Three members of the Nittany Lion men's tennis team will travel to Princeton, N.J. this weekend to see how they match up with some of the top players in the country.

Michael Carter, Colin Smeeton and Doug Schoenly will all participate in an indoor tournament held at Princeton University beginning today and running through Sunday.

"It's an opportunity to go head to head with the top players from some of the major programs," Lion Coach Jan Bortner said.

The tournament features players from teams predominantly from the East, as well as some from the South and Midwest. Each team may send its top two singles players and one doubles team. Bortner said he expects the competition to be tough.

"There won't be any easy first-round matches," he said. "If you don't play well, you'll get knocked out early. The guys are going to be at the top of their game."

However, this weekend's matches will be important for those players who are trying to qualify for the NCAA championships.

"These are the kind of tournaments you have to do well in," Bortner said. "You have to pick up some big wins and improve your individual records if you hope to get to the NCAA championships."

Carter and Smeeton will compete in the singles tournament. Carter, a sophomore, will also team with junior Doug Schoenly in doubles.

Senior Ivan Spinner was originally scheduled to attend the tournament, but he became sick with a stomach virus in the middle of the week and was replaced by Smeeton. The freshman had a strong performance at the Big Ten Singles Championship in Illinois two weeks ago.

"He has a ton of potential," Spinner said of Smeeton. "He's solid all around and he has every shot you could want. He always goes out there to win."