BEAUMONT, Texas – Winners in two of their last three, the Lamar University women's tennis team returns to action Saturday when they host McNeese. The Cardinals will then turn around 48 hours later to take on Southeastern Louisiana.
 
The Cardinals are 9-8 (.529) on the season having won two of their previous three outings but the two wins during that stretch were conference matches while the loss was a non-conference contest. Big Red's recent success in league play has catapulted Lamar into third place in the league standings just a match back of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and 1.5 back of league-leading McNeese.
 
The Battle of the Border – tennis style – will pit Lamar against a Cowgirl squad that is off to one of its best starts in school history. McNeese is 17-1 (.944) on the season and 4-0 in league play. McNeese has won 15 straight dating back to a 5-2 setback at Tulane back in January.
 
The rivalry between the two schools, which dates back to the 1994 season, has always been close but leans in favor of the Red and White. The Cardinals own a 20-13 (.606) overall record having won four of the last six, but McNeese has taken the previous two. The Cardinals are 12-4 (.750) all-time against McNeese in Beaumont.
 
Saturday's match is slated for a 1 p.m. start from the Thompson Family Tennis Center.
 
The Cardinals return to the courts 48 hours later to face Southeastern Louisiana. The Lions have had an up-and-down season and enter the weekend with a 7-9 (.438) overall record but have struggled to pick up a win in Southland Conference play (0-3).
 
After opening the 2024 campaign 0-3, SLU won five of six but has split their last four outings. Southeastern will face Northwestern State Saturday before traveling to Beaumont.
 
While the Cardinals trail the all-time series, 13-14, Lamar has had the upper hand lately winning four straight and six of the previous eight matches.
 
The contest against the Lions will begin at 1 p.m. from the Thompson Family Tennis Center.