HARROGATE, Tenn. – Both the LMU men's and women's tennis teams open up the spring portions of their season this weekend as they host the University of the Cumberlands Friday evening and Bellarmine University on Sunday. Due to the cold weather and potential snow forecast for this weekend, both matches will be played in the LMU Indoor Tennis Facility with Friday's match being the facility's official debut and the first-ever tennis match on the LMU campus not played outdoors.

Coach Benny Collins is in his tenth season at the helm of the LMU tennis programs. He has a 97-70 record with the women's team and a 111-62 record with the men.

The LMU women's team enters the weekend with a 2-0 record on the year after having won at UVa-Wise and Emmanuel back in October. The women, who were picked to finish fifth in the South Atlantic Conference in the preseason coaches' poll, return a strong nucleus from last year's team. Marta Pinol, who is currently ranked 35th in the nation, was named to the preseason All-SAC Second Team in singles while Julia Loos and Johanna Delisse earned First Team doubles honors in that same poll.

UC comes into the weekend 0-1 on the season after losing their opener at Eastern Kentucky on Jan. 27. Isabella Dale is ranked fourth nationally and first in the East Region in the latest ITA rankings.

Bellarmine is currently 4-0 on the season and have only dropped one point all year. They are ranked ninth in the latest ITA Midwest Regional poll and are coming off a 2016-17 campaign where they picked up a school record 18 wins.

The Lady Railsplitters are 15-1 vs. the University of the Cumberlands in the Benny Collins era (2008-present), and they are 1-4 against Bellarmine in that same period.

The men's team is currently 1-0 with their win being over Emmanuel back in October. They were picked to finish fourth in the SAC after finishing third last season. Xavier Marti earned preseason All-SAC First Team in singles and earned Second Team honors in doubles along with teammate Joshua Peress.

The UC men's team is also 0-1 on the season, having lost to EKU on Jan. 27. Luis Montull is tied for 50th nationally and is 15th in the East Region in the ITA NAIA rankings. Bellarmine is currently 1-1 on the season.

The Railsplitters are 12-3 vs. Cumberlands and 4-1 vs. Bellarmine in the Benny Collins era.

Friday's match will be the first official match played in the new LMU Indoor Tennis Facility, which is still undergoing some finishing touches in the non-playing areas. The Indoor Tennis Facility, which is fully heated, fulfills a longtime need for a place for the tennis teams to practice and compete whenever inclement weather in the Tri-State Area prevents outdoor activities. It is one of the few on-campus indoor facilities in NCAA Division II, one of two in the region and the only one of those two that has six courts.

When finally finished, the facility will have bathrooms/changing areas on each end for both men and women, storage for team equipment, and office space for the coaching staff.  The upper level on each end is designed to be a viewing gallery. Until construction is complete, guests should view the matches from downstairs, where there is also ample viewing space.