Even though coach Gary Victor is surprised at where the Matadors stand in Big West Conference at No. 7, he still sees his team finishing out strong before the conference tournament.

“We want to get on the right track, we are having some good performance, but not enough to get us the fourth point in our big conference matches,” Victor said.

The Cal State Northridge tennis team, which is 13-9 in dual matches, is 74-58 in singles and an impressive 47-19 in doubles and will go up against West Coast Conference Loyola Marymount today at Matador Tennis Complex. The match marks the first between the teams this season.

The Lions are on a six-match losing streak and are 1-4 in conference play.

“We take no one lightly. LMU is a fully-funded program in the WCC so we know how good there are even though they have lost six in a row,” Victor said.

Sophomore Maria Pistalu said going into the LMU match that the Matadors usually do not know who they are matching up with until single matches start, but she and the team prepare as best they can.

“The lineup can change, it’s not a hundred percent until right before a match, but we feel pretty confident and I have been playing good matches lately,” Pistalu said.

Leading Northridge is senior Brooke Doane, who has won seven straight singles matches and has a record of 10-10. She holds the CSUN school record for doubles wins with 68. This season, Doane is 18-4 in doubles, mainly playing alongside Jennifer Sher.

“Without a doubt she has been the greatest doubles player here at CSUN. Her first step, her hands, her fearlessness and more than anything, she is a great teammate. She loves to work with people,” Victor said.

CSUN will also get back Nina Jaworowski, who was out for six weeks. She is one of the top three players and the Matadors can now work her back to getting in match shape before the conference tournament.