TACOMA, Wash. - The Pacific Lutheran University men's tennis team is heading to Oregon on Sunday to close out its fall season as they take on Willamette University.
 
The Lutes have had a successful showing thus far in the fall, taking home significant victories from the ITA Regional.  One of the promising takeaways from those victories comes from freshman Michael Campbell, who prevailed in his first match of the ITA Regional Tournament against Whitman's Eric Lim and finished the tournament with a 4-1 record.
 
If the last name Campbell sounds familiar when mentioned in the context of PLU tennis, that's because it's featured in multiple places throughout the program.  Michael is the son of PLU tennis coaches John Campbell (men's coach) and Cheri Campbell (women's coach). 
 
In terms of playing with his father coaching him, Michael Campbell has been lucky to have a familiar face in the coaching position.  
 
"It's something that feels very familiar, my dad has been my coach for most of my life, and this just makes the transition from high school to college for both tennis and school a lot easier," said Campbell.  
 
While his father's presence has made the transition to college easier, Campbell also finds that his teammates have helped him acclimate to college life.
 
"Having an opportunity to play for a team has been great, it's been a lot of fun and I have been happy to be a part of the team," said Campbell.  "I think both trips we have taken to Portland and Walla Walla have been highlights for me, getting to spend time with the team and having a chance to win some matches."
 
This weekend, the Lutes are looking to continue their success across the team in both singles and doubles competitions.
 
"The team's goal has to be to win more matches this year than we did last year, and I believe that we can make that happen," said Campbell.  "My goal personally is to just win as many matches as I can and just to improve my game. I thought ITA's this year were successful and my goal is just build off of those wins."
 
The Lutes take on Willamette on Sunday at 11 a.m. in Salem. Oregon. After that, the Lutes will be on hiatus until February, when they resume their non-conference schedule.