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(04/10/09 4:12am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Eight away matches have led the Hoosiers to their final road trip this weekend against Penn State and No. 43 Ohio State.IU won last weekend against conference opponents Minnesota and Iowa, both matches by a 4-3 score. Although the No. 38 Hoosiers are 7-1 in 4-3 matches, they hope to walk away with a bigger winning margin this weekend, junior Lindsey Stuckey said.“It’s a little stressful,” Stuckey said. “We know that one of the main problems that we’re having ... is that we’re not winning the doubles point, and that’s what’s making it really tight in the singles.”All three teams enter the weekend on an even playing field with no ranked players. But home-court advantage in the Big Ten is key.“We have to travel all day,” Stuckey said. “We get just a little exhausted from all the traveling, so we’re just going to have overcome that.”IU (12-7, 4-2) is on a roll, winning its last three Big Ten matches.
(04/10/09 4:08am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Lin Loring is a ladies’ man. Loring has become a legacy in his 32 seasons as the IU women’s tennis coach. With 731 career victories, he is the NCAA’s winningest women’s tennis coach in Division I history. A 326-71 record also makes him the most successful coach in the Big Ten for women’s tennis.A competitive golfer and runner in high school, Loring developed an interest in tennis after rooming with the No. 1 tennis player at his alma mater, the University of California, Santa Barbara. He began volunteering for the women’s team when he got his first glimpse into the world of coaching collegiate women.“I was just volunteering my time with the women’s tennis coach,” Loring said. “She became ill, and the athletic department asked me to finish out the year with the team because I was the only one that knew the players.”Since his introduction to coaching, his players have been named All-American 24 times. Loring is also a five-time Big Ten Coach of the Year and two-time National Coach of the Year.“Everybody’s coaching style is kind of a collaboration of everything you’ve kind of stolen from everybody else that you’ve worked with,” Loring said. “I was just fortunate enough to work with a bunch of really good people as I was coming up through the ranks.”Joining Doc Counsilman and Bobby Knight when he first came to IU in 1977, Loring has outlasted them both. He is the only active IU coach with more than 20 years of Hoosier experience.That experience has led to a string of 104 consecutive Big Ten victories from 1978 to 1985, 16 Big Ten championships and a national championship in 1982.“As I look back, I don’t think I could have ever had a better coach for my four years in school,” senior Alba Berdala said. “He understands tennis and everytime you’re on the court, he knows what you have to do in order to win.”In the past four years, Loring has coached Berdala to consecutive Big Ten honors. He has also coached 12 undefeated conference seasons.“The fact that he’s been around for so many years makes him even better because it just shows how much patience and understanding he has to have to be 30 years around that many girls,” Berdala said. “It’s not an easy job.”Loring said much of his success comes from his non-tennis background.“The fact that I didn’t come from a playing background made me want to really study and learn the game,” he said. “Sometimes really good players aren’t good coaches because everything’s come naturally to them. They’ve never really studied the game.”Studying the game alongside assistant coach Ramiro Azcui for the past 17 years has contributed to the Hoosiers’ and Loring’s success.The tandem has a 291-164 overall record and is 140-58 in the Big Ten.“I’ve been able to learn, day by day, how he operates, how he plans his practice and how he runs the team,” Azcui said. “It has been a great experience for myself, to which I enjoy tremendously.”Along with Azcui, Loring and his team share the IU Varsity Tennis Center with IU men’s coach Randy Bloemendaal and the men’s team.“We share ideas and help each other out, but he’s certainly been coaching a long time, so he doesn’t need me telling him X’s and O’s,” Loring said.Loring does not need plays drawn out for him, either: The team has a (12-7, 4-2) record and a No. 38 ranking this season.“The fact that I’ve won that many means that I’ve had a lot of good people around me, but it means that I’ve just done it longer than a lot of people,” Loring said.Accomplishing feats of which no other women’s tennis team has been capable, Loring pushes through the season living his life, building his Hoosier legacy.“At a certain point it’s not my alma mater, but at a certain point it becomes your alma mater,” Loring said. “I’ve been here 32 years. You grow attached to the place.”
(04/09/09 3:53am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Before coming to IU, coach Randy Bloemendaal used to think Bloomington was only miles of cornfields.In his second year as IU head coach, leading a No. 53 ranked team, Bloemendaal now knows there is more than corn in Indiana.Racket in hand since age 11, Bloemendaal always believed he would be a player, never a coach.“It was just never something that had entered my mind,” Blomendaal said. “Then once I did it, I caught the bug in coaching and kind of fell in love, and here I am today.”Bloemendaal said a push from his college coach and the void feeling of team unity also persuaded him to go into coaching.“When I was out playing all those tournaments, I missed the team part,” he said. “I try to take pride in other parts of the game ... but my passion is being around the team.”Sophomore Lachlan Ferguson said Bloemendaal helped him understand how to reach his full potential while always remaining fair to the other players.“He never makes rash decisions or statements he hasn’t thought about,” Feruson said.Before IU, Bloemendaal coached men’s and women’s tennis in the same season. He spent eight years at his alma mater, Division II Lees-McRae, and two years at Division I Charleston Southern. While at Lees-McRae, he was named CVAC Coach of the Year six times and is a three-time Intercollegiate Tennis Association Regional Coach of the Year.Despite the awards, coaching two teams was difficult for Bloemendaal.“One team could win, and you could be really happy, and the other team could lose and you’re like, ‘Wow, we never should have lost that,’” he said. “You’ve only got one head on your shoulders, so it’s hard to show all that at one time. It was tough.”Yet, IU assistant coach Scott Linn said Bloemendaal possesses a mind for the game. Linn said that in a sports world obsessed with instant results, Bloemendaal does not value the quick way out.“He values the long-term effort of giving him the best you can be,” Linn said. “Sometimes to do that you have to go through stages of development, and if you’re looking for immediate gratification a lot of times athletes don’t do that.”But Bloemendaal said coaching is a learning process he continues to analyze. He calculated that he spends seven hours a day, seven days a week, 12 months a year coaching. His duties include recruiting new players, practicing with his team, scheduling trips and filling out paperwork.Bloemendaal said he is fortunate to have Linn plugging away with him.Thirty-two-year veteran Lin Loring, the IU women’s tennis coach, also helps Bloemendaal occasionally.“Coach Loring’s been a huge help because he has a wealth of knowledge, especially at Indiana,” Bloemendaal said. “I learn from everybody, but any time you’re around somebody who’s won multiple championships, I think that’s a tremendous opportunity to grow even more.”In January, Bloemendaal reached his 200th career victory against Gardner-Webb. He joined the team in 2005 as an assistant coach. After four years at IU, Bloemendaal now knows the true terrain of Bloomington.“What a neat place, Bloomington. I fell in love with that immediately,” Bloemendaal said. “It’s just a wonderful institution to represent. The students here are just very passionate about athletics as well. To me, it looked like the sky’s the limit. You can go after Big Tens. You can go after national championships, and that’s what we’re trying to accomplish here.”
(04/06/09 4:11am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A weekend road trip seemed to be what the Hoosiers needed after their first Big Ten loss Tuesday at home against Illinois. Instead, No. 43 IU dropped its first Big Ten road match of the season, losing to No. 33 Minnesota and No. 64 Iowa.Minnesota denied the Hoosiers their first chance at a road conference win in a 6-1 Gophers victory.The Hoosiers lost all three doubles matches. IU did not do much better in singles play, losing four of six matches in straight sets.Freshman Will Kendall had IU’s only win, beating his opponent in straight sets.However, No. 85 sophomore Lachlan Ferguson struggled to make the match last three sets after quickly losing the first set 6-1 to No. 60 Ishay Hadash. Ferguson eventually lost in a third set tiebreak (10-7).Sunday’s match did not go much better for IU, which lost its third straight match when itdropped a 5-2 decision to No. 64 Iowa.After winning the doubles point against the Hawkeyes, the Hoosiers were unable to keep momentum. Freshman Jeremy Langer provided the other point for the Hoosiers. After sweeping the first set 6-0, Langer walked away with the second set in a 7-6 tiebreaker.
(04/06/09 4:07am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The weekend brought the Hoosiers two up-hill contests and a drop in doubles points.Prevailing in a pair of 4-3 wins, the IU tennis team (12-7, 4-2) defeated Iowa and Minnesota in its first home Big Ten matches of the season.Dropping their doubles point to the Hawkeyes, the Hoosiers struggled to win only one doubles contest on Saturday.“We all thought that obviously losing the doubles point is a disadvantage because you’re down 0-1 and you know you have to win four singles,” senior Sigrid Fischer said.Play tightened in singles, where three of six matches went to three sets. Senior Alba Berdala and sophomore Myriam Sopel defeated their opponents in straight sets. Both won the first set, 6-4.Fischer said the team knew they needed to win in singles since they were favored.“As a team, we’re stronger in singles than in doubles because we haven’t found the best doubles combination yet,” Fischer said.The uphill comeback continued as Fischer and junior Lindsey Stuckey used their singles strength to win in three sets. After dropping the first set, Fischer snatched the second and third set, 7-5.On Sunday, the Hooisers faced the same scenario. Beginning the match with a loss of their doubles point to Minnesota, the Hoosiers began to comeback again.After sophomore Charlotte Martin lost her match, the Gophers gained a 2-0 lead. However, the Hoosiers stole the momentum when Stuckey and Fischer won in straight sets to tie the score.Winning in three sets, Katya Zapadalova put the Hoosiers ahead. Sopel then pulled through with a second set tiebreak win to give IU its first win on the day.“We probably should have won better than 4-3,” Fischer said. “It’s good that somebody stepped up. We played amazing at the end.”
(04/01/09 4:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>By Stephanie Kuzydymskuzydym@indiana.eduThe tattoo on his right shoulder might signify that Jared Jeffries is “King of the Court,” but his contributions to Bloomington show the Bloomington High School North graduate is more of a king in the community.Having been a Big Ten MVP, an All-American and high school Mr. Basketball in 2000, Jeffries currently plays for the NBA’s New York Knicks. On March 25, Bloomington Mayor Mark Kruzan announced Jeffries has pledged an annual contribution to the City of Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department.“Jared recognizes the value of recreation and sports programs and how important that is to the fabric of a community,” said director of the Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department Mick Renneisen.This year Jeffries will contribute $25,000 to the city’s parks department. Renneisen said Jeffries realizes the importance of the parks he was able to enjoy as a child growing up in Bloomington.“He is in a position now financially to give back to his community, and that’s because he had good parents that suggested, ‘Remember where you grew up ... so when you have the ability to give back to your community you can do that,’” Renneisen said.Jeffries would like his donation to be directed to SportsPlex, a fitness facility located off Bloomfield Road. The city intends to use the funds to help purchase SportsPlex. Plans for the city’s purchase await final action for approval by the city council. Actions should be taken by today.“Jared has been a long-term supporter of the Parks and Recreation Foundation,” said Debbie Sibbitt, a member of the Parks and Recreation Foundation Board of Directors. “This is just another contribution in a long line of wonderful contributions that Jared has made back to his hometown and the parks department.”In the past, Jeffries has run basketball camps free of charge to the Parks and Recreation Department for all kids who participated. He has also bought a scoreboard for the Banneker Community Center, where he grew up playing basketball.“I think that’s a pretty magnanimous offer by someone, and it shows his character as an individual,” Renneisen said.Jeffries’ generosity is also seen by other basketball players around Bloomington. IU recruit and Bloomington High School South student Jordan Hulls said Jeffries is doing a great job giving back to his community.“He’s just a great role model for the kids, because when you watch him play basketball he’s never showboating or anything,” Hulls said. “He’s always just playing hard.”Jeffries will also host a fundraiser for the Parks and Recreation Department with his charitable organization, The Jared Jeffries Foundation, according to a press release. NBA and NFL celebrities have been invited to attend.“It’s been nice to have him come full circle to where he’s still giving back from what he learned,” Sibbitt said.
(04/01/09 3:55am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU (11-8) lost 6-1 to No. 12 Illinois, dropping its first Big Ten match of the season.The Hoosiers couldn’t complete their 5-1 home record in the month of March on a high note. IU won only one match against the Fighting Illini, who carry three ranked singles players and two ranked doubles teams.Freshman Jeremey Langer bluntly described his team’s performance against Illinois.“Today we sucked,” Langer said. “It was pretty unfortunate how we ended up losing every match.”The team’s difficulties began during doubles, where Illinois’ No. 49 doubles tandem beat sophomore Santiago Gruter and Langer, 8-3The Illini’s No. 18 doubles duo also defeated sophomore Lachlan Ferguson and freshman Stephen Vogl, 8-4.The struggles continued into singles play, where the Hoosiers managed to win only one match. Langer said the young IU team will give Illinois a more competitive match, citing the team’s inexperience.“We’re a new team, and we should expect to beat this team next time out,” Langer said. “We just didn’t execute our game plan today.”Ferguson and Gruter dropped their matches to ranked opponents in straight sets. Ferguson lost a tough matchup to a No. 39 Dennis Nevolo 6-3, 7-6.Sophomore Santiago Gruter also dropped his match to No. 79 Marc Spicijaric. Gruter kept the match close in the first set, losing in a tiebreaker. Yet Spicijaric was able to pull away for a 6-2 win in the second set.After winning his first set, freshman Maxime Armengaud lost 6-2 in his next two.Fellow freshmen Guy Kubi and Will Kendall both lost their matches in straight sets.One Hoosier provided an upset against Illinois. The lone win for the Hoosiers came from Langer when he posted a straight-set blasting of No. 42 Roy Kalmanovich.IU’s Langer said his win, which came against a highly touted opponent, meant nothing without a team win in a rather honest fashion.“It felt good to get a win over a top ranked opponent,” Langer said. “But if it didn’t help the team win as a whole, then it really doesn’t mean that much.” –By Stephanie Kuzydym
(03/31/09 4:27am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A Bloomington pizza company is dropping its express title, but company leaders said service won’t change.Pizza Express officially becomes Pizza X today and is celebrating by giving out freebies – from breadsticks to tuition. Students loyal to the Pizza Express name will now find themselves drinking from Pizza X cups and enjoying the Big X deal. The company kicks off its annual free breadsticks day from 4 to 8 p.m. today at its four Bloomington locations.The company is using the name change as part of its branding transition strategy, Pizza X CEO and co-founder Jeff Measer said. “We’re not trying to overnight change the name of the company,” he said.Pizza Express, in existence since 1982, will not change the whole company.“We’ll have some new staff shirts,” Mease said. “The van actually is not going to change for awhile, and the Express van character is actually not ever going to change. The Express name character has such a cool thing that we’ve built around that we didn’t want to change that.”To help kick off the celebrations, the Great Pizza X Treasure Hunt, a scratch-off game, will take place during the next three weeks. Pizza X bargains will include 50 iPod shuffles, five laptops, free pizzas and breadsticks and a semester of free in-state tuition.“What it brings to them is that we’re going to bring to them over $90,000 in the next week to sort of help them help us celebrate the name change in the next few weeks,” Mease said.Although the face of Pizza Express will change, prices will remain the same. The breadsticks and treasure hunt promotion are to help Pizza X and its customers have a smoother transition to its new name.“I don’t think it will hurt them that much, not here in a college town,” freshman Zane Wininger said. “Pizza’s just the thing to have.”The company realized the importance of a name they could protect after a dispute with the Big Ten conference about the Big X deal that used to be known as the Big Ten Bargain.Mease wants Pizza X customers to know that the three crusts, six sauces and 25-plus toppings will all remain when the six letters are dropped from the name.“It’s a lot of money to give away to begin with,” junior Amanda Nielsen said. “I don’t know if people will just want to get free stuff or if they’re actually going to buy Pizza Express after that.”
(03/31/09 3:07am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>With only one loss in the last month, the Hoosiers (11-8) will head into today’s match against No. 9 Illinois with a solid 3-0 record in conference play.“We’re really going to try to defend our home courts,” sophomore Santiago Gruter said. “Basically, try to play with a lot, a lot of energy and just take it to the other team as far as effort and energy goes really at the start of each match.” The Fighting Illini also enter the match undefeated in Big Ten action. Both teams have dominated the same conference opponents with wins against Purdue, Northwestern and Wisconsin.Illinois will bring a talented and diverse team to Bloomington with a freshman, sophomore and senior. The three players are ranked No. 35, No. 43 and No. 63, respectively. They also have a No. 37 doubles combination.Gruter spoke about his team’s leave from the IU Tennis Center.“It’s our courts, so we’re used to it and we’ve had a bunch of matches here, especially in the past month,” Gruter said. “I just think we’re used to the courts, we’re playing well indoors. Now we have to make the adjustment outdoors.”While Illinois has consecutive road losses to Texas A&M and Notre Dame, the cream and crimson will be energized from their home win against Purdue. Although IU’s roster is full of underclassmen, they have been successful. Three different freshman have won four of their six matches played.The Hoosiers, who are 6-0 at home in March, may end the month the way they started it.“It’s going to take six guys that are really determined and really focused and really want to get the job done,” Gruter said.
(03/26/09 3:47am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Defeat has not been in the Hoosier’s vocabulary since last month. No. 45 IU suffered its first loss in March yesterday when they dropped a 6-1 decision to No. 19 Louisville.“We looked like a young team today,” IU coach Randy Bloemendaal said. “I was just disappointed by the way the guys played the entire match.”The Hoosiers were swept across the doubles board, 8-5, in all three matches. The Cardinal’s sophomore duo of Austen and Simon Childs, ranked No. 11 nationally, defeated sophomore Santiago Gruter and freshman Jeremy Langer.“I’m not sure if, with a young team, we got a little intimidated,” Bloemendaal said. “Our execution was very poor all day long. Louisville played the way I thought they were going to play. The way I prepared the team mentally, we needed to get ready that way and the guys knew that. We didn’t rise up to the challenge today.”Sophomore Lachlan Ferguson couldn’t increase his number of wins over top-ranked opponents, losing to No. 40 Austen Childs 6-3, 6-1 . Gruter was also defeated by his nationally ranked opponent, No. 85 Viktor Maksimcuk.“It’s one of those things, you’re on a match win streak and you got to learn that each and every match is its own unique opportunity, and you have to prepare for each one as well as you did the one before no matter how well you’re playing,” Bloemendaal said.After a three-set battle, freshman Will Kendall was unable to pull out the third-set tiebreaker, losing 2-6, 6-2, 10-7. Freshman Stephen Vogl had the Hoosiers’ lone win.“Stephen Vogl played really well,” Bloemendaal said. “That was probably the bright spot for us.”Langer and fellow freshman Maxime Armengaud were also defeated in straight sets.“We’ll bounce back,” Bloemendaal said. “The guys are fighters. It’s just we didn’t show it today. It’s been a long time since I saw us play at this level. It’s unfortunate because we had a lot of momentum coming into this match.”
(03/10/09 3:42am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Most people dream of living the life of a star athlete – the money, the cars and the continuous moments of fan recognition.But for sophomore Charlotte Martin, the No. 2 singles player for the IU women’s tennis team, life as a student athlete is not all glamour.Although she plays for a No. 36-ranked team, Martin is taking 15 credit hours. Scheduling around these classes is what makes the life of a tennis player different from the rest of IU’s student population.An average day in the life of Martin ...7 a.m. – After a weekend match, Martin rises early. She still has homework left over and must complete it before class.Martin also has to make time to speak with family members back home in England at semi-normal hours. An early-morning phone conversation is the best option.With three classes in front of her, Martin uses a pick-me-up snack at the Indiana Memorial Union to help her through the rest of the day.2:15 p.m. – Martin’s third class of the day ends. Practice starts at 3 p.m., and being late is not an option.After a speed-walk home, the madness begins. Martin makes a lunch in the kitchen. After she has half-prepared her lunch, teammate Myriam Sopel steps in to help. Martin then rushes into her room to change into her tennis gear. Wearing half school clothes, half tennis warm-ups, Martin rushes back into the kitchen to check on her lunch. Running between her bedroom and the kitchen, Martin spends the next few minutes catching up with the teammates with whom she shares a house.Not missing a beat, Martin grabs her bagel, eats and runs out the door to start the 15-minute walk to the IU Tennis Center, located behind Assembly Hall. Along the way, fellow athletes from other sports drive by – being an athlete without a car is not enjoyable at the moment for Martin.2:58 p.m. – Stepping on the court early, Martin has two minutes to breathe before practice begins. After a quick team meeting, stretching starts across the courts. Martin and the rest of her team warm up their strokes.Martin then moves on to return blazing serves as if they were floating at 15 mph. She later moves to a crouched position three feet from the net, putting the balls away in a cross-court angle. Finally, Martin brings the heat when she starts serving.Practice switches from a ball machine to point-play to one-on-one coaching while the hitting goes on and on and on ...5:30 p.m. – Practice ends early. The team will be honored for having the highest fall semester GPA of any sport on campus for the third consecutive season, winning the Adam Herbert Cup. Their team GPA has been in the 3.3 to 3.7 range for the last 30 years. The 17 credit hours, week-long tennis practices and weekend matches of last semester paid off for Martin.7:52 p.m. – Martin finally arrives back home and starts study time, working toward another Adam Herbert Cup. After a little over two hours, she takes a break to eat dinner.But her night isn’t over yet. Martin hits the books again and works until midnight before crashing to bed.Martin’s hard work and busy schedule consume much of her time. For now, Martin’s tennis scholarship, the walks to the Varsity Center and the occasional quotes in the newspaper make up all the glamour for this IU tennis player.
(02/24/09 4:45am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>To some people, tennis is just a game for the rich. To others, tennis means just a set or two on the weekends. But for IU men’s tennis team sophomore Lachlan Ferguson, tennis is life.Growing up in Adelaide, Australia, Ferguson’s home court is about 10,000 miles west of the limestone of Bloomington. He had a racket in hand as early as age four. Ferguson spent much of his teenage years traveling through Europe, playing in junior tournaments abroad.“It’s provided me with a lot of things and a unique perspective on life,” Ferguson said. “I met a lot of college coaches when I was playing in the World Junior Tour. I wasn’t planning on going to college in the U.S. (IU coach Randy) Bloemendaal came over to meet me in Europe. Probably the main reason I came here was because I had such a good rapport with Coach Bloemendaal.”Playing abroad helped Ferguson through the junior French Open, the junior Aussie Open and Big Ten Tournaments, all of which have developed him into the No. 116 nationally ranked player.Ferguson’s parents were both ranked nationally in junior tennis in Australia. He said although his parents both had tennis pedigrees, they weren’t the entire reason behind his craving for the courts.“I’ve been playing a good three to four hours a day since I was thirteen and I played quite a bit before then,” Ferguson said. “If anything, they had to try and stop me from playing. I just wanted to play all the time. It’s a big commitment, a lot of sacrifices at a younger age.”Becoming the No. 1 singles and doubles player in Australia and being ranked No. 17 in the world in junior doubles at one time, Ferguson’s commitment to tennis has paid off. He is IU’s captain, the No. 1 singles player and half of the No. 2 doubles team.“At this point in my life, it’s more unusual to be home than when I’m away from home,” Ferguson said.Despite Ferguson’s accomplishments, IU assistant coach Scott Linn said he still has a long road ahead of him.“I don’t think he’s a great player yet,” Linn said. “Compared to us having such a young team, he looks really good, but on a national level of major college programs he’s got a ways to go still. When he becomes an all-conference player and makes nationals as a singles or doubles player, then I think you can start classifying him at a different level.”Ferguson is making strides in the right direction, defeating the No. 86-ranked singles player Mathieu Thibaudeau on Saturday and then-No. 42 Diego Cubas at the end of January.“Lachlan works harder than 99 percent of the guys in our program,” Linn said. “He has outworked the majority of the team. His experience in learning how to transition early as a player has really helped him get to this level. When we’re playing as a team, he definitely brings an intensity to the match that gets guys on the courts excited about playing tennis for Indiana University.”Ferguson brings discipline and work ethic to the team, said sophomore Santiago Gruter.“For a small guy, he has a really, really big heart,” Gruter said of his 5-foot-8 teammate. “He’s a real competitor on the court, and I think that’s why he has come through for us in the past in some very tough matches. He sets the bar pretty high in a lot of areas in the program for us to follow.”This bar is set based on different emphasis on certain aspects of tennis Ferguson learned back in Australia. Australians learn the game with more attention on developing a net game and understanding how to use the court, Ferguson said.This focus can be found in Ferguson’s matches, as Linn describes Ferguson’s style as “crafty.”“Someone that’s crafty is good at what they choose to do in their life,” Linn said. “He can hit some shots that you don’t see a lot in college tennis. He can see outside the box sometimes on what can win a point.”With an intense passion for tennis, this “mate” has made the game of tennis his entire life.“I do really love the game,” Ferguson said. “I’ve put so much time and effort into it. I want to see how far I can go and see how good I can get. When the day comes to put up my rackets, I’ll do that.”
(02/17/09 5:10am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Cloth-covered table. Fifteen different balls. One favorite stick. And don’t forget the chalk.For three Hoosiers, the game of billiards has been a part of their lives since their dads first taught them how to shoot, but the game did not become significant until they came to IU.Senior Rob Bracco, junior Sam King and sophomore Erik Schultz have more in common than spending their childhood around an eight-foot piece of wood with six pockets. Bracco, King and Schultz are the expert, president and rookie of the IU billiards club, respectively.With an active membership of about 30 people, the billiards club meets from 7 to 9 p.m. every Monday in the Indiana Memorial Union.“Mainly, it’s just a social thing,” Bracco said. “It’s a great game. It’s really relaxing. We take all skills levels, from competing on the team all the way down to people who just started playing.”No matter the level, Bracco said billiards is a game of mental strategy.“You have to map out in advance not only how you’re going to make the current shot, but how you’re going to get ready for the next shot and how you’re eventually going to finish the rack and win the match,” Bracco said.The three club members also play for IU’s billiards team.“Being a competitive person, I have that competitive edge about me,” Schultz said. “It’s just one-on-one with the other person. I like that type of competition. It really gets you to focus, but also I love the guys. The team is just a great group of guys to be around.”The team, consisting of two four-member groups, practices whenever they can make time throughout the week. They also travel, competing against other college billiards teams. Most recently, the team traveled to Purdue for the Old Oaken Cue Game.“Really we were just outmatched,” Bracco said. “We have a young team. A lot of our players, this is their first competition with the team and Purdue is just really solid. They have a deep team, deep line-up.”Much like the Old Oaken Bucket football game, the winning school earns bragging rights and the cue for the year.“I think it was just a cue found at the Back Alley,” King said. “We painted half of it red and half of it gold. The winner of the IU-Purdue challenge match gets to take it home every year and paint a stripe on it. Currently Purdue has won it three times and IU’s won it once.”Although Purdue has the cue for the next year, the billiards team is looking to win the cue by welcoming new club and team members, along with having extra practices. “Shoot with people who are better than you,” Bracco said. “That’s the No. 1 key. If you keep playing with people who are on the same level or people who are worse, you never really grow. If you’re always playing people who are beating you, you just learn so much faster. Meet new people and just play the game.”
(02/02/09 5:28am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The battle cry that became a way of life for thousands of Indiana men and women rang through Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday as families and friends celebrated the homecoming of their National Guard and Army soldiers.While many soldiers have already been home for months, the ceremony was meant to commemorate achievements in Iraq during the past year and to honor those who never returned home.After a year spent in Iraq, Sgt. Aaron Childress was welcomed home by his family, including his mother, Sandy Childress.“He left in January and then he got home two days after Thanksgiving,” Sandy Childress said. “He was in Afghanistan in 2005, so this is our second time. His time is up. I don’t think he’s going to re-enlist. I’m a glad mama.”Gov. Mitch Daniels, along with thousands of family members and friends of returned soldiers, welcomed home more than 3,600 Army and Indiana National Guard soldiers from each of Indiana’s 92 counties.“We have missed you every day,” Daniels said in his address to the soldiers.The soldiers, who are back after a year of deployment, saw changes occur in Iraq and Afghanistan, but Daniels said while they were gone, many changes happened in the United States as well.“You came back to a different America than the one you left,” he said. “I’m sure you can’t mistake the difference. We have hard times. We have people hurting. We have some things that have gone a little south on us since you went away.”Outside Lucas Oil Stadium, the economy might be struggling, but on the field Saturday people were cheering.“I’m happy to see all the troops,” Specialist Christian Bean, an Indiana National Guard soldier awaiting deployment, said. “It’s good so many came back.”While these soldiers were greeted by their governor, their home for the past year was changing.Provincial voting took place Saturday across Iraq with minimal violence to disrupt the process.“From everything I’ve heard, it’s been very successful,” Staff Sgt. Les Newport, a photojournalist for the 76th Infantry Brigade, said. “It’s great for the Iraqis. What a great thing for the 76th Brigade and the Indiana National Guard and all the folks on the ground that have helped make that possible.”The men who spent months risking their lives have encountered many different experiences, Newport said.“It is probably the most challenging year that a lot of these men and women in the brigade will ever face in their lives,” Newport said. “They did an incredible job. If anybody ever asks me why I’m in the National Guard, it’s because the people I get to work with every day.”After serving thousands of miles from Indiana, the soldiers were welcomed home by the support of their families and state.“It was wonderful that the state of Indiana did this for our soldiers,” Sandy Childress said. “This is just such a good feeling – welcoming them home and thanking them for their service to our country.”
(01/29/09 5:43am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Katya Zapadalova not only dominates singles and doubles for IU, but she is also taking over the Big Ten.The Big Ten named Zapadalova, a sophomore on the No. 30-ranked tennis squad, their Player of the Week Tuesday.“I think it’s big,” Zapadalova said. “It’s really nice when they say stuff like that. Everyone played very well. We all won our matches. I think it’s more like a team victory.”She went 4-0 in last week’s double-header in both singles and doubles. She defeated Marquette’s Paola Calderon 6-4, 6-3 and Ball State’s Sarah Hebble 6-4, 6-4. She also paired with senior Alba Berdala in the No. 1 doubles position. The tandem went 8-6 against Marquette while dominating Ball State, 8-1.“Katya hits the ball big off of both sides,” IU coach Lin Loring said. “That’s probably her strength – that she can hit a winner off both her forehand and backhand. She can be a dangerous player because of that.”With solid shots and a strong mental attitude, Loring said the Russian native has contributed to the team’s 4-0 start.“She’s playing No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles, so even if she doesn’t win, it pushes everyone else down the lineup,” Loring said. “Your top players are always key components in your lineup.”Being a competitor is nothing new for Zapadalova.“I was a little kid so I would spend time on the tennis courts or on the basketball field,” Zapadalova said. “I was always doing something.”Born to a father who played for the Russian national junior basketball team and a mother who was on the Russian national gymnastic team, Zapadolva grew up competing.“It helped me to develop my skills,” she said. “It’s helping me right now. My mom and my dad like to compete, and I think that’s what I have right now. I like to compete. It definitely is great to have such parents, especially because they always understand how it feels to win and to lose.”
(01/29/09 4:57am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Between endless equations and ongoing class readings, students can struggle to make relationships with their professors and can have trouble understanding whether their professors are there to help them succeed or to make their lives more difficult.Michael Evans, associate professor at the School of Journalism, and Tracy Whelan, a lecturer in the math department, shared their opinions on how they as professors teach their students to the fullest.IDS: What do you feel should be taught in classrooms? Should there be hands-on experiences, too?Evans: In college, students are interested in preparing themselves for the real world. They want real-world examples, real-world stories. They want things that are likely to be things they will face as opposed to artificial exercises out of an ancient textbook.Whelan: The funny thing is that even the types of math that people think of as being very theoretical, somehow eventually we always find applications for them in the long run, anyway. It’s like first we develop the math and then somebody working in physics or relativity will look and say, “Oh look, I can use that for this particular situation and it would be helpful.”IDS: What do you feel your students will do or read today that will help them in their future?Evans: We might think that the best things to read are ancient books written 150 years ago that are just wonderful. That’s all well and good, but I want to make sure I’ve also got engaged in the classroom somehow pieces that the students find exciting and interesting in their own right, not just because I say they’re good to read.Whelan: I hope some of the material will be useful in terms of what they do for a living. We try to not just teach about the mathematics but about how to use the mathematics in practical ways.IDS: How do you bring experiences you’ve had into the classroom?Evans: We all love talking about ourselves. It’s never something I have to work at to find a way to insert that into the class. Almost every class, somebody will say something that will click in my mind and a story will come up. The real challenge is to not spend the whole class period talking about my life and my experiences.Whelan: Math is harder to do that with. You’re not really going to be bringing your personal experience in. You bring in the things that are useful in terms of “this is how you solve a business problem,” “this is how you can maximize profit.”IDS: Do you feel like these experiences help students?Evans: It helps them because I’m speaking from reality. These are real problems, real challenges I’ve faced, and they can imagine facing them themselves once they get out of here. If students are kind of glazing over because I’ve been lecturing too long or the reading is really boring or whatever, then if I can find some legitimate way to just stop and tell them about that time I ran across the polar bears in the Arctic, they tune back in and then their attention is there again, and we can talk about whatever we need to.Whelan: I certainly hope so. Partly, mathematics is the way we describe enormous numbers of things that happen in the world, like gambling – yes, these are the odds of this happening – or what happens when something is moving in physics or chemistry and heat is produced. It’s supposed to be a language that makes the world more comprehensive.
(01/21/09 4:46am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Will Kendall is a beast.On the court, his solid shots and strong serves dominate opponents. IU coach Randy Bloemendaal said the freshman tennis player has the potential to become one of the top competitors in the country.“Will, if physically he keeps improving at the level he’s improved at, can be an All-Big Ten, All-American,” Bloemendaal said.Kendall grew up an athlete, playing tennis and hockey as a child. A singles player in high school, Kendall said he’s used to being around a team. Now halfway through his rookie year on a campus of about 40,000 students, Kendall said he is like any other freshman.“Between the weights and the practices and the traveling, the schedule is just busier,” Kendall said.The biggest difference might be the travel Kendall and his teammates experience. Kendall stood out in the Florida Gulf Coast Shootout with a tournament-leading eight victories, qualifying him for the All-Tournament team.“He’s just like any other freshman,” Bloemendaal said. “He’s getting used to what we’re doing and getting used to the level. Every day he shows up ready.”One of five freshmen on the team, Kendall has surpassed many expectations.“Will’s got a pretty impressive work ethic for a freshman,” sophomore Lachlan Ferguson said. “He’s often doing extra stuff that you expect to see from your seniors. He started doing that on his own without anyone having to push him. That’s pretty unique.”Bloemendaal praised Kendall, who was sidelined with a hamstring injury for part of his high school senior season, for his work ethic.“He’s a competitor, a fighter,” Bloemendaal said. “He’s tough. He’s got all the intangibles that you need to do well at a high level.”Kendall won both an individual and a team state championship at Milburn High School in Short Hills, N.J. Four years at the high school varsity level and two years as captain paved the way for Kendall’s freshman dominance.“The level is a lot higher,” Kendall said. “There was a little bit of transition at first, just getting used to a lot of practice and class, but I’ve gotten used to it.”His early victories make Bloemendaal think Kendall could become an asset to the team.“I have no reason to believe he won’t (become an All-American),” Bloemendaal said, “because he’s gone above and beyond anything I thought he was going to do so far.”
(01/21/09 4:43am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Somewhere between picking up a racket, hours of practice, buckets of sweat and learning a new language is a young woman whose life changed after she came to play tennis at IU.She never looked back. A native of Spain and a senior co-captain of the tennis team, Alba Berdala could not speak any English when she stepped foot on campus. Four years later, her English has impacted her life both on the court and in class.“Her freshman year, her English was very limited, and I think her confidence in it was limited,” IU coach Lin Loring said. “The fact that she’s fluent in English now made her a lot more vocal and gave her a lot more confidence. It’s showing both on the tennis court and academically.”Despite hours spent weight training, conditioning and practicing, Berdala achieved a 4.0 last semester. A lot has changed since her rookie year: She’s become more aggressive on the court, fluent in English and better at time management.“She’s gone from freshman year, where we’d have to tell Alba to be somewhere 15 minutes early so she was on time, to now she’s the one who’s 15 minutes early,” senior Stephanie Heller said. “Alba brings a tremendous amount of heart and soul to the team.”Throughout the past four years, Berdala has helped the team reach three NCAA tournaments. She was named to the All-Big Ten team last season, her second consecutive honor. “She’s just been there and done that,” Loring said. “She’s a good influence for our younger players. She’s a very positive influence academically as well.”Last year, Berdala’s hard work resulted in her holding the No. 1 singles position in every dual match except one.“I had to be constant and try to improve every day,” Berdala said. “I had to get up and know that I had a long day in front of me, but try to do the best with it and enjoy it.”Growing up on clay courts, which slow the speed of the ball after the bounce, Berdala had to become more aggressive on shots to stay with the faster speed of hard courts. Her repertoire of shots is still under construction, but Berdala said she has better control over her game.“When I was a freshman, it affected me more if I had a bad match; maybe the next day I was down,” she said. “But I’m a senior, and I know we have 30 matches in one season. When I have a bad match, next day I’m just trying to work harder because I know I’m going to have a next match.”Berdala’s past experience on the pro circuit, where she reached a No. 980 standing, helped prepare her for last year’s wins against DePaul’s No. 93 in the nation Dunja Antunovic and Kentucky’s No. 69 Sarah Woestman.“Her strength as a player is that she’s very athletic, and she moves well,” Loring said. “As far as being a teammate, she’s very easy to get along with. She’s very understanding. It’s hard not to like Alba.”With her final semester underway, Berdala’s outlook is enjoying her matches and being around her teammates one final time.“I’m here because I want to,” Berdala said. “Nobody forced me. I know it’s the last time I’m going to play in my career, so I just want to have fun with it.”
(01/20/09 4:47am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>With 23 matchups, intense points and a satisfied coach, the IU men’s tennis team began its journey on the road to the NCAA Championships.Sailing through their early morning matches, the Hoosiers beat Eastern Kentucky 7-0 in the first match of their triple-header Saturday. The only close matches came at the one and two doubles combinations of Lachlan Ferguson and Guy Kubi, and Santiago Gruter and Jeremy Langer, respectively. Both tandems won their matches 8-6.“We’re just trying to get a lot of guys in and see how they handle the situations,” IU coach Randy Bloemendaal said. “So far, the guys have embraced situations they’ve been in.”Nerves increased during afternoon play with more competitive matches against Toledo. Senior Peter Antons, a set behind and down 0-4 in the second, battled back to win a three-set bout, 3-6, 7-5, 6-1. The Hoosiers defeated the Rockets 7-0.“We know we’re going to get tight,” Bloemendaal said. “We know it’s not going to be the prettiest tennis we can play, but the mission’s been accomplished.”In the evening, the first-ever meeting between IU and Gardner-Webb took place and the Hoosiers beat the Bulldogs 8-1. Freshmen Stephen Vogl and Will Kendall pulled away with a doubles win in the tiebreaker, going 8-7 (7-2).The Hoosiers look to continue their smooth start to the season this weekend with another three matches in Albuquerque, N.M.“This being my first couple matches, I’m a little nervous coming out but gotta embrace the situation,” Vogl said. “Every time we step on the court we want to execute as best we can and hope for a win every time. We’re playing to our potential, but there’s a lot more to improve on.”
(01/20/09 4:47am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>With 23 matchups, intense points and a satisfied coach, the IU men’s tennis team began its journey on the road to the NCAA Championships.Sailing through their early morning matches, the Hoosiers beat Eastern Kentucky 7-0 in the first match of their triple-header Saturday. The only close matches came at the one and two doubles combinations of Lachlan Ferguson and Guy Kubi, and Santiago Gruter and Jeremy Langer, respectively. Both tandems won their matches 8-6.“We’re just trying to get a lot of guys in and see how they handle the situations,” IU coach Randy Bloemendaal said. “So far, the guys have embraced situations they’ve been in.”Nerves increased during afternoon play with more competitive matches against Toledo. Senior Peter Antons, a set behind and down 0-4 in the second, battled back to win a three-set bout, 3-6, 7-5, 6-1. The Hoosiers defeated the Rockets 7-0.“We know we’re going to get tight,” Bloemendaal said. “We know it’s not going to be the prettiest tennis we can play, but the mission’s been accomplished.”In the evening, the first-ever meeting between IU and Gardner-Webb took place and the Hoosiers beat the Bulldogs 8-1. Freshmen Stephen Vogl and Will Kendall pulled away with a doubles win in the tiebreaker, going 8-7 (7-2).The Hoosiers look to continue their smooth start to the season this weekend with another three matches in Albuquerque, N.M.“This being my first couple matches, I’m a little nervous coming out but gotta embrace the situation,” Vogl said. “Every time we step on the court we want to execute as best we can and hope for a win every time. We’re playing to our potential, but there’s a lot more to improve on.”