The Mount Gambier Pioneers will hit the road this weekend for a tough Victorian double header of matches in round five of the NBL1 South conference season.

The OneFortyOne Pioneers women’s team and the Castec Rural Pioneers men’s side will take on Geelong United on Saturday night, before taking the floor against the Melbourne Tigers on Sunday.

Men’s head coach Richard Hill said it would be a tough road trip for his side, which is coming off a 6-0 winning streak.

The men downed Ringwood in a solid win in Mount Gambier last Saturday, with plenty of support from the starting five and bench players.

“Geelong has had a slow start to the season, but they have got a couple of high level guys back,” Hill said.

“They beat Frankston on the weekend, and Frankston is one of the better sides, so I’m expecting them to be a tough test.”

Hill said Sunday afternoon’s match would also prove a challenge.

“The Melbourne Tigers are a better unit than last year,” he said.

“They are coming off a win against North West Tasmania on the weekend, so we are coming up against two sides coming off wins.

“Geelong is certainly a pedigree side so it’s going to be a tough weekend for us.

“We have got to just keep on keeping on.”

The Pioneers women’s team suffered its first loss of the season on Saturday, after the Ringwood Hawks got an early jump on the side, establishing a lead the Pioneers simply could not claw back.

Head coach Matt Sutton said while the loss was disappointing, his side was raring to get back on court and take the challenge to the opposition.

“Both teams are adding some really good players, I’m not sure if they will be in yet,” he said.

“They are looking extremely dangerous and we will be up against it again.”

Sutton said his side was not daunted by the prospect of a tough double header on the road.

“It’s just part of what we do, ever since I have been involved you do double headers on the road, it’s part of the fun,” he said.

“Playing two games on the weekend is always better than playing one.”