ASHLAND – After injuries and inexperience hindered the first chunk of the season, the Southern Oregon University wrestling team appreciated a break in the action that spanned almost an entire month.

Now it's time to find out if that No. 7 ranking in the NAIA is justified.

The Raiders, who last wrestled on Nov. 24, are back home this week for duals Thursday against ninth-ranked Simpson University and Friday against Simon Fraser, an NCAA Division II foe. Both are scheduled for 7 p.m. starts at Bob Riehm Arena, and at 5 p.m. on Friday the Raiders will host an exhibition against Clackamas Community College.

Seeking to build a winning dual record for the 44^th straight season, the Raiders most recently lost at No. 2 Montana State-Northern and No. 5 Great Falls (Mont.). But they did so without Taylor Johnson (Redmond, Ore./Redmond) (197 pounds) and Jacob Abrams (The Dalles, Ore./The Dalles-Wahtonka) (184), who are ranked No. 1 and No. 5 nationally in their respective weight classes.

Johnson, who this season has not yet wrestled, and Abrams are slated to return Thursday when SOU takes on another top-10 team in the Redhawks. Abrams has yet to lose this season – recording a pin in SOU's dual win against Menlo, and winning a title at the SOU Open – and Brock Gutches (Central Point, Ore./Crater), the top-ranked 174-pounder in the NAIA, is 7-0 with five falls and two technical falls.

"We think everything's kind of rolling in the right direction now," SOU coach Mike Ritchey said. "We might be a little stale, but hopefully the practice room is salty enough to get our guys ready to go."

SOU's Jacob Stigall (Hubbard, Ore./North Marion) (125) jumped from 16^th to seventh in the latest national rankings, and Trevor Hancock (Pendleton, Ore./Pendleton) (133) went from unraked to 11^th. Stigall is 2-1 in dual action and placed fourth with three pins at the SOU Open. Hancock placed third at the Open and came through with a pin at Great Falls in his only dual match.

Several other Raiders are in the West Region rankings: Thomas Gowing (6^th, 125), Tanner Canaday (Myrtle Point, Ore./Myrtle Point) (6^th, 141), Tyler Cowger (Sweet Home, Ore./Sweet Home) (6^th, 149), Rhett Breed (Durango, Colo./Durango) (6^th, 157), Dalton Urrutia (Lebanon, Ore./Lebanon) (5^th, 165) and Brock Crocker (Sweet Home, Ore./Sweet Home) (6^th, 165).

To crack the lineup this week, Ritchey said, almost all of the Raiders had to win challenge matches.

The ones in there will see a solid Simpson squad that finished 11^th at last season's NAIA Championships and is thought to be improved. AJ Valles is the top-ranked 133-pounder in the NAIA and Austin Lobsinger is the fifth-ranked heavyweight. Brady Beamon (6^th, 174) and Anthony Vega (8^th, 141) have also earned national recognition.

"Simpson's a good squad with some outstanding individuals," Ritchey said. "That one will be key for regional and national rankings. We have a chance to knock off some guys and that should be a good West Regional dual."

The Raiders won both duals against the Redhawks last season in the teams' first ever meetings.

SOU also has a good track record against Simon Fraser, going 20-2-1 in the series, but the schools didn't match up in 2012-13 for the first time in eight years. The Clan is the 25^th-best NCAA D2 team in the country, according to TheOpenMat.com, led by Skylor Davis, the second-ranked 125-pounder at that level. Brock Lam (165) and Arjun Gill (285) are both rated No. 5 in their region.

"They're always solid on their feet and hard to wrestle," Ritchey said of Simon Fraser. "They're very technically strong and well-coached, and that's one of the reasons we like to wrestle them."

Simon Fraser and Simpson will have a dual at noon Friday in Ashland.

On Sunday, the Raiders will travel to Reno for the annual Tournament of Champions.