The University of Washington men's tennis team looks to maintain its perfect home record this season with Friday's match against Portland, an opponent against whom the UW is 45-0. The UW, which rose to No. 15 in the International Tennis Association's latest rankings after winning the Great Northwest Shootout last weekend, is 6-1 this season, with its only loss coming on the road to No. 2 Ohio State.

Coach Matt Anger is careful not to put too much emphasis on rankings coming into the match.

"Our ranking doesn't change our play," he said. "Especially this early in the season, I feel that the rankings are still fairly inaccurate. Hopefully as we continue to play matches, we will continue to improve that ranking."

Coming off three big wins over ranked teams last weekend, the UW's task is to find a balance between using that momentum to carry them forward and spending too much time enjoying their success.

"It was a good feeling to win that event, but we have to come back to reality now," Anger said. "Since we've been back at practice, some of the guys have done that well, but others need to get focused on the future. The season goes fast, and if we spend too much time looking back we'll stop improving."

Today's match features an exciting dynamic as seniors Alex Slovic and Daniel Chu, tied with former UW No. 1 Eric Drew for career doubles wins, will each try to claim the all-time record.

"It's great for them to be close to this record," Anger said. "Career marks like this show how solid they've been for four years."

The Huskies will be counting on the support of the home crowd, which has helped them go 6-0 at home this season.

"It's fun to play at home," said sophomore Patrik Fischer. "It's really nice when you're down 15-30, and then people in the stands are there to cheer you on. It can definitely make a difference."

The match between the UW and Portland will take place at 4 p.m. today at Nordstrom Tennis Center. Free pizza and soda will be provided for fans. Also, parking will be free for those who go to the parking kiosk by Husky Stadium and tell the attendant they are going to the tennis match.

Reach reporter Risa Pavia at sports@thedaily.washington.edu.