Feb. 9, 2007

LOS ANGELES - Loyola Marymount men's tennis, who has played four straight matches against nationally-ranked teams, continues the challenge up north this weekend when the Lions face two West Coast Conference squads. The Lions (1-4, 0-1 WCC) will battle San Francisco (1-1, 0-0 WCC) Saturday and 59th-ranked Saint Mary's (2-3, 0-2 WCC) Sunday.

The pair of WCC matches will mark the third straight conference contest for the Lions, who faced defending national champion Pepperdine last week.

The WCC has four of its eight teams in the current national rankings.

"This is a big trip for us," LMU Head Coach Nik DeVore said. "Saint Mary's is currently ranked 59th after a big win over Arizona and San Francisco is always very tough as well. We have friendly rivalries with both of these teams, so it should be a great experience for our guys. The matches against our conference teams are always very intense, especially when we play at their home courts, so our team will have to play with a lot of emotion and determination if we are going to come home with some `W's.' Having played our last four matches against nationally-ranked opponents should help us a great deal. We are used to facing high caliber opponents."

Saturday, the Lions and Dons will play rain or shine, as the match may be moved to an indoor facility if forecasted rain gets the best of the campus courts. Match times are set for 1:00 p.m. on Saturday and 11:00 a.m. Sunday at Saint Mary's.

-GO LIONS