April 21, 2008

Bloomington, IN (UWIRE) -- By Kevin Luchansky

kluchans@indiana.edu

An energized and focused No. 41 IU men's tennis team (15-8, 5-5) wasted little time in upsetting No. 15 Michigan in a 5-2 decision Saturday.

For the third time in as many weeks, the Hoosiers split with their weekend opponents, beating the Wolverines on Saturday and losing to No. 42 Penn State on Sunday.

In front of a large crowd at the IU Tennis Center on Saturday, the Hoosiers got off to an early 1-0 lead when they took the No. 1 and No. 2 doubles matches to earn the doubles point.

Senior Dara McLoughlin moved up to ninth all-time on the doubles victories list for the Hoosiers with his 63rd win. He and fellow senior Thomas Richter won the No. 1 doubles match by a score of 8-4.

Three freshmen led the way for the Hoosiers in singles play as Phillip Eilers, Lachlan Ferguson and Santiago Gruter all won their individual matches.

Eilers got it started when he made quick work of Michigan's Mike Sroczynski in a two-set 6-2, 6-4 decision.

"It was really nice to get that win in singles because he beat me last fall," Eilers said. "It was a sweet revenge."

Ferguson was not far behind Eilers, also finishing in straight sets. Ferguson was down early in the first set but climbed out of a hole to come out on top, 7-6(3), 6-2.

Gruter earned the fourth and deciding point for the Hoosiers. With the score at 4-0, the Wolverines had no shot at a comeback.

"There was so much momentum coming out of doubles and heading into singles," Gruter said. "It was easy to keep it going when I could look to my left and see Phillip getting it done too."

Gruter said it was an amazing feeling to earn the clinching point in a crucial Big Ten match against a higher-ranked opponent.

After the upset, the Hoosiers lost 5-2 on Sunday against No. 42 Penn State, playing on IU's outdoor courts in front of another large crowd.

"I got up on him early and I thought that was crucial," Ferguson said. "He stays back and I like to come forward and attack. I won early and carried that momentum."

Following the match, there was a ceremony honoring seniors McLoughlin, Richter and McCarthy, as well as the rest of the team, and their accomplishments as the Big Ten season came to an end.

"With a few wins in the Big Ten Tournament, we could be entering the postseason," IU coach Randy Bloemendaal said during the ceremony.

IU earned the No. 6 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, which begins Thursday at Iowa. They will face the tournament's No. 11 seed in the first round.

(C) 2008 Indiana Daily Student via UWIRE