Finishing the season on a good note is key for the Penn State women's tennis team.

Penn State (8-10, 3-6 Big Ten) will compete in its last two matches of the season this weekend. The team will face Michigan State at 11 a.m. tomorrow and Michigan at 10 a.m. Sunday.

After a four-game slide, the Nittany Lions were finally able to pick up a victory against Minnesota last weekend. This weekend's matches will provide a chance to pick up two victories and finish the regular season at .500.

Michigan (12-6, 6-2) will be the tougher of the two opponents coming in ranked No. 31 in the country. The Wolverines have very strong doubles combinations, which has been a point of weakness for this year's Lions.

"I think they are going into their doubles matches with more confidence because they've had more confidence in that area," Penn State women's tennis coach Buffy Baker said. "We know we can be successful, and we know we have good doubles teams. They've been getting better. It's been more finding chemistry between partners that will be able to complement each other."

Michigan State (13-8, 3-5) has always been somewhat of a rival for Penn State. After a victory last year, Penn State leads the series 9-8.

Now that the team was able to pull away with a victory last weekend, it hopes that it will provide a start of a momentum shift. Penn State is still looking for its first away victory. Whether that happens or not, Baker hopes her players will add on some more confidence.

"You can't hang on to wins for confidence, because you can't hold on to things that you can't control," Baker said. "Knowing that they've done their best and have gone to the best of their ability, that's confidence. And that's what's going to let them play freely and be able to execute."

After this weekend, the Lions will have only three days to prepare for the Big Ten Championships hosted by Illinois on Thursday. Last year's winner Northwestern swept Penn State in the quarterfinals in last year's championships. Baker plans to rest her team so it can be mentally and physically fresh.

"The days in between this weekend and the Big Ten Championships will be rest," Baker said. "You can't ask much of your athletes when they are competing in five-hour matches. You have to be careful in monitoring everything from academics to mental relaxation."

The importance of rest has always been on Baker's mind. Unlike other sports' seasons, the tennis season begins in the fall with only a short winter break. Mental and physical fatigue is bound to be a concern.

"It's a marathon sport," Baker said. "We've been going since September with a break over the holidays. Those teams that can stay as fresh as possible throughout the duration of the season are going to do well. It's not necessarily the most talented teams that are the most successful. We are looking to go in and continuing to put those things in the right place for us."