Jon Perlman and the NIU men’s tennis team have had this weekend circled on their calendar since the beginning of the season.

With defending Mid-American Conference champions Western Michigan coming to town Saturday, the Huskies face their biggest test in seeing how far they’ve come. Perlman said this season has been the team’s best in his three years coaching at NIU.

“This match is really important,” he said. “Since I have been here, [Western Michigan has] had our number. Before, we would get pumped for this, but we

couldn’t get the win. We have had our eye on this. We are glad to have them coming to DeKalb.”

NIU is 9-8, and has done it with three underclassmen in the top four positions. The nine wins surpass last season’s win total, with the Huskies going 7-15 in the 1999-2000 season.

Newcomers Raymond Van Wasbeek and Juan Pablo Barriga have stepped into the top two positions, with Van Wasbeek at the No. 1 slot and Barriga at the No. 2.

Of the 72 overall individual victories on the season, 44 have come from the Van Wasbeek, Barriga, Aaron Forsberg and Ryan Schnack team. Freshmen Barriga, Forsberg and Schnack have a combined singles record of 29-22, while sophomore No. 1 ace Van Wasbeek boasts a 15-11 record.

Perlman said the outstanding performances from the four players has been uplifting — and one of the main reasons the Huskies turned things around.

“It is interesting with the guys that we lost last year,” Perlman said. “In my eyes, we didn’t lose any significant players or leadership. This team has a lot of young leadership and that is why we are playing so well. This year, we have young guys at the top slots and winning, and that helps the guys at the bottom win their matches. You look down the court and we are in every match. We weren’t doing that last year.”