After a month of being comfortable on its own home turf, the Penn State women's tennis team is heading back on the road to face two Big Ten competitors.

The Nittany Lions (7-9, 1-4 Big Ten) will travel to the Midwest for matches against Illinois and Purdue. They will play at 11 a.m. tomorrow in Champaign, Ill., and then travel to West Lafayette, Ind., to play Purdue at 11 a.m. on Sunday.

With two losses last weekend against Iowa, 2-5, and Minnesota, 3-4, the Lions are expecting to step up this weekend.

"We had five opportunities to win, but we just didn't get the job done," said women's coach Buffy Baker. "We feel good about this weekend."

Baker is excited to see the team be back on the road again, as she said her team is able to focus better away from State College.

As the Lions go into this weekend with two losses, Baker believes that the matches have helped them prepare.

Junior Jenny Shular is going into this weekend with victories in singles as she defeated Iowa's Kayla Berry, 6-2, 6-4 and Minnesota's Lindsay Risebrough, 6-3, 6-4.

"Shular is willing to go to that place to do what it takes," Baker said. "I expect no less from her."

Freshman Lauren McCarthy also had an excellent performance against Minnesota, as she beat Karina Chiarelli, 5-7, (6-3) 6-2, and had a 9-7 victory in with doubles partner, Dorothy Dohanics against Katrina Chiarelli and Danielle Mousseau.

"She is tough, and I'm expecting her to continue," Baker said. "She has a lot of passion."

After Iowa beat the Lions in a doubles tie breaker, Baker said she was going to try new things for doubles against their Big Ten competitors.

"We are going to mix it up by trying new combinations," she said.

Last season, the Lions defeated the Illini, who have just come off their first Big Ten victory against Wisconsin, 4-3. Junior Momei Qu and Kristina Minor swept Wisconsin's Chelsea Nusslock and Morgan Tuttle in doubles, 8-0. Sophomore Shivani Davé pulled out a close first set against Elizabeth Carpenter, 7-6(4), but took control and won the second set, 6-1.

The Boilermakers had a 1-6 loss against Notre Dame where Mallory Voelker defeated No. 26 Catrina Thompson, 6-4, 4-6, 1-0 (11-9). Before Purdue faces the Lions, it will face against Michigan tomorrow.