Sports

Penn State upends Hoosiers

When Penn State and IU met April 15, the Nittany Lions edged the Hoosiers 4-3. Friday in the Big Ten women's tennis tournament, it was more of the same. Only this time, Penn State advanced with a 4-2 triumph. The Lions ended IU's tournament run after one match with Friday's quarterfinal round victory in Columbus, Ohio.

Bid to upset Illini busted

Illinois hadn't lost a Big Ten Conference game in more than 50 contests. The last time the Fighting Illini dropped a league game, IU dumped them. IU's attempt to put bookends on Illinois' winning streak fell short Friday at the Big Ten tournament, as Illinois (20-5, 11-0 Big Ten) bumped IU (14-8, 6-6) from the field with a 4-2 victory in Madison, Wisc. "The team definitely wanted the win, and they fought hard," head coach Ken Hydinger said. "But they just couldn't get it done."

Around The Game

Team prepares for Big Tens

The season's injuries haven't kept the morale of the women's crew team down. Team members say their spirits are high as ever as they prepare for the Big Ten Championship Saturday. "There were a lot of injuries this year that made the season difficult at times, but as a team we have grown a lot and really progressed," sophomore Danielle Bird said.

No. 1 men's golfer leaves IU with professional goals

Five years ago, a golfer from Washington, Pa., came to IU as an unheralded high school player and walked on the men's golf team. Now, that same golfer is leaving IU with aspirations of playing professionally.

Hoosiers 'looking forward' to championship battle

Today, the women's golf team will be competing in the annual Big Ten Championship, which will take place in Minneapolis, Minn. The tournament will be at Les Boldtad Golf Course, which is close to 6,000 yards with a par of 72. Competition tees off 8 a.m. Friday, 9 a.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. Sunday. The champion is an automatic qualifier to NCAA Regional.

Hoosiers advance in Big Ten Tournament

The men's tennis team defeated Iowa Thursday afternoon in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament at the University of Wisconsin. IU beat the No. 9 seed Hawkeyes 4-3. The Hoosiers advance to the second round to compete against the No. 1 seed University of Illinois.

Indiana, Purdue renew baseball rivalry

Hitting, pitching and defense are the fundamentals the baseball team wants to improve upon when it plays Purdue this weekend at Sembower Field. "We're going to have to pitch good, play good defense," sophomore third baseman Vasili Spanos said.

Team to face 2nd round foes

The women's water polo team begins the second round of NCAA competition in this weekend's Eastern Championships. The Hoosiers will travel to Brown University in Providence, R.I., and compete against seven teams -- Princeton, Harvard, Harwick, George Washington, Michigan, Brown and Massachusetts.

Drake Relays to challenge Hoosiers

Many coaches and athletes believe in the old adage that the only way to become better is to face competition that is better.

Penn Relays to test Hoosiers

Few sporting events rival the prominence of the Penn Relays, the first and largest collegiate track and field relay meet in the world. Ninth-ranked IU will send its top 20 athletes to join about 22,000 more who will attend the 107-year-old meet. Because of its size, the meet is nicknamed the "Penn Relay Carnival," but the Hoosiers are focused on taking care of business.

Long playoffs reduce excitement

Many NBA stars refer to the playoffs as the "second-season" -- a description meant to imply that the slate is wiped clean and focus is regathered. But perhaps the players give it a different meaning. Perhaps they are referring to the length of the post-season, which feels more and more like the regular season.

Cardinals hassle Hoosiers

Fresh off of Tuesday's no-hit victory against Miami of Ohio, the softball squad fell 4-1 to in-state foe Ball State Wednesday in the Hoosiers' final non-conference game. The loss drops IU to 15-33 on the season.

Senior hopes to win his way into Hoosier record books

Senior Paul Jacobson entered the spring season with many goals in mind, one being to finish as one of the top five all-time winningest men's tennis players in IU history.

Tournament could be anybody's game

This year's men's tennis Big Ten championships has a clear favorite, an underdog, and a very fine line between the two.

Men's tennis putting it together

Entering the Big Ten Championships today in Madison, Wis., the box scores depict an IU men's tennis team whose play has been mediocre in recent weeks. But a look at individual performance reveals a team gaining confidence. Perhaps the most prominent late-season improvement comes from senior Milan Rakvica. Playing at the No. 1 singles position, Rakvica has claimed victory against five of his last seven opponents. He was named Big Ten Co-Athlete of the Week in early April after upsetting No. 20 Graydon Oliver of Illinois in consecutive sets and knocking off Brad Erikson of Northwestern. Rakvica followed with another win against No. 54 Phillip Metz of Ohio State.

Women's tennis playing for 16th conference championship in tournament's 21st year

Few teams in the history of the Big Ten have exhibited the kind of dominance IU's women's tennis team has in the Conference Tournament. The Hoosiers will take 15 Big Ten Tournament Championships in the 21-year history of the event Thursday into Columbus, Ohio, for this years tournament, hoping to end a three year title drought.

Women's team plays better in pairs

With the women's tennis team heading toward the end of regular season play, it is hard not to see the biggest strength of the team. In fact, you would be seeing double. IU's doubles play has become the backbone of the squad. The three doubles combinations have come on strong, winning the last 11 points, the last loss coming March 11 against Illinois.

'Asian Invasion' takes baseball by storm

Throughout the past half-century, the United States and Japan have made several trades that have benefited both nations. Among the items the Japanese exported to the good old U.S. of A: quality electronic equipment, karaoke, Godzilla movies and, on a more regrettable note, Pokemon.

Senior managers make their mark

Perhaps softball coach Diane Stephenson best summarizes the importance of senior managers Matt Nocks and Leslie Shaffer to the team.