Written by Student Assistant Sarah Cornell-Maier

TACOMA, Wash. – The Pacific Lutheran University men's tennis team is gearing up for another weekend of matches, facing off against Northwest Conference rivals University of Puget Sound and Willamette University in a pair of non-conference competitions.

With an 0-2 record this February after a pair of tough matches against Division I foes Southern Utah University and Seattle University last weekend, the Lutes are looking to win some matches this weekend before getting into regular Northwest Conference play which gets underway on March 3.

This weekend of competition presents the Lutes with the opportunity to head into conference play with a set of strong showings against their conference opponents. Last weekend, the Lutes showed their potential, with Niko Convento owning a, 6-3, 4-3, lead over Southern Utah's Conor Tordoff at No. 1 singles but was unable to finish the match after the Thunderbirds had already secured three wins in singles as the non-conference match was contested using Division I scoring rules.

The Lutes will be taking the University of Puget Sound on Friday at 4 p.m, and then will host Willamette University on Saturday at the Lakewood Racquet Club at 1 p.m.