Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Close Memorable 2005-06 Season
6/9/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
June 9, 2006
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The Indiana women's tennis team turned in another successful and memorable season in 2005-06. The Hoosiers capped the season with the program's 24th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and a fourth-place regular-season finish in the Big Ten. Additionally, senior Sarah Batty earned her second All-Big Ten nod, while head coach Lin Loring notched his 300th career conference win.
"Even though we were a very young team last year, we felt we could reach the Sweet 16 at the NCAA Championships," Loring said. "When our No. 1 player, a senior, decided to graduate in December, we became even younger, and the goals we had set needed to be adjusted. Taking those things into consideration, we had a very successful season. We finished fourth in the conference at 7-3 and were chosen for the NCAA Championships. The last three years, we've gone 24-6 during the Big Ten regular season. I think our fans can be proud of how hard we competed and the consistency our program has shown over the years."
The summer and fall slates provided an exciting prequel of things to come for IU in 2005-06. On Aug. 15, Batty and junior Laura McGaffigan became the first Hoosier doubles team to earn a bid to the prestigious ITA All-American Tournament since Deborah Edelman and Rachel Epstein accomplished the feat in 1992. The Indiana duo earned the trip to Pacific Palisades, Calif., after claiming the ITA Summer National Doubles Championship on their home court on Aug. 15.
Indiana welcomed one of the most talented freshman classes into the program in the fall of 2005. The Hoosiers added freshmen Alba Berdala, Marah Calvo, Sigrid Fischer and Stephanie Heller to the already deep IU lineup.
In October, a former Indiana standout, Deborah Edelman Kane, became the fourth IU women's tennis player to be inducted into the Indiana Athletics Hall of Fame. The four-year starter and three-time All-American was inducted on Oct. 21.
Indiana, who began the year ranked No. 32 in the ITA rankings, kicked off the year with a pair of wins. On Jan. 15, the Hoosiers topped Mid-American Conference opponents Miami (Ohio) (7-0) and then-No. 54 Western Michigan (5-2). Indiana added another win to the young season with a 5-2 victory over Kansas on Jan. 22.
The Hoosiers took on their first top-25 team in then-No. 14 Duke at the Indiana Tennis Center on Jan. 29. Despite a gutsy team performance and a No. 3 singles win from sophomore Brianna Williams to improve her record to 4-0 on the season, IU fell by a score of 6-1. Indiana rebounded in the day's second match against in-state foe Ball State. The Hoosiers blanked the Cardinals, 7-0, while Calvo and Heller saw their first dual-match action.
Indiana opened the month of February with three convincing wins over Marquette (7-0), DePaul (6-1) and Butler (7-0) on Feb. 11-12. Batty claimed a total of six wins against the three teams to earn Big Ten Athlete of the Week honors. The Chesterfield, England native's win over DePaul's then-No. 85 Gergana Ganeva marked her first win over a ranked opponent this season and the first of her career in the No. 1 singles position.
Indiana hit the road for the first time of the season to take on then-No. 21 Wake Forest and North Carolina-Greensboro, Feb. 18-19. Despite winning the doubles point and a thrilling singles win from Fischer at the No. 5 slot, the Demon Deacons narrowly edged IU, 5-2. The following day, Indiana notched its first win on a neutral court against UNC-Greensboro, 7-0.
Indiana returned home to face then-No. 28 Tennessee. The Hoosiers, ranked No. 31 at the time, stunned the Lady Volunteers, 5-2, at the Indiana Tennis Center on Feb. 25. IU took all three doubles contests before Batty, McGaffigan, Berdala and junior Cecile Perton won at the Nos. 1, 2, 4 and 6 positions. The win improved Indiana's record to 9-2 and marked the second time the Hoosiers defeated a ranked opponent. The victory moved Indiana from No. 31 to No. 27 in the national rankings.
"That win gave the team a lot of confidence," Loring said. "Tennessee is a good team. They are consistently a top-20 team who has great facilities and a great coach. To beat Tennessee in any women's sport is a big accomplishment."
On Feb. 28, the Hoosiers fell to one of the nation's top teams in then-No. 5 Notre Dame. Less than a week later, IU took on then-No. 6 North Carolina. Against one of the country's elite teams, IU put itself in contention to win the match by forcing three of the six singles' contests into tiebreakers. Despite falling 5-2, McGaffigan earned her first Big Ten Player of the Week honor for her outstanding performance against UNC. The Davenport, Iowa product defeated her first ranked foe of the season and the second in her career in a 6-3, 6-2 win over then-No. 56 Caitlin Collins at the No. 2 slot.
On March 5, IU collected its first conference victory of the season by topping Penn State, 6-1, in Bloomington. The Hoosiers went on to pick up three consecutive victories over ranked opponents in then-No. 68 Louisville (5-2), then-No. 22 Purdue (5-2) and then-No. 59 Illinois to move to a perfect 3-0 in the Big Ten and earn their highest ranking of the season at No. 26. For her performance during the team's longest winning streak of the season, Batty earned her second weekly conference honor on March 22.
The Hoosiers' 5-2 win over Wisconsin on April 9 gave Loring an accomplishment no other Big Ten coach has achieved to date. The win gave the nation and the league's winningest head coach his 300th career Big Ten win. Ironically, former Hoosier standout Kelly Ferguson is the second-winningest coach in the Big Ten with 120 career wins at Wisconsin.
"A lot of people deserve credit for this," Loring said. "I have been surrounded with excellent support staff during my 29 seasons at Indiana. This milestone is a total team effort and a reflection of the hard work of so many."
Indiana continued through the thick of the Big Ten schedule to earn its first outdoor win of the season over then-No. 68 Ohio State, 4-3. The Hoosiers returned home to blank Minnesota on April 15. In one of the season's closest matches, Indiana fell, 4-3, to then-No. 37 Iowa in Bloomington to close out the home campaign.
IU concluded the regular season in Michigan with a 6-1 win over Michigan State and a 5-2 loss to then-No. 34 Michigan. The Hoosiers closed the regular season with an impressive overall record of 17-7 to go along with a 7-3 mark in the Big Ten.
The Hoosiers earned the No. 4 seed in the 2006 Big Ten Tournament held at the University of Illinois, but Indiana fell in a 4-3 heartbreaker to Purdue.
Batty earned her second-career All-Big Ten honor after unanimously being selected to the 11-person team. For her leadership both on and off the court, Batty garnered Indiana's Sportsmanship Award honor.
"Sarah was an outstanding captain for us," Loring said. "Her leadership on and off the court is one of the main reasons we were successful this year."
For the third consecutive year and the 24th time in program history, the Indiana women's tennis team earned a bid to the NCAA Championships. The Hoosiers headed south to the country music capitol of the world, Nashville, Tenn. IU fell to No. 25 Georgia, 4-1, in the opening round to cap the season.
Indiana closed the season with an overall record of 17-9 and a No. 42 national ranking. Perton finished the season as IU's leader in singles victories, amassing a mark of 19-6 and a 9-1 record in conference play. In doubles, Batty and McGaffigan capped the season with a team-high 18 wins, followed by Fischer and Williams' 17 victories.
The Hoosiers excelled in the classroom as well. Five Indiana women's tennis student-athletes earned Academic All-Big Ten honors for the 2005-06 season, the league office announced on June 1. Batty earned the third honor of her career, while McGaffigan and Perton picked up their second. Additionally, sophomores Nikki Hein and Williams added their first academic honor to their resume. Loring has mentored an impressive 86 academic all-conference selection over his 29-year tenure.
A staple in collegiate women's tennis, the 2005-06 Hoosiers turned in another consistently impressive season.
