The men's tennis team opens its 1991 season indoors against Eastern Michigan and Mercyhurst today and tomorrow in Erie, Pa. The Lions will take on both opponents in doubles play today. All singles matches will be held tomorrow.

"I'm looking forward to seeing how we'll play," Coach Jan Bortner said. "We've had four weeks of practice, and now I'm just anxious to see how we'll do against another team."

The starting lineup for the Lions will consist of Dave Schoenly, Mark Price, Brad Fielding, Scott Pickering, Corey Goldstein and Sean Snee. Freshmen Greg Gaunt and Chad Skorupka may see some action as well, Bortner said.

The No. 1 doubles team will be Schoenly and Price, a duo which came within one victory of advancing to the National Indoor Championships last November. Bortner is pinning his hopes on a strong performance from the twosome.

"I think we could play better at No. 1, to be honest," Bortner said. "I'm definitely going to be counting on them. If we're going to do well as a team, we're going to have to have a really strong performance from Dave and Mark."

Schoenly, a senior, said he and Price are trying to bring their doubles game up to speed.

"The last couple of days we've really been working on our doubles play," Schoenly said. "We're definitely not at the top of our game, but hopefully the competition will bring out the best in us."

For the Lions, the event will provide something of an idea of what the caliber of tennis will be in the Big Ten. Though neither Eastern Michigan nor Mercyhurst are in the conference, they do compete against Big Ten teams. Bortner sees the brand of tennis played in the Midwest as being far superior to that found in the East.

"There is no question about it that it is much tougher than Eastern tennis," Bortner said. "The Big Ten was ranked as the third-best conference in the country last year. It's an outstanding conference for tennis."

The Lions expect a tough match from an exceptional Eastern Michigan team.

"We'll need to be sharp, react quickly and make adjustments throughout the matches," noted Bortner, who begins his first spring season as the men's coach.

Penn State will compete at the Pitt Indoor Invitational Feb. 16-17 and then train for two weeks before setting out on its Spring Break trip to Hilton Head, S.C.