Feb. 8, 2007

Lutes Face Tough Competition at PLU/UPS Invitational

THIS WEEK: Pacific Lutheran plays four opponents at the PLU/UPS Invitational scheduled for Friday through Sunday at the UPS indoor courts.

LUTES FACE TOUGH FOES: Pacific Lutheran's men's tennis program has never been known for ducking tough competition, and that certainly is the case this weekend. The Lutes will play four matches at the PLU/UPS Invitational, and two of those opponents are among the top Division III teams on the West Coast, and arguably in the nation.After playing Northwest Conference foes Puget Sound at 8 a.m. Friday and Linfield at noon on Friday, the Lutes load up with the weekend's toughest competition. They go head-to-head with conference powerhouse Whitman at 8 a.m. Saturday, then come back at 4 p.m. that same day to battle UC Santa Cruz. PLU has been a Northwest Conference power in its own right, winning more than 30 conference championships since the late 1960s. Generally, when the Lutes don't win the conference title, Whitman does. In addition, the Missionaries proved their mettle by sweeping most of the honors from the Lutes at the ITA fall tournament. UC Santa Cruz is even better and has a handful of NCAA Division III championships to its credit. If you want to see high-quality Division III tennis in early February, head over the UPS indoor courts in Memorial Fieldhouse this Friday through Sunday.

AND YOU THINK THAT SCHEDULE IS TOUGH: In addition to playing some tough competition this weekend, the Lutes also make a tour through Southern California in late March, facing a number of highly regarded Division III teams including Redlands, Pomona-Pitzer and a tough Trinity team that they lost to in the first round of nationals last year.

SEASON OUTLOOK: The last two Pacific Lutheran’s men’s tennis team have put together outstanding seasons that have added to the legacy of Lutes men’s tennis. In both seasons the Lutes won the Northwest Conference, adding to a record of 32 conference titles since 1970, and they also made national tournament appearances. This year, though, could prove to be a bit tougher for the Lutes. With the loss of All-Americans Matt Larimore and Rick Butenko, “it will make this year tough to follow last year,” said PLU co-coach Jeff Allen. “But we kind of look like we’re reloading. We should compete for the NWC title again this year."

The Lutes top four in singles are David Miller, Kevin Floyd, Justin Larimore and Jeff Loranger. Miller, a senior, compiled a 13-6 record last year and is ranked ninth in the west region. Floyd, a freshman, “is a big pick up, and we are just hoping to get his feet wet this year,” said Allen. Rounding out the top four is Larimore, a junior who had a 10-11 record last year, and Loranger, a senior who compiled a 12-10 record last season. “Both could have breakout years,” said Allen. Junior Jared Vidano should prove to be very strong as well. Last year he compiled a 9-4 record and figures to be in a top six singles position. A freshman who has worked his way into the top six already this year is Justin Peterson.

In doubles the team of Miller and Larimore is ranked eighth in the west region and should be a force in the conference this year.

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