WEST POINT, N.Y.  - The Army women's tennis team has won six of its last seven matches and will look to keep that trend rolling as the Black Knights host Rhode Island and Niagara on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Both matches are scheduled for a 9 a.m. start and will be played at Army's state-of-the art indoor Lichtenberg Tennis Center.

Army and Rhode Island will meet for the first time on Saturday. The Rams are under the direction of Val Villucci, who served as the URI men's coach for a number of years. Rhode Island finished last spring tied for seventh in the Atlantic 10 and boasts a 5-3 record heading into this weekend's action.

Niagara, meanwhile, enters the weekend in search of its first dual match win of the spring. The Black Knights met the Purple Eagles on a neutral court at St. Bonaventure last spring where Army posted a 6-1 win. The teams have met twice since the series began in 2008 with Army holding a 2-0 lead. Niagara made it to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) finals last year but fell to Fairfield (4-1).

Niagara and Rhode Island are scheduled to square-off against each other on Friday at 4 p.m. at West Point, N.Y.

Army saw its six match win streak come to an end last Sunday in Piscataway, N.J., as the Black Knights dropped a 5-2 decision to Rutgers. Prior to that match, the Black Knights topped Quinnipiac and NJIT (6-1) and swept Marist and Providence during a busy weekend at West Point.  

The Black Knights are bolstered by two-time Patriot League Player of the Year Anne Houghton at No. 1 singles. The Sewickley, Pa., native leads the team with 16 wins - all coming in the top singles flight. Her performance this season ties her 2007-08 mark for third on Army's single-season dual match wins at No. 1. Houghton holds the record with 18 wins last spring.

Freshman Erin Colton and junior Jessica Ahn have both spent time at No. 2 singles, while senior co-captain Kristin Beehler has remained steady at No. 3. Beehler and Houghton make up Army's top doubles team and have produced a 7-3 mark this spring, winning three of their last four matches.

The bottom half of Army's lineup has featured juniors Michael Tollerton, Annie Hang and Robie Verano on a semi-consistent basis. Other players have stepped into the roles throughout the spring. Verano and Tollerton have spent the majority of the 2009-10 season as Army's second or third doubles tandem, registering a team-best 15-9 mark.

Junior Jurelle Mendoza enters this weekend's action as Army's only undefeated player this spring. At 8-0 after collecting three victories last weekend, Mendoza hasn't lost a match since Oct. 11 and is 15-5 in 2009-10. Junior Maria Casaletto and freshman Kari Pope are also 6-0 in doubles action this spring and also notched three wins last weekend.

This weekend's pair of matches mark the final bouts for Army prior to spring break. The Black Knights return to action on Wednesday, March 24, for its Patriot League opener at Lehigh. Army has won 37-straight Patriot League regular season matches dating back to 2002 and was recently picked to defend its Patriot League title for a sixth-straight year in the conference preseason poll.

Sunday, March 14
Army vs. Niagara - 9 a.m.