This weekend the No. 46 Penn State men's tennis team will look to rebound after a 6-1 home loss to Indiana, but will face a tall order -- against a team it has not beaten in the last six years.

The Nittany Lions (11-2, 1-2 Big Ten) host No. 59 Northwestern at 3 p.m. today outdoors at the Sarni Tennis Center, with Wisconsin visiting at 11 a.m. Sunday.

For the Lions to bounce back from Monday's loss, they must take down a Northwestern squad (8-6, 2-1) which has had their number since before Penn State coach Bill Potoczny's time in Happy Valley.

"In your own conference you want to make sure that nobody is that dominating," Potoczny said of Northwestern's success against the Lions. "It's going to motivate us, it's a pride issue."

Last season's 4-3 loss was so close that the doubles point, which came down to being the determining point, was decided by two matches that went to tiebreakers. Both went in favor of the Wildcats.

"Doubles comes down to big points and who can win them," senior co-captain Malcolm Scatliffe said about the importance of the doubles point in Big Ten matches.

A few big points here or there in Monday's match could have allowed the Lions to go into singles play with a 1-0 lead, something that could have played a big role in how they played in that part of the game.

"The momentum was so huge and it was amplified by the fact Indiana had a point under their belt," Potoczny said. "When you have that point in the bag, you can make your opponent play a little different game than they might like to."

Against the Wildcats, however, the type of outdoors, grinding game that the Lions would like to play is also one that could favor Northwestern. Then, against the Badgers (8-6, 1-2) the Lions could have more of an advantage because of Wisconsin's serve-and-volley-type game. Potoczny did say that all the teams the Lions will face have players that can have a strong match either indoors or outside.

The key for the weekend could be if the Lions can consistently hit first serves and are able to return well. The outdoor game can allow the Lions to force their opponents to hit more shots and work the points, Scatliffe said. That consistency is what was lacked earlier in the week and has been a point of emphasis for the coaching staff.

"As a coach the only way I know how to have more consistency is to practice at a certain level," Potoczny said. "If you practice consistently, maybe you'll a be a little inconsistent in your match. But if you practice inconsistently, you're definitely going to play inconsistent."

Even with solid practices to prepare for the weekend, injuries threaten the consistency of the lineup Potoczny used against Virginia Tech (the team's biggest win so far) two weeks ago.

Sophomore James Dwyer fought through pain during Monday's match with the Hoosiers and has missed practice time. The injury could affect the Lions' No. 3 doubles team, on which he teams with Scatliffe.

Injuries aside, the Lions have a chance to come away from the weekend with a winning Big Ten record, meaning knocking off a foe that has been unbeatable for them. On the other hand, the Lions could fall to 1-4 in the conference, which would leave them only one loss away from last season's record-setting year.

"I told the guys this weekend will likely be the turning point," Potoczny said. "It all depends on how well the guys want to prepare to set the tone for the rest of the season."