BOONE, N.C. - Having won six of the team's last seven matches, Appalachian State University men's tennis is prepped to host Southern Conference opponent Chattanooga on Saturday. Action at ASU Tennis Courts kicks off at 2 p.m. and will be preceded by a women's tennis match between the Apps and Samford at 10 a.m.

Appalachian State (12-6, 5-2 SoCon) has won its first two matches this week and looks to protect its 5-0 home record in this weekend's showdown. The Mountaineers downed Presbyterian, 6-1, on Tuesday and Wofford, 7-0, on Wednesday. A win on Saturday could clinch an Appalachian top-five finish in the SoCon standings and a first-round bye in the championship tournament.

For the Mountaineers, senior Alain Humblet has torn through nine-straight wins at the No. 3 position, racking up a 13-5 record overall. Classmate Steve Karendal is 13-4 on the year, while Philip Kloc (12-6), Sebastien King (10-8) and Alex Markov (10-8) have all reached the double-digit wins plateau. On the doubles side, Markov and Humblet lead the team with a 12-2 mark in the No. 2 slot and have won nine of their last 10 matches.

Chattanooga (13-6, 4-4 SoCon) began the season at 8-2 but has since fallen back. The Mocs strung together six wins in a row before beginning their conference slate. UTC has picked up wins over UNCG, Georgia Southern, The Citadel and Wofford with losses coming to Elon, Furman, College of Charleston and Davidson.

Individually, M. Barroetavena has racked up a 15-2 mark in dual match play and retains an 8-0 record in league action in the No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 positions. Jackson Tresnan is 13-6 at No. 4 and No. 5 singles, while Pavels Grigorjevs is 12-5 at the bottom of the lineup, and Chris Smith is 11-8 near the top. In doubles, Smith and Ankit Chopra have taken over the top pairs spot with a 5-5 mark as a partnership.

After Saturday, Appalachian State gets set to close its regular season with a pair of home duals next week. The Mountaineers host Furman on Wednesday at 3 p.m. before conference leader College of Charleston pays a visit to Boone for the Apps' finale on Friday at 2:30 p.m.