Heroin use is on the rise among college-aged people in the Indianapolis area.

According to Butler University Police Department Detective Bruce Allee, heroin is present on Butler’s campus but less than state school campuses.

“The scary thing about heroin is that an experienced addict can appear to be functioning,” Allee said. “They will graduate college and begin careers while suffering from an addiction to heroin.”

Allee, a former detective with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, and IMPD Sergeant James Ficus said Indianapolis is a supply hub for heroin. Large quantities of heroin come in from I-70, and people from Bloomington, Fort Wayne, South Bend, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Columbus and Cincinnati come to Indianapolis to buy heroin.

According to a report by the Indiana State Police, heroin is the second-most-purchased drug by Indiana’s State undercover cops. The same report showed heroin use has increased by 21 percent from 2010 to 2011 in Marion County.

“One common thing is students from Indiana University coming to Indianapolis to buy heroin,” Allee said.

Ficus said the increase in heroin use is partly due to a supply strategy by dealers.

“When heroin was used heavily in the 80s and 90s, it was typically used by Vietnam vets,” Ficus said. “Now, heroin is being produced so that it can be snorted instead of injected. It’s more appealing to people who don’t like needles.”

Ficus said many heroin addicts start out addicted to painkillers.

“Many times, people graduate from painkillers to heroin,” Ficus said. “I’ve seen many people who start out taking Vicodin for a work-related injury, and they become addicted. After some time, painkillers won’t be enough to get them high, and they’ll turn to heroin, which in and of itself is cheaper.”

Both Ficus and Allee also said many people who become heroin addicts begin as a “social abuser.”

Two documents displayed at the Mar. 28 Faculty Senate meeting are helping shed a different light on Butler University’s tuition increase for the next academic year.

The documents provide a list of 25 schools Butler most often competes with for potential students, or the most common cross-applicant schools.

One compares tuition and monetary costs of attending those universities versus those for attending Butler while the other looks at how many students Butler wins from and loses to those 25 schools during the application process.

Bruce Arick, vice president for finance, presented the documents at the meeting.

Arick said this information is compiled to help assess how Butler officials should adjust tuition each school year.

Looking at the books

According to one document, each Butler student is paying $33,138 in tuition and fees for the 2012-13 school year. When that figure is compared to the tuition statistics from Butler’s 25 most common cross-application schools, Butler’s tuition ranks ninth highest.

“We feel pretty comfortable there,” Arick said. “We’re not trying to proactively move up or move down (the list).

“If we were to move down, would that be a bad thing? No, not necessarily.”

Of the 10 schools Butler has the most cross-applications with, only three—DePauw University, University of Dayton and Marquette University—have higher tuition than Buter this academic year.

Dayton’s and Marquette’s 2012-13 tuitions, however, are within just a few hundred dollars of Butler’s—and it has been that way for several years.

Arick said this statistic is merely a coincidence.

“We don’t work with those two schools to plan (tuition increases),” Arick said. “We don’t know what they’re going to with their tuition increases until they actually announce them.”

But Arick also said Butler officials use cross-application information to better understand which schools they’re competing against for students and how Butler compares to those universities price-wise.

“We overlay (the documents) to say, ‘Okay, we kind of know who our top 25 are and how we’re competing. How are we price-wise with these schools, from the sticker price?’” Arick said. “Between the two (documents) is really a pretty good approach for us to consider what we should do tuition-wise for the upcoming year to compete with the schools we compete for students with.”

Tuition based on class size

Arick said another major factor under consideration each year is if Butler is meeting its target class. He described not meeting a target class as “a big red flag for schools and their pricing strategy.”

Butler’s target for this year was 1,000, which was surpassed by 111 students. Since Butler has been hitting its target freshman classes consistently in recent years, officials have been able to raise tuition.

That may not be the case at other schools, Arick said.

“Interestingly enough, if you look at some of the schools that have announced very low price increases or zero (increase)—and I would not put Purdue in that category—it would not surprise me if you found they’re not hitting their enrollment targets,” Arick said. “It’s a significant variable, especially at private schools.”

Many of Butler’s top 25 cross-application schools have steadily raised tuition year after year since the 2007-08 school year. In fact, of Butler’s top 10 cross-application schools, only Miami University of Ohio has had any sort of tuition freeze in that timeframe.

Butler’s main competitors in that top 10 have been Indiana University and Purdue University.

Competing against the freeze

Indiana has maintained the top spot in number of cross-applications with Butler since 2004. Purdue has held the second spot on that list since 2004.

Butler and Indiana shared 1,387 applicants in 2012. Of that number, 19 percent ended up enrolling at Butler, 28 percent at Indiana and 53 percent at a third school.

Butler wins over a few more students when it comes to competing with Purdue, gaining 21 percent of the cross-applicants between the schools.

One reason some students, specifically in-state ones, choose Indiana or Purdue over Butler is lower tuition.

“If you were to look purely at cost, especially if you look only at the sticker price, there’s no comparison,” said Tom Weede, vice president for enrollment management. “What we try to do is make sure we talk about more than just cost and the value that comes out of a Butler education.”

Weede said Butler’s ability to offer students more financial aid is one way in which it attracts some cross-applicants. He said the school is putting $54 million toward financial aid for the 2013-14 school year.

More for the money

For out-of-state students, Arick said Indiana’s and Purdue’s tuition prices are far more comparable to Butler’s.

For example, in the 2009-10 academic year, Indiana’s in-state tuition was $8,613. However, out-of-state tuition was set at $26,160, a figure that didn’t leave such a wide gap in tuition between Indiana and Butler.

“We love going head to head with Purdue and IU on out-of-state students,” Arick said. “The price point is not as big of a variable for those students.”

Weede said Butler’s admissions office works hard to help potential students and their parents look beyond the hit their pocketbooks could take if they choose Butler.

Weede said he thinks Butler’s on-campus environment is something that draws many students who also apply to schools like Indiana or Purdue.

“One of the things I think is great about Butler is people like being here,” Weede said. “The classes are smaller, and the relationships with faculty members are more personal.”

State of the economy

Arick and Weede said Butler officials have to contend with the economy when considering tuition increases.

Arick said he believes the days of Butler raising tuition by more than 4 percent from year to year are limited.

“We can’t ignore general economic conditions that our students and families are subject to,” Arick said. “It’s a balance we have to maintain.”

Weede said he always remembers a discussion he had with a guidance counselor while working in Carroll College’s admissions office when thinking about tuition increases.

“He had a daughter enrolled in the school, and he said this with love: ‘I think you people sit around and say it’s only 4 percent. For me, it’s $1,000,’” Weede said. “I’ve tried to never lose sight of that.”

Butler entered the 2012-2013 season with one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the nation.

The Bulldogs fared well outside Atlantic 10 Conference play, going 12-2 in non-conference games, including the Nov. 13 loss to Xavier that was considered a non-conference contest.

Five of Butler’s non-conference opponents were selected for the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament.

The Bulldogs went a combined 4-1 against these five teams.

Let’s take a look at the résumés of these five squads as they enter the tournament.

Marquette Golden Eagles
23-8, 14-4 Big East | East No. 3 seed
Butler defeated Marquette 72-71 on a Rotnei Clarke buzzer beater in the quarterfinals of the Maui Invitational Nov. 19.

Since then, the Golden Eagles finished in a three-way tie for the Big East regular season title with No. 1 overall seed Louisville and No. 2 seed Georgetown.

Marquette was ranked 15th in the final AP Top 25 poll of the season and 16th in the USA Today Coaches Poll.

The Bulldogs could potentially play the Golden Eagles in the third round of the tournament if they beat Bucknell and Marquette defeats No. 14 seed Davidson.

Marquette went 6-7 against eventual tournament teams in the regular season.

North Carolina Tar Heels
24-10, 12-6 ACC | South No. 8 seed
Butler shocked then-ninth-ranked North Carolina 82-71 in the Maui Invitational semifinals Nov. 20.

The Tar Heels finished third in the ACC behind No. 2 seed Miami (FL) and No. 2 seed Duke.

North Carolina was a mere 2-8 against eventual tournament teams during the regular season, with their only wins coming at home against

North Carolina State and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

North Carolina faces No. 9 seed Villanova in the second round Friday.

Illinois Fighting Illini
22-12, 8-10 Big Ten | East No. 7 seed
Illinois knocked off Butler in the Maui Invitational Championship 78-61 on its way to a 12-0 start to the regular season.

The Fighting Illini handed No. 1 seed Gonzaga its first of only two regular-season losses, stunning the Zags on their home court 85-74 on Dec. 8.

Illinois’ strong start did not translate well to Big Ten play, as it often struggled and suffered bad losses to Purdue, Northwestern and Iowa.

However, the Illini provided one of the most thrilling finishes of the season by defeating top-ranked Indiana on a layup at the buzzer Feb. 7.

Illinois went 6-9 against eventual tournament squads in the regular season.

The Illini take on No. 10 seed Colorado in the second round Friday.

Indiana Hoosiers
27-6, 14-4 Big Ten | East No. 1 seed
Indiana entered the season as the top-ranked team in the country and began the year 9-0 until Butler handed the Hoosiers their first loss on Dec. 15.

The Bulldogs’ 88-86 overtime victory proved to be one of the most memorable games of the season.

Indiana has remained a national-title contender throughout the season with the play of junior guard Victor Oladipo and sophomore forward Cody Zeller.

Zeller leads the Hoosiers with 16.9 points per game and 8.2 rebounds per game. Oladipo averaged 13.6 points per game and 2.2 steals per game.

Indiana had a winning record of 9-6 against eventual tournament teams in the regular season.

The Hoosiers will meet the winner of Long Island University-Brooklyn and James Madison in the second round Friday.

Gonzaga Bulldogs
31-2, 16-0 WCC| West No. 1 seed
Gonzaga ended the regular season with the best record in the NCAA and the top spot in the final AP Top 25 poll and USA Today Coaches Poll of the season.

The Bulldogs enter the NCAA tournament with a 14-game winning streak.

The team’s last loss came at Hinkle Fieldhouse when Butler defeated then-eighth-ranked Gonzaga on a Roosevelt Jones buzzer beater.

Standout junior forward Kelly Olynyk led the Bulldogs with 17.5 points per game and finished second on the team in rebounding with 7.2 per contest.

Gonzaga played strongly against eventual tournament teams in the regular season, going 8-2 versus those opponents.

The Bulldogs play No. 16 seed Southern University in the second round Thursday.

It is a question many college basketball fans across the nation likely ask when looking at each year’s NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament bracket.

How do some teams wind up with the seeds they’re given?

It clearly isn’t entirely based on records. Memphis finished with a mark of 30-4 this season and earned a No. 6 seed. That record was the second best in the tournament field.

Butler also landed a No. 6 seed with a final record of 25-8. So how did the Bulldogs grab the same number seed as a team with 30 victories?

A few major factors go into determining each team’s seed in the tournament, not to mention if a team makes the tournament at all.

The NCAA’s 10-person selection committee makes seeding decisions based on these factors. There is no set-in-stone way for a team to earn a specific seed, short of having consistent success throughout the season.

Since about half of any team’s season consists of in-conference contests, the selection committee looks closely at how strong each team’s conference is.

The Atlantic 10 Conference is the seventh strongest of the 33 Division I leagues in the nation.

This statistic is determined by compiling a conference’s overall record against different groups of opposing squads during the season.

Teams are placed in said groups based on their Rating Percentage Index—better known as RPI.

RPI is a measure of a team’s strength of schedule and how the team does against that schedule, according to Yahoo! Sports.

Butler has the nation’s 23rd-best RPI of more than 300 Division I teams. This boded very well for the Bulldogs during the selection committee’s deliberations, as only three teams with a top-50 RPI did not make the tournament this season.

Six of Butler’s eight losses came to squads with a top-50 RPI, and none came to teams with an RPI of worse than 100.

When most of a team’s losses are against strong competition, it boosts that team’s tournament resume and likely ensures a better seed.

Butler’s overall record versus its strength of schedule was another factor the selection committee had to take into consideration.

Butler had the 32nd-strongest schedule in the nation. This means the Bulldogs’ average victory was a lot more difficult to come by than that of a team with the 150th-strongest schedule in the nation.

The selection committee wants to make sure teams that were successful against primarily good opponents make the tournament versus teams that were successful against typically poor competition.

A team that does well despite a difficult schedule is also able to earn key victories that look good on its tournament resume.

For Butler, wins over two No. 1 tournament seeds—Indiana and Gonzaga—certainly helped drive the team up the seeding chart.

So while all of these factors combined didn’t guarantee that Butler would earn a No. 6 seed, it helps explain why they did.

Alex Barlow hit a tear-drop layup with less than three seconds remaining in overtime, and the Butler men’s basketball team shocked No. 1 Indiana 88-86 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse Saturday.

The game was the first of two in the second Crosstown Classic.

“My initial thoughts were we were in trouble when it was 84-80 with three guys sitting on the bench next to me,” Butler coach Brad Stevens said. “Such a gutty effort by our guys. Don’t use this as an excuse to get down on Indiana.”

With about 19 seconds remaining in the game, the score was tied at 86 and Barlow moved the ball upcourt off an inbound pass. He let some time tick off the clock, then drove it straight into the paint, twisting and turning as he released the floater. It bounced around the rim and eventually fell with 2.5 seconds remaining.

“I was looking for the options, and they weren’t open,” Barlow said. “I saw the clock at about six (seconds), so I figured I’d try to make a play.

“The floater is a shot I work on a lot, and I just happened to get a lucky bounce.”

Indiana called a timeout to draw up their final play, but senior guard Jordan Hulls was unable to connect from near half court as time expired.

The Bulldogs (8-2) played all of the overtime frame without senior center Andrew Smith and sophomore forward Roosevelt Jones, who both fouled out in regulation.

Many of Butler’s key players struggled with foul trouble all afternoon. In addition to Smith and Jones, junior forward Erik Fromm fouled out during the overtime period. Barlow had tallied four by the end of the contest.

The game started at a slow pace, which played into Butler’s hands. The Hoosiers (9-1) scored the first points of the game nearly two minutes in.

The Bulldogs grabbed an early 9-5 advantage with four points from Jones and a 3-point basket from Smith.

Indiana moved in front 13-12 on a dunk by junior guard Victor Oladipo with 11:38 remaining in the half. Butler would not lead again until the 5:54 mark of the second half.

Indiana led 37-33 at halftime, spurred by nearly 44 percent shooting from the field and 12 free throw attempts to Butler’s four.

The Bulldogs shot better than 39 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes, but they struggled to contain Oladipo, who tallied 10 points in that time.

While the Hoosiers’ defense did a good job containing senior guard Rotnei Clarke in the first half (six points), Jones was all over the court. He posted eight points, eight rebounds and five assists in 19 minutes of action.

“I thought it was hard for them to guard Roosevelt, really hard,” Stevens said. “With all due respect to everyone else on the court, I thought he was the best player on the floor when he was on the floor. When that ball went up to the rim, he found ways to get it on both ends of the floor.”

Clarke credited Oladipo with attempting a different type of defense while guarding him.

“Most guys will stay below me, but Oladipo went high and kind of denied me, trying not to let me touch the ball,” Clarke said. “It was my teammates in the second half.”

The Bulldogs trailed 57-50 after senior forward Christian Watford hit a free throw with nine minutes remaining.

Butler began its push toward regaining the lead after the converted free throw. The Bulldogs scored six of the next eight points to cut the deficit to 59-56. Smith then made a pair of layups, sandwiched around a 3-point basket from Dunham.

Stigall then drained a 3-pointer to push Butler to a 66-59 lead.

The Hoosiers did not hit a field goal between a 3-pointer by junior forward Will Sheehey at the 11:24 mark and a layup by sophomore guard Remy Abell at the 3:43 mark.

Up 71-64 with 2:25 remaining, Butler attempted to fend off a push by Indiana. The Hoosiers pulled to within two with 1:14 remaining at 71-69.

Dunham made one of two free throws — the miss was only his second of the season — on the next possession to give Butler a three-point lead. Freshman guard Yogi Farrell then committed a turnover with 49 seconds remaining, after which Dunham was fouled again. This time, he sank both free throw attempts to put Butler up 74-69.

Farrell made a layup on IU’s next possession, and Oladipo used a full court press to steal the ball from Dunham on the ensuing inbound pass. Oladipo made a layup to cut the Bulldogs’ lead to one.

Barlow was fouled on the next possession and made a pair of free throws, giving Butler a 76-73 lead.

Indiana gave the ball to Farrell on offense, and he responded by sinking a 3-pointer with less than 10 seconds left to tie the game.

Butler senior guard Chase Stigall attempted a 3-point shot of his own on the final possession of regulation, but he was unable to convert.

“We had a timeout left, but as he was dribbling down the court, I didn’t see us getting a better look than that,” Stevens said.

Butler shot nearly 52 percent from the field in the second half, but it wasn’t enough to put away the Hoosiers just yet. Indiana hit 18 of 24 free throw opportunities in the second half to stave off defeat in regulation.

The Bulldogs entered overtime without Smith and Jones, who both fouled out in the final two minutes of regulation. They also went into extra time with Barlow and Fromm both sitting on four fouls.

“Proud of your effort, keep it going,” Stevens said of his message to the team heading into overtime. “We switched a ton of ball screens. We didn’t feel like we wanted to give that up on those guys.”

The Hoosiers took an 84-80 lead with 2:14 remaining in overtime after a layup by sophomore forward Cody Zeller. The Bulldogs would not be denied, however, as Clarke and Stigall sank back-to-back 3′s after the Zeller basket to give Butler an 86-84 advantage.

Zeller made another basket with 23 seconds remaining to knot the game up at 86, setting the stage for Barlow’s dramatics.

It was Butler’s first victory over a No. 1 team in the regular season. The Bulldogs posted their fifth consecutive victory overall and their sixth straight at Bankers Life.

“I told Rotnei, you didn’t come here to win a game in December,” Stevens said. “As a coach, I’d like to have Xavier and Illinois back, but I’m not going to be greedy.”

Jones called the victory “a good confidence boost,” but said the Bulldogs are aware of their ability.

“We already know how good we are and how good we can be,” Jones said. “So we just want to prepare for Evansville and get ready to play hard again another game.”

Clarke finished with a game-high 19 points on 7 of 19 shooting, including 5 of 11 from beyond the arc. Clarke, who is in his first season with Butler, played all but a few possessions in the contest.

“I think it’s work ethic,” Clarke said of his ability to play for long stretches. “Just going into the gym every night and shooting game-like shots and doing game-like things has really prepared me for this.”

Jones had a game-high 12 rebounds and tallied 16 points in 29 minutes. Smith finished with 12 points and nine rebounds, while junior forward Khyle Marshall and Fromm also reached double figures in scoring.

Oladipo was Indiana’s offensive sparkplug, tallying 18 points on 7 of 10 shooting. He also had four steals and a pair of blocks.

“Oladipo is just a hard guy to play against,” Stevens said. “We walked out of our locker room, I turned to (assistant coach) Matthew Graves and said ‘I’ve never seen a guy that athletic.’”

Zeller also recorded 18 points, although 10 of them came from the free throw line. Sheehey (13), Ferrell (12) and Watford (10) all posted double-figure points as well.

Butler outrebounded Indiana 40-38, including a 24-17 advantage at halftime. The Hoosiers turned the ball over just one time outside of Oladipo and Ferrell, who each had six turnovers.

The Bulldogs will now prepare for Evansville, whom they’ve lost to in overtime each of the last two seasons. This season’s contest will happen at Hinkle Fieldhouse at 2:00 Saturday.

“Ready to go,” Clarke said. “We’ll enjoy this one today, but we’ll get prepared and be ready for them.”

The Butler cross country team finished second in the men’s competition at the Indiana Intercollegiate Meet in Terre Haute on Friday.
The Hoosiers took home the team championship in the 27-team field, finishing with 49 points. The Bulldogs came in second with 70 points, followed by host Indiana State with 79 points.
Sophomore Tom Curr had the best finish for Butler in the 8-kilometer men’s race, placing third with a time of 24:57.
Indiana State freshman John Mascari took top honors in the event, and senior teammate Albaro Escalera captured second place.
Sophomore James Martin came in 12th place for the Bulldogs, crossing the line with a time of 25:14. Freshman Erik Peterson grabbed 14th place with a time of 25:21 and was followed by sophomore Harry Ellis in 15th place (25:22).
In his first race with Butler, junior Tom Anderson ran a time of 25:44 for a 27th-place finish.
The squad will compete at the Notre Dame Invitational on Sept. 28. The women’s team will be in action on Friday at the Toledo Interregional Bubble Buster.

Butler swept its old conference foe, Wright State 3-0 last night.
The Bulldogs (8-3) controlled the match from the first serve.
Junior Belle Obert led the team with 10 kills, while junior Claire Randich, the Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Week, finished with eight kills.
Over the weekend, the Bulldogs hosted the Butler Classic and won two matches.
Butler defeated Western Illinois three sets to one in the opening match of the Classic.
The Bulldogs won the first and second sets in close fashion, winning 25-22 and 25-23, respectively.
However, the Leathernecks  (3-4) would not go away and went on to win the third set 25-21 to cut the set lead in half.
In the fourth set, the Bulldogs dominated early on, gaining an 8-1 lead. They would not look back and disposed of Western Illinois by a score of 25-19.
The story of the match was junior Maggie Harbison’s dominant play. Harbison racked up 18 kills and 19 digs, both team highs.
Juniors Morgan Peterson and Claire Randich also contributed with six blocks apiece. As a team, the Bulldogs compiled eight aces.
Butler fell to Stephen F. Austin by a score of three sets to none in its second match of the tournament.
The first set was competitive, with the Bulldogs holding the lead for the majority of the set.
However, late in the set, the Ladyjacks took over. The Bulldogs couldn’t rally, and Stephen F. Austin won the next two points to take the first set.
In the second set, the Bulldogs started off slow, falling behind 8-16. Butler was able to fight back to get the score to 19-21.
With the score 22-24, the Bulldogs were able to stave off two set points. Butler would then win the next point to go up 25-24.
The Bulldogs twice had set point in their favor but were unable to close out the set. The Ladyjacks were able to fight back, and with the score 27-26, Stephen F. Austin was able to put it away to take a 2-0 set lead.
Stephen F. Austin took the third set 25-20 to complete the match sweep.
Butler defeated Indiana (6-3) three sets to one in the final game of the Classic.
Butler dominated the first set and saw success as a result of its defense. The Bulldogs were never losing at any point during the set and won 25-18.
In the second set, the Bulldogs got off to a slow start and were down 3-0 before scoring eight out of the next nine points to force a Hoosiers’ timeout. Butler would continue to dominate through the middle part of the set, leading 17-10. But Indiana would not go away.
The Hoosiers rallied to eventually take a 19-18 lead. Butler then took seven of the next eight points to close out the set 25-20 and take a 2-0 match lead going into halftime.
Indiana dominated the entire third set and won 25-15. The opposite occured during the fourth set.
With the Hoosiers up 7-4, Butler went on a five-point streak to force an Indiana timeout. The Bulldogs would not look back, going on a 6-1 run following the timeout. The Hoosiers would not get within four points of the Bulldogs for the rest of the match. Butler finished with six straight points, capped by back-to-back aces by sophomore Belle Obert.
Leading the Bulldogs was Harbison with 16 kills, Randich with nine blocks and sophomore Brooke Ruffolo with 23 digs.
Butler next faces Southeast Missouri State in the first match of the Butler Invitational on Friday, Sept. 14 at 11 a.m.

The Butler men’s tennis team fell just shy of earning its second victory of the season this weekend.

On Friday, the Bulldogs traveled to Dayton, where they suffered a close 4-3 loss.

Dropping the doubles point proved to be crucial for the Bulldogs (1-13).

Butler players that came away victorious in the singles play were senior Zach Ervin and freshmen Tommy Marx and Billy Weldon.

The match came down to No. 1 singles play, where Butler freshman Austin Woldmoe fell short.

On Saturday, the team went to Bloomington to face the No. 29 Indiana Hoosiers (9-3).

The Bulldogs fell 7-0 in their sixth match against a ranked opponent this season.

Butler will begin conference play on March 24, taking on Valparaiso and Illinois-Chicago the weekend after spring break.

The spring season did not open as the Butler women’s tennis team might have hoped, as the squad fell to DePaul at home on Saturday and at Indiana on Friday.

Sophomore Stephanie McLoughlin led the Bulldogs (0-3) in a 7-0 loss to the Blue Devils (4-1).

Photo by Marcy Thornsberry

The second-year player suffered a close loss at No. 2 singles and took part in the tightest doubles match between the teams.

McLoughlin won eight games against DePaul freshman Patricia Fargas, but Fargas pulled out a 6-4, 6-4 victory.

At No. 1 doubles, McLoughlin teamed with sophomore Gabrielle Rubenstein in an 8-4 loss to the duo of senior Gia McKnight and freshman Jasmin Kling.

Butler’s season-opening tilt against Indiana did not go much better for the Bulldogs, who came out on the wrong end of a 7-0 defeat.

None of Butler’s singles players were able to win more than four games in a set against the Hoosiers (3-1).

Junior Brittany Farmer and sophomore Caroline Hedrick won more games in doubles action than any other Butler duo, dropping an 8-3 decision to senior Evgeniya Vertesheva and sophomore Kayla Fujimoto.

The Bulldogs will stay in Indianapolis to host Western Kentucky on Friday before heading to Dayton on Saturday.

The men’s tennis team opened its 2012 spring season facing what could be some of the toughest competition it will see this year.

The result was not what the Bulldogs hoped for, as they dropped a 7-0 decision to No. 3 Ohio State last Wednesday.

“As a team, going up against someone like Ohio State, we didn’t go in with the attitude of having to win,” senior Zach Ervin said. “We had the mindset of playing hard, and we will use it as a measuring stick for the rest of the season.”

Despite the loss, the team took away positives from the match that could help them throughout the rest of the season.

Each singles player won at least two games in their respective matches, while every Butler doubles pair won at least one game.

“We competed way beyond expectation,” freshman Pulok Bhattacharya said. “I have a pretty good feeling about this year.”

The Bulldogs were also able to identify some aspects of their play that need improvement.

“[The match] helped me know what specific shots I need to work on,” freshman Austin Woldmoe said. “It also showed us the type of level we need to be at, and everyone needs to up their level.”

According to coach Jason Suscha, one of the glaring aspects of Butler’s play that the team needs to work on is holding its serves and improving its serve percentage.

“We didn’t compete as well as we should have,” Suscha said. “Not that it would have changed the score, but we didn’t give ourselves a chance.”

The road does not get much easier for the Bulldogs, as they face top competition throughout their spring season, including No. 29 Indiana, Purdue, Harvard, Wisconsin and Drake.

“These [matches] actually pump me up a bit, saying I’ve been given such a big challenge, why not take it?” Bhattacharya said. “We are not scared of playing any of them. We expect to win.”

Butler will also have to deal with Horizon League powers Green Bay and reigning league champion Cleveland State.

“It’s definitely a tough schedule, and we’re on the road for 17 or 18 [matches],” Ervin said.

The road-heavy schedule will challenge a young Bulldog team that has six freshmen and only two seniors on its roster.

That does not mean, however, that the team lacks big goals for the season.

“We expect to compete and win the Horizon League in both the season and in the tournament,” Ervin said. “Our ultimate goal is to reach the NCAA tournament, and I think all of our individual and team goals revolve around that.”

Suscha said he agrees that even though the Bulldogs are a young team, they have the talent to win a conference championship.

The Bulldogs will begin a four-match road trip with contests against Northern Illinois on Thursday and Wisconsin on Friday.