NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. – It will be a big weekend for the Niagara University women’s tennis team (9-8, 5-0) when its hosts three opponents, including a pair of Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference foes, this weekend at the Sportsplex in Tonawanda.

The Purple Eagles open the weekend with a 9 a.m. match Friday vs. Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne (IPFW) (11-10). Saturday’s action vs. defending league champion Siena College (7-6, 4-1) begins at 11 a.m., and Sunday’s play vs. Marist College (9-1, 6-0) is at 9 a.m.

Niagara enters the weekend with a four-match winning streak after beating Mercyhurst College, 6-1, in non-conference action Tuesday. It sits in second place in the MAAC standings behind Marist and ahead of Siena.

The Purple Eagles’ strength this season has been in the second half of its singles lineup. Junior Shella Dargout (Rochester, N.Y.) has won six-straight matches and sports a 7-1 record at No. 5 singles, and records of 13-8 overall, 11-5 in dual matches and 5-0 in MAAC matches.

Senior Jacquelyn Cary (Selkirk, N.Y.) won her 10th match of the season Tuesday to improve to 10-9 overall, 8-6 in dual matches and 5-2 at No. 6 singles.

Senior Julianne Prokopich (Loretto, Ont.), sophomore Vanja Lakic (Waterloo, Ont.) and freshman Molly Mathews (Pittsburgh, Pa.) all could reach the 10-win plateau this weekend as each has eight overall wins on the season.

IPFW enters the weekend winning two of its last three matches. The Mastodons beat Oakland, 7-0, Wednesday. Last year, Niagara lost to the Mastodons, 6-1, in Fort Wayne.

Siena has won five of its last six matches, but had its five-match winning streak snapped with a 5-2 loss to Marist Wednesday.

Last year’s MAAC Most Outstanding Player of the Year, Sarah Mayer, is 10-3 overall, 8-1 in dual matches and at No. 1 singles. Taylor Barvoets is 10-4 overall, 9-2 in dual matches, 5-0 in the MAAC and 7-1 at No. 2 singles.

In doubles, Mayer and Karina Davis are 4-1 in the league matches, 3-3 at No. 1 and 4-3 overall.

Marist remained undefeated in league play with its 5-2 win over Siena Wednesday. The victory was the Red Foxes’ 21st consecutive regular season MAAC win.

Erin Godly is 8-1 at No. 2 singles and 9-0 at No. 2 doubles.

Last year, Niagara lost 7-0 at Siena and at Marist. The Purple Eagles also fell, 4-1 to the Saints in the MAAC Championship semifinals.