The Panthers come into this meet on a bit of a skid. They have been defeated in their last two matches and look to bounce back this weekend. They come into this match with a record of 9-6.

The Panthers have been successful on the road though. They are 7-3 in away matches this year.

Belmont has been less successful this year. They come into the weekend with a record of 3-12 and are 3-8 at home. They come into the weekend on a three-match losing streak.

The Panthers have found immense success against Belmont. They have not lost a single meet with the Bruins since Belmont joined the OVC conference. The Panthers are on a four-match winning streak against the Bruins.

The Panthers have not dropped a single point against the Bruins in the past two years.

In their most recent match against the Bruins, the Panthers earned a sweep, 7-0.

Tennessee native junior Grace Summers, senior Kelly Iden and sophomores Shristi Slaria and Abby Carpenter all notched wins in the sweep.

Slaria and senior doubles specialist Kamile Stadalninkaite paired up to notch a doubles win. Summers and Iden both notched doubles wins as well.

Friday’s matches are set to begin at 2p.m. at Belmont’s Centennial Sportsplex.

The Panthers will not get much time off this weekend. They are set to take on Tennessee State on Saturday.

Tennessee State started its spring season off strong, but has been in a slump recently. The Tigers started the season on a six game win streak, but have not won a match since. They are on a four-match losing streak.

All four of their losses have been in conference play, giving the Tigers an OVC record of 0-4. They are 6-4 overall on the season.

The Tigers are another team the Panthers have had recent success against. The Panthers have swept the Tigers in each of the last four seasons.

Their most recent match up with the Tigers ended with the Panthers winning 4-0.

Iden and Summers both notched singles, as well as doubles wins in the match.

Although the Panthers have had immense success against these Tennessee teams in recent years, Coach Emily Wang will not allow complacency.

“Our matches with Belmont and Tennessee State will be tough as all teams in the OVC are strong this year,” Wang said.

The Panthers come into these matches with a bit of a chip on their shoulder. They are coming off a nail biting loss to Eastern Kentucky in Charleston last week.

“We have had a good week of practice so far. The team has felt the hurt of our losses to SIUE and EKU, but I can tell that they are very motivated to play their best tennis in the last several weeks of this season,” Wang said.

Competition gets an early start this Saturday, with play set to begin at 10a.m.

Parker Valentine can be reached at 581-2812 or pivalentine@eiu.edu