“We are capable of winning both matches, and I don’t look at us as the underdog in either match,” he said. The 9-9 Hoosiers have played their best tennis at home this season, generating a 6-2 home record. IU has not lost a home match since Jan. 2, against the Oklahoma Sooners, who were ranked No. 8 in the nation at the time. “Right now I’m focused on Michigan State,” Bloemendaal said. “I think they are well coached, but at the end of the day we really should be a little bit better.”
(03/22/13 2:12am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The 8-8 IU men’s tennis team is currently on a two-game winning streak heading into Big Ten competition this weekend. After losing three consecutive away matches, IU was able to get its first road win against Florida Atlantic on March 13. Now they will have to travel to University Park, Pa., to compete against Penn State at 2 p.m. Friday followed by a competition in Columbus, Ohio, against No. 5 Ohio State on Sunday. The Hoosiers started the season ranked in the top 25 and lost five of their first six matches. Now, IU is not even ranked among the top 75 teams in the country. IU Coach Randy Bloemendaal said his tennis teams in recent years have seen more success than this year’s team.“Our expectations have been higher, no doubt about it, to do better than this,” he said. The Hoosiers have a young team — five of their eight players are freshmen — which could possibly help explain why they struggle on the road. Bloemendaal said the problem has been that his players struggle with the pressure matches. Five out of IU’s eight losses have been by one point.“Just a few points here and there under pressure make a difference. That is what made us good last year,” Bloemendaal said. IU has four consecutive matches against Big Ten opponents scheduled, two this weekend against Penn State and Ohio State on the road and two at home against Michigan State and Michigan the following weekend. Bloemendaal said the key to win the matches against conference teams is to win the doubles point. Assistant coach Patrick Hynes said the close matches the Hoosiers have played in so far this season will help them succeed in the Big Ten. “The matches that we have lost have been close and going into the Big Ten that is really going to help us out,” Hynes said. “We need to be in those situations for us to get better because the matches when we get into the Big Ten are going to be like that.” IU will be looking to excel in the Big Ten Conference by starting off with a win Friday. The Nittany Lions are 6-8 in the season and are 3-3 at home. They are coming off of a 4-3 road win against Rice on March 9. The IU will be able to use this competition to help prepare for what is to come on Sunday against Ohio State. The Buckeyes defeated the Nittany Lions in a 7-0 shutout in University Park earlier this month. “Ohio State always has a lot of depth so pretty much I think every guy on their team is going to bring a challenge.” Hynes said. “Penn State is a little bit stronger than they were last year and they have pretty good depth too.”
(03/06/13 3:02am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Head Coach Randy Bloemendaal and the IU men’s tennis team will compete against No. 42 University of Louisville today in Louisville, Ky. This match will be their third consecutive away competition. Indiana is currently on a two-match losing streak and still looking for that first victory away from home. The Cardinals have been undefeated at home, where they have obtained five oftheir eight victories this season.The Hoosiers will have to find a way to get the Cardinals out of their comfort zone if they want to walk away with their first road win. Indiana has just two road matches left before they play again in Bloomington. The players have been doing a fair amount of traveling in the past few weeks. “Our travel is spread out enough to where we should be OK in getting our proper rest and doing what we need to do,” Bloemendaal said. Bloemendaal said he believes if his players do what they are supposed to do and stay focused, then they should be ready to compete no matter where they travel. The Hoosiers have a shortened week this week as they just competed against No. 23 Harvard University four days ago. IU lost to Harvard 4-3 Sunday, and Louisville played against IU the following day, losing 4-3 as well. Both teams are looking to rebound in today’s match.“You have to get better on the road,” Bloemendaal said. “You can’t get away with some of the stuff you get away with at home and still win.”The Cardinals have a weapon with sophomore Sebastian Stiefelmeyer from Austria. He is just one spot away from being in the top 100 singles college players in the nation. However, the Cardinals faced the Hoosiers in January at the Four Conference Showdown, in which Stiefelmeyer lost three sets against IU’s freshman Sam Monette. Stiefelmeyer was ranked No. 82 at the time, and IU went 2-2 in doubles competition against Louisville. Because the Hoosiers have already played the Cardinals, they have a feel for what is to come out of them. While the teams previously competed in Florida at a neutral site, now they will be in the Cardinals’ own backyard, from which no team has emerged victorious. The competition will start at 4 p.m. in the Bass Rudd Tennis Center.
(03/04/13 4:58am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>On Saturday, the No. 68 IU men’s tennis team traveled to Cambridge, Mass., to compete against No. 23 Harvard. The Hoosiers were in search of their first win away from home while the Crimson was hoping to earn its first home victory. Harvard succeeded in beating the Hoosiers, 4-3. Freshman Sam Monette and senior Isade Juneau got IU off to a good start in doubles action by defeating the Harvard duo of Casey MacMaster and Denis Nguyen 8-5. However, the Crimson won the last two doubles competitions, allowing them to walk away with the point. Junior Dimitrije Tasic was the first to compete in the singles competition for the Hoosiers, and he fell to Harvard’s Andy Nguyen in consecutive sets. Monette was the first to score points for IU as he knocked off Shaun Chaudhuri in two sets, putting the Hoosiers within one point. Senior Josh MacTaggart tied the match at two when he defeated Harvard’s Alex Steinroder in a two-set match at number three singles.Once the Hoosiers rallied back to tie the match after a two point deficit, Harvard responded with a couple of singles victories of its own. Harvard’s Denis Nguyen beat Juneau in three sets, giving the Crimson a one-point advantage. Although freshman Eliiot Yee was able to win the last match of the competition at number six singles, Harvard had already clinched the victory by winning its fourth point at No. 5 singles. Freshman Daniel Bednarczyk battled in a three-set match against Nicky Hu, but could not close out the victory. After winning five consecutive home competitions, the 6-7 Hoosiers have now lost two consecutive matches. They continue to struggle on the road, as they have two more away competitions left in their four-match stretch. IU has proven that it can win at home; all six of its victories come directly from its backyard.The problem the team has faced this season is winning on other teams’ courts, as well as neutral sites. The Hoosiers have a combined record of 0-5 when it comes to competing at away and neutral sites.The Hoosiers will have another chance to redeem themselves on Wednesday in Louisville, Ky., where they will compete against the Louisville Cardinals. The No. 42 Cardinals have yet to lose at home this season and have an unblemished 5-0 home record. Competition will start at 4 p.m. at the Bass-Rudd Tennis Center.
(03/01/13 4:34am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Coach Randy Bloemendaal and his No. 68 ranked IU tennis team will compete in their second consecutive away match against No. 23 Harvard University. The 6-6 Hoosiers will be looking to bounce back from their 5-2 loss to No. 25 Vanderbilt. Last weekend’s loss snapped a five match winning streak for the Hoosiers. IU is still in search for their first victory away from home as four out of their six losses have come from away or neutral matches. Harvard, on the other hand, has yet to win a home match. They are 6-4 overall, but lost their only home match against Old Dominion earlier this season. Although IU has yet to win on the road and Harvard is winless at home, the Crimson does have one advantage on paper against the Hoosiers. Harvard competed against Vanderbilt earlier this season winning 4-3, beating a team IU was unable to conquer. However, this fact does not rattle Bloemendaal coming into this competition.“Both programs are very well coached, and they both have very good players, but we are striking the ball well and playing well enough to win at every position.” Bloemendaal said. This four consecutive road match stretch will challenge this young team to stay mentally strong and focused. Although they were able to win five home matches consecutively, the Hoosiers have to learn how to keep that intensity when playing on the road. Bloemendaal said he believes they can compete with the best as long as his players know how to play their game.“Nobody in the country has given us trouble when we play our tennis,” he said. “We are learning how to play our tennis all in the same day.” Bloemendaal said he believes in his team. He has witnessed them win when they are mentally prepared. The action will start for the Hoosiers at noon in Cambridge, Massachusetts at the Murr Center tennis courts. “We can get gritty late and compete on a championship level,” Bloemendall said.
(02/22/13 1:49am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After taking a weekend off from competition, the No. 30 IU men’s tennis team will be back in action Sunday. The team will be heading to Nashville, Tenn., to compete against No. 33 Vanderbilt at noon CST. This match will be the first of four consecutive away matches for the Hoosiers. IU will be looking for its first win away from home this weekend. Vanderbilt has only lost one match at home this season, creating a 5-1 home record. The Commodores’ last home loss came from then-No. 47 Harvard, whom Indiana will be playing next week. The Hoosiers had extra time to prepare for this match-up considering they did not compete this past weekend after failing to qualify for the ITA National Team Indoor Championships. Even though IU did not have a match to compete in, they did not take the weekend off, IU Coach Randy Bloemendaal said. “We had a good week of practice,” he said. “We went after it, we actually trained harder this past week and put more hours in.”Vanderbilt junior Ryan Lipman is ranked at No. 22 in singles. Lipman has yet to lose a singles match this month.“Vanderbilt is really tough at the top of the lineup,” Bloemendaal said. However, Lipman is not the only individual that has excelled in February. IU freshman Sam Monette has won six straight singles matches, as well. Despite three of the teams IU has faced this past month being ranked opponents, including Oklahoma in the top 10, Monette has managed to maintain success on the court.This month has started well for the Hoosiers as a team. After their 1-5 start to the season, Indiana has managed to win five straight competitions since a 4-3 loss to the Sooners Feb. 1.Indiana’s overall record is 6-5 while Vanderbilt has a 7-3 record. Both teams have managed to win five of their last six matches this month. “We are playing at the same level,” Bloemendaal said. “It’s going to be a heck of a match.”
(02/08/13 5:33am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The No. 32 IU men’s tennis team will have another doubleheader at the Indoor Tennis Center this weekend against Eastern Kentucky and No. 61 Brown. The competition will take place at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 9. IU Coach Randy Bloemendaal said the team will look to take advantage of another set of home matches. IU’s overall record is 4-5 but they perform better in Bloomington as shown by their home record. IU won four of their six home matches in 2013. “There is a comfort level that we have here that we don’t have anywhere else,” Bloemendaal said.The Hoosiers will look to use this comfort to their advantage as they try to win both matches in order to get above the .500 mark. EKU will be coming into Saturday’s match with a 2-3 record. The Colonels have yet to win a match on the road. However, Bloemendaal said he will not be taking EKU lightly this weekend. “Eastern Kentucky is always very talented,” he said. “I know they don’t show up much in the ream rankings but individually they always have two or three guys that are very talented.”Brown will be coming into this weekend on a two game winning streak with a 2-2 record. They were able to knock off Binghamton and Quinnipiac, losing only one point between both matches. Brown has yet to play an away match. “Brown has a couple of guys at the top that are going to be tough,” Bloemendaal said. This weekend will be the Hoosiers’ seventh home match in which they will be looking to defend their home turf. “I’m excited about the competition coming up I’m not worried about it I just think we have to continue to prepare for it,” Bloemendaal said.
(02/01/13 4:15am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Head Coach Randy Bloemendaal and the IU men’s tennis team will be competing in another doubleheader at home Friday against the IUPUI Jaguars and the No. 8 Oklahoma Sooners. The day will start at 2 p.m. for the Hoosiers as they will be hosting Oklahoma first and competing against IUPUI at 7 p.m. in the Indoor Tennis Center.IU is currently ranked No. 23 with a 1-4 record. The Sooners come into this completion with an undefeated record, and No. 36-ranked Guillermo Alcorta has had plenty of success this season. “They have a really good team,” Bloemendaal said. “They have a legitimate top-10 team, and I actually think they have the potential to be top five by the end of the year.”The Sooners were able to beat No. 28 ranked Harvard with a 4-0 score last weekend and will be looking to build from that momentum. IU has had a slow start to this season and hopes to turn it around starting with a win over Oklahoma. Two of IU’s four losses have been by one point. Bloemendaal said he believes his team will be able to win the close matches as the season continues.“It’s always breakdowns before breakthroughs. We’ve had a few breakdowns in the last week, and the schedule was very difficult. We’ve got a fairly young team, and I think we’re getting better,” he said. The Hoosiers have nine active players on their roster, five of them freshmen. Oklahoma has only two freshmen out of their 10 active players listed, making them a more veteran team. Despite the difference in experience, Bloemendaal said he feels strongly about their chances against the Sooners.“This is going to be a good match,” he said. “They have more than a couple of guys on their team that I think are really good players, but I think we’ve got equally as good players on our team.”IUPUI has yet to win a match against any opponent, coming into this weekend with a 0-6 record. One asset Bloemendaal said he believes the Hoosiers will have against both IUPUI and Oklahoma this weekend is home field advantage. “We’ve got a very good team on our home court and we play well here,” Bloemendaal said. “We have a very good chance to come through this weekend.”