WINONA, Minn. — The end results weren't exactly what Saint Mary's University tennis coach Jeff Halberg was hoping for in his Cardinals' Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opener.

But look a little closer at the Cardinals' 8-1 losses to the Knights, and it's easy to see why Halberg can still manage a smile following the matches.

"Carleton was a very tough team, especially in singles," admitted Halberg, whose teams failed to win a singles match against the Knights — but did put up quite a fight in several of them. "We had a number of matches that could have gone either way.

"I thought we played pretty well.:"

Mark Leeder (Milwaukee, Wis) and Brian Haville (Onalaska, Wis.) teamed up to pick up the Cardinals' lone win at No. 2 doulbes, but it wasn't easy as the duo beat Carleton's Drew Piston-Nick Olson 9-8.

Leeder lost a heartbreaker at No. 1 singles, 7-5, 6-4, while Geoff Granseth (Winona, Minn.) was a 6-4, 6-3 loser at No. 2. Chad Boyer (Albert Lea, Minn.) and Jeff Dobbs (Pipestone, Minn.) each fell 7-5 in the first set of their matches at No. 5 and No. 6, before falling 6-0 and 6-4, respectively.

It was much of the same for the Cardinal women, who got their lone win at No. 1 doubles, where Nicole Hilo (Mendota Heights, Minn.) and Joni Peterson (New London, Minn.) posted an 8-6 win. Dena Bing (Cannon Falls, Minn.) came closest to picking up a singles win, losing in three sets to Carleton's Sarah Fisher, 6-3, 5-7, 6-1.

Singles
1. Diane Danforth (C) d. Joni Petrson, 6-2, 6-0
2. Jenevieze Thilt (C) d. Niocole Hilo, 6-3, 6-2
3. Alison Gilmore (C) d. Allison Ast, 6-4, 6-2
4. Julie Wahlstrand (C) d. Jennifer Duffy, 6-3, 6-2
5. Sarah Fisher (C) d. Dena Bing, 6-3, 5-7, 6-1
6. Lisa Olson (C) d. Beth Carroll, 6-3, 6-1

Doubles
1. Hilo-Peterson (SMU) d. Danforth-Thilt, 8-6
2. Gilmore-Wahlstrand (C) d. Ast-Duffy, 8-5
3. Fisher-Olson (C) d. Carroll-Angie Beissel