The Panther men hit the road today to take on the Bradley Braves at 1 p.m. at Clubs at River City in Peoria.

The 2-7 Panthers are coming off a tough weekend after losing a double-header in Milwaukee against Marquette and Wisconsin-Green Bay.

The Panthers hope to continue their success against Bradley as they took victory last season in a close match against the Braves 4-3.

The men will rely on their two hot players in freshman Justin Haag and senior Jeff Rutherford.

The 6-2 Haag won in straight sets Sunday against Wisconsin-Green Bay’s Josh Oothoudt 6-4, 6-1 and aims to extend that winning streak in Peoria.

Haag knows they cannot underestimate the Braves and knows the challenges ahead.

“I know Bradley is a good team, so every match I am going to have is going to be pretty tough,” Haag said. “I am just going to take it one match at a time and see how it goes.”

Sitting with a record of 3-6, Rutherford’s play is better than his record indicates seemingly taking his matches into three sets but has had bad luck.

Haag and the team realize they have been playing harder teams this year to prepare for conference.

“We have been playing harder teams than in our conference,” Haag said. “It’s going to motivate us more and make us better.”

Dane Urban can be reached at 581-7944 or [email protected].