The No. 56 Penn State men's tennis team (6-3, 0-1 Big Ten) recently got a boost in the standings, despite its loss last week to Virginia Tech.

This week, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) released its first computer rankings of the season. In the new rankings, the Lions jumped nine spots in the standings.

"The main thing with the computer rankings is they relay much heavier on who you play," Penn State men's tennis coach Jan Bortner said. "This early, they don't matter too much, but two or three weeks later they start becoming important because, let's face it, to get to the NCAAs you have to be in the top 50."

The Lions can come away with two quality victories this weekend as they host No. 41 Michigan (8-2, 0-0) tomorrow and No. 44 Michigan State (13-5, 0,0) on Sunday. Sweeping the weekend would push the Lions' Big Ten record over .500.

Although both teams are ranked higher than the Lions, Penn State may have a distinct advantage over them -- the help of Mother Nature. Both matches are scheduled to take place outdoors at the Sarni Tennis Center, the first matches of the season outdoors.

"It's great to play outdoors. This is where tennis is supposed to be played," senior Clint Keithley said.

The Big Ten features teams accustomed to playing indoors on very fast surfaces.

They rely on big serves and quick points, and seem to lack the patience to grind out long points. Bortner said his team's strength is its patience.

"I use a lot of comparisons to basketball, and we know we can't just play run-and-gun," Bortner said. "We're not going to overpower teams."

Sophomore Malcolm Scatliffe, Penn State's first singles player, must be ready to grind for every point against the No. 49 player in the nation, Michael Rubin. Scatliffe is no stranger to big matches like this, coming off a huge upset over Virginia Tech's Andreas Laulund, who was ranked 39th in the nation.

-- By Dan Winklebleck