Weeks of preparation, team success to this point and all the confidence in the world still might not be enough for the No. 62 Penn State men's tennis team (8-1) this weekend.

The sheer firepower that No. 3 Illinois (7-1) will bring to the Penn State Indoor Tennis Center at noon tomorrow could mean the end of the Nittany Lions' current five-game winning streak.

Boasting the top singles player in the country, two others ranked in the top 20 and lethal doubles, the Illini must be circled on schedules around the Big Ten. However, the Lions are looking at this contest just like any other Big Ten match.

"We have to come with confidence -- I know I always come out thinking I'm going to win no matter who I play," junior Malcolm Scatliffe said. "If you don't have that kind of mental attitude then you're not going to win.

"I don't really look at the rankings too much, but you have come out confident and play your game and thinking you're going to win your match."

The Illini are fresh off their first loss of the season, going down 4-3 to Baylor in the semifinals of the USTA/ITA National Team Indoor Championships. It was a match in which the potent doubles teams of Illinois actually dropped the point.

"Any team like Illinois, once they've lost, they don't like losing so they'll want to come in and be ready to get out there," Penn State coach Jan Bortner said. "Believe me, Illinois doesn't lose the doubles much. A match like this -- you're going in against the Big Ten champ, boy this will tell you where you stand."

The match will definitely help No. 1 singles player Mark Barry see where he stands, pitting his flawless record against the nation's top player, Ryler Deheart. Barry who had success against some of the Big Ten's top players in the fall, will get a chance to show his stuff against the best of the best. An upset against Deheart, or even a close match could push Barry for a singles ranking.

After the No. 1 slot, it doesn't get easier for the Lions, with No. 14 G.D. Jones and No. 15 Kevin Anderson lurking in the lineup for Illinois. The entire lineup will be a test for the Lions, especially for the top four of Barry, Scatliffe and rising sophomores Ryan Berger and Bradley Hunter. The firepower of the Illini will be an even tougher challenge indoors, where they can rely on their serves to overpower the young Lions.

"They're a powerful team with big servers, and they're aggressive, so this week we're doing some things to try to prepare for the firepower they're going to bring at us," Bortner said.

Practicing block returns from the baseline all week long, the Lions hope to be able to counter the big serves of the Illini and force them into long, grind-it-out points, where they stand a better chance. The big, aggressive serves will be most evident in the doubles, which is regularly the deciding point in Big Ten matches. The Lions will have to deal with the No. 7 pairing in the nation of Jones and Deheart. The Lions could draw some confidence with the fact that Berger and Hunter took Deheart and Jones to three sets, respectively, in singles play last season, with Hunter picking up a victory.

"With the high level of competition, you get the opportunity to get a good win for the team and yourself," Scatliffe said.

Once the dust settles from the Illinois match, the Lions must prepare to take on Toledo Sunday. A team preaching toughness all season, Penn State will be put to another test this weekend in preparation for the rest of the Big Ten season, which kicks off after spring break.