Indiana University Athletics
No. 31 Indiana Welcomes No. 28 Tennessee
2/22/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Feb. 22, 2006
Weekly Notes - vs. Tennessee
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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The No. 31 Indiana women's tennis team plays host to its fourth ranked opponent of the season in No. 28 Tennessee on Feb. 25. The match is slated to begin at 10 a.m., at the Indiana Tennis Center. Heading into the match, the Hoosiers are 8-2 overall, while the Lady Volunteers are 2-5 on the young season.
Hoosiers Maintain National Ranking
In the Feb. 22 ITA/Fila Rankings, the Indiana women's tennis team climbed up one slot to the No. 31 position. The Hoosiers, who have held steady in the national rankings, were last ranked No. 31 on Feb. 7, and in the other four polls been, IU has been tabbed at No. 32.
Keeping the Streak Alive
Freshman Sigrid Fischer is demonstrating she belongs in the cream and crimson. Fischer, who after last weekend's two matches, boasts an impressive 9-1 record in singles and a 9-1 ledger in doubles play. Additionally, Fischer was the only IU player to notch a singles victory over No. 21 Wake Forest. The Eisenberg, Germany product has not suffered a loss since Jan. 29 against then-No. 14 Duke, making her eight straight wins the longest win streak on the team singles winning streak on the team.
Batty Earns Honor
Senior captain Sarah Batty earned Big Ten Athlete of the Week honors as announced by the conference office on Feb. 15. Batty's win over DePaul's No. 85 Ganeva on Feb. 12 was her first win over a ranked opponent this season and the first of her career in the No. 1 position. The weekly honor is the Hoosiers' first weekly conference honor of the season and the second of Batty's career. Batty earned the league's weekly honor for the week of April 25-29, 2005 for her play against Big Ten foes Michigan and Michigan State.
Road Warriors
The Hoosiers find success both at home and on the road. Last season, IU took on an impressive eight ranked teams on the road (then-No. 8 Duke, then-No. 15 North Carolina, then-No. 19 Tennessee, then-No. 7 Kentucky, then-No. 32 UNLV, then-No. 61 Purdue, then-No. 61 Illinois, then-No. 75 Minnesota and then-No. 49 Iowa). Of Indiana's four road wins, three were over a ranked foe. This season, five of IU's eight road contests are against nationally ranked opponents. The Hoosiers are slated to face No. 7 Notre Dame, No. 6 Northwestern, No. 51 Wisconsin and No. 27 Michigan away from Bloomington. So far this season, IU has suffered a loss to then-No. 21 Wake Forest, 5-2, in Winston-Salem, N.C.
Last Time Out
After traveling to North Carolina to face then-No. 21 Wake Forest and UNC-Greensboro in Winston-Salem, N.C., the Hoosiers improved their record to 8-2. Looking to avenge their first-round loss to the Demon Deacons in last year's NCAA Tournament, the Hoosiers opened the match by winning all three doubles matches to claim the doubles point for the eighth time this season. Despite being competitive in all of the singles matches, the Hoosiers' only point in singles play came from freshman Sigrid Fischer in the No. 5 position. After dropping the first set 3-6, Fischer battled back to win the next two and the match 3-6, 6-3, 6-1.
The following day, the Hoosiers faced UNC-Greensboro in Winston-Salem. In dominating fashion, the Hoosiers blanked the Spartans, 7-0. For the ninth time in the season, Indiana won all three doubles matches to earn the doubles point. In singles, IU won all six matches in straight sets for the team's eighth win of the season.
The Hoosier-Lady Vol Series
Indiana leads the all-time series with the Lady Volunteers 11-9. At home against UT, IU is 6-2.
The last time the two teams squared off was on Feb. 19, 2005 in Knoxville, Tenn., where then-No. 18 Tennessee topped the then-No. 29 Hoosiers, 4-1. Laura McGaffigan and Brianna Williams won a doubles match at the No. 2 spot. Sarah Batty evened the match at 1-1 with a straight-set win at the No. 2 singles position. The Chesterfield, England, product defeated Blackeley Griffith by the margin of 6-1, 6-3. The Lady Vols won the next three singles matches securing the team victory.
Scouting Tennessee
Tennessee enters the Indiana match with an overall record of 2-5 having faced all ranked opponents this season. UT picked up its only two wins over Big Ten teams. The Lady Vols bested then-No. 53 Illinois, 6-1, and then-No. 42 Purdue, 5-2. So far this season, Tennessee has dropped matches to then-No. 11 North Carolina, 5-2, then-No. 14 Duke, 6-1, then-No. 23 Wake Forest, 6-1, then-No. 15 Notre Dame, 7-0, and then-No. 30 Michigan, 5-2. UT is 0-3 in road contests so far this year.
Victoria Jones has played all seven matches in the No. 1 singles position and holds a 2-5 record there. Blackely Griffen will most likely play in the No. 2 slot, and she is currently 3-4 this season. In doubles, Melissa Schaub and Ghizela Schutte are 2-3 at the No. 1 position, while Samantha Orlin and Schab hold a 0-2 record. At No. 2 doubles, Griffth and Jones teamed up for a 6-1 record so far this year. Stephanie Harris and Schutle are 0-2 at No. 3 doubles, while Harris and Orlin are 2-3 at the No. 3 position heading into the contest.
Two Lady Vol doubles pairs are ranked in the Feb. 22 ITA rankings. Griffith and Bryce Marable are ranked No. 55, while the duo of Griffith and Jones are ranked are No. 58.
Seeing Double
Indiana, which has historically been strong in doubles, is maintaing that tradition this season. So far in 2006, the Hoosiers are 8-1 when winning the doubles point. On eight occasions, Indiana has won all three doubles matches en route to claiming the doubles point. In 2006, IU has been victorious in 26 of the 30 dual doubles matches.
Tough Road Awaits
The 2006 Indiana women's tennis schedule is one of the toughest in the country. Along with a grueling Big Ten schedule, the Hoosiers are set to face a total of 13 nationally ranked opponents. In the month of January, IU faced then-No. 54 Western Michigan (W, 5-2) and then-No. 14 Duke (L, 6-1). February doesn't get any easier for Indiana. The Hoosiers faced then-No. 21 Wake Forest (L, 5-2) on Feb. 18 and are slated to face No. 28 Tennessee on Feb. 25 followed by No. 7 Notre Dame on Feb. 28 before conference play begins.
300 Wins Club
Indiana head coach Lin Loring enters his 29th season at the helm of the IU women's tennis program. The sport's all-time winningest coach is also among the winningest head coaches at Indiana University. During his tenure at IU, Loring has amassed an impressive 626 victories and has the most wins of any active coach at Indiana.
Here's a look at the top seven winningest coaches in IU Athletics history:
Bob Morgan (Baseball) - 782 - 1984-2005
Bob Knight (Men's Basketball) - 661 - 1972-2000
Lin Loring (Women's Tennis) - 626 - 1977-Present
Jerry Yeagley (Men's Soccer) - 544 - 1973-2003
Diane Stephenson (Softball) - 402 - 1988-2002
Ernie Andrews (Baseball) - 401 - 1949-1973
Branch McCracken (Men's Basketball) - 364 -1939-43, 1947-65
Loring Nears Milestone
This spring, head coach Lin Loring, who is in his 29th season at IU, looks to notch his 300th career Big Ten win. Currently, Loring holds a 296-60 record in conference play. Additionally, Loring is the winningest coach in NCAA women's tennis history.
Who's Next?
The Hoosiers travel to face No. 7 Notre Dame for their first mid-week matchup of the season. IU will square off against the Fighting Irish on Tuesday, Feb. 28 at the Eck Tennis Pavilion in South Bend, Ind. The match is slated to begin at 3 p.m. Visit IUHOOSIERS.com for the most up-to-date news and results
