SIUC men’s tennis coach Brad Iftner could not be more excited about his team’s chances to achieve its season-long goal this weekend.

The Salukis’ first goal of the season was to enter the Missouri Valley Conference tournament as a No. 5 or No. 6 seed. A middle seed in the 10-team league would allow the Salukis to enjoy an easier road throughout the tournament as they would play one game each day with later starting times.

This weekend’s three-match schedule will determine whether the Salukis obtain a middle seed. Iftner believes his team must win two of the three matches to have an chance for a No. 6 seed. The Salukis have a 2-4 MVC record and a 7-11 season mark.

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SIUC finishes the regular season on the road facing its final MVC opponents before the MVC Tournament begins April 24. The Salukis begin the weekend today as they battle the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa. SIUC travels to Des Moines, Iowa to face Drake University Saturday, followed by a trip to Omaha, Neb., to play Creighton University Sunday.

Iftner believes his team will be able to pick up its first victory against UNI. UNI finished 10th in last year’s MVC Tournament, two spots behind the Salukis.

I consider us to be the favorite, Iftner said. But (sophomore) Kenny [Hutz] needs to be healthy.

Hutz, the Salukis’ No. 1 player, suffered a groin injury last weekend, forcing him to sit out against Indiana State University. Hutz received treatment all week and is expected to play today.

The Salukis then travel to Des Moines, Iowa, where they will face their toughest opponent of the weekend in Drake. The Bulldogs finished second in last year’s MVC tournament.

Drake is coming off of a disappointing weekend in which the Bulldogs dropped two matches to Wichita State University and Southwest Missouri State University. The losses dropped the Bulldogs to 4-3 in the conference and 6-10 overall.

I was encouraged about the way they played last weekend. Iftner said. Hopefully we can catch them while they’re down.

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The Salukis will face another tough opponent in Creighton, but the match should be very close, Iftner said. Iftner knows Creighton is very similar to Drake but lacking depth. The Blue Jays finished one spot ahead of the Salukis in last year’s MVC Championships with at seventh.

Our realistic goal is two wins this weekend, Iftner said. But it is possible to win all three. If we play at the level we did last weekend, we are raising our level of play at the right time.

The SIUC men’s tennis team finishes its regular season this weekend against University of Northern Iowa today, Drake University Saturday and Creighton University Sunday.