STORY BY MARLEY ABBOTT

Carrying a 12-match win streak into the contest, LMU men’s tennis (15-2) will host UC Santa Barbara (12-6) on Tuesday at 1 p.m. from the LMU Tennis Center in non-conference action.

After that match, they will be back on the road in WCC play, as they travel to Utah to battle BYU (16-6) at 12:30 pm on Friday, April 13th, before heading to the #44 University of San Diego (10-8) for a 1:00 pm match on Sunday, April 15th.

This week should be a big week for the Lions, as LMU was unable to beat the Gauchos or the Toreros last season, but this year’s team is unlike any we have seen in recent years. Last year’s squad was able to beat out the Cougars, but this year, the Lions are looking to win them all.

LMU currently sits atop the WCC standings at 5-0, followed by San Diego (4-1) and BYU (5-2). USD and BYU have both lost to Santa Clara, while the Toreros topped the Cougars earlier this year.

UCSB boasts one ranked singles player, as Nicolas Moreno de Alboran is #85 in the latest ITA rankings. San Diego carries the #76 player in August Holmgren, while they also feature a pair of ranked doubles teams (#54 Gui Osorio/Nico Borter and #73 Joel Gamerov/August Holmgren).

Following this weekend’s matches, the Lions will return home to close out their regular season with a 1:00 pm match against Santa Clara on April 20th, and a 1:00 pm match against USF on the 21st.