BEAUMONT, Texas – The Lamar University women's tennis team returns to the Thompson Family Tennis Center to host Southeastern Louisiana and New Orleans on Saturday and Sunday. The two contests will be the final two of the regular season as the match against UNO will serve as Senior Day for the Red and White.
 
The weekend contests take on a great deal of significance for all three teams. The Cardinals (4-14/2-7 Southland) enter the week in a three-way tie for ninth in the conference standings, just a match up on Stephen F. Austin, and a match back of Incarnate Word and New Orleans (9-9/3-6 SLC). The Southland Conference takes the top eight teams to the postseason tournament.
 
Of the three schools, UNO sits in the driver's seat currently in a tie for seventh, having already defeated the team they are tied with (UIW) and Southeastern Louisiana (6-12/2-7 SLC). The Lions enter the weekend tied with LU in the conference standings.
 
The Cardinals have split their last two outings having recorded a 6-1 victory over Nicholls, but dropped a hard-fought decision to league-leading McNeese last time out, 5-2. In addition to continuing the fight to get into the tournament, the Cardinals are also looking to turn things around at home. The Cards are 1-4 (.200) in the Thompson Family Tennis Center this season with the lone victory coming against Prairie View A&M back in February.
 
The easiest path for the Cardinals to get into the tournament would be to win out, and have UIW lose its two remaining matches (UIW still has matches remaining against Abilene Christian and a makeup date versus Stephen F. Austin). There is the possibility of the Cardinals advancing with only one loss this weekend, but that would come down to tiebreakers which includes the UNO match.
 
The Lions enter the weekend having lost four of their last five outings, but is coming off a 5-1 victory at Alcorn State last week. The match against the Cardinals will be the second of three straight on the road to end the season for the Lions. Saturday's match will begin at noon from the Thompson Family Tennis Center.
 
UNO has a chance to move into a tie for fifth in the final week of the regular season. A .500 team on the season, the Privateers have lost five of their last seven matches and are coming off a 5-2 setback against Central Arkansas last time out.
 
The contest is slated for a 1 p.m. start from the Thompson Family Tennis Center, but fans wishing to see the Senior Day celebration should arrive at the complex by 12:30 p.m.
 
-LU CARDINALS-