WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University men's tennis team got a firsthand look at what it's like to be among the best NCAA Division III programs in the country, as Gustavus used its depth to bury the Cardinals 8-1 in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference match Saturday morning.

Fortunately for the Cardinals, they didn't have to spend too long dwelling on their fifth straight loss.

SMU, sweeping the three doubles matches and winning a pair of three-set singles matches, finally shed itself of that five-game monkey with an 8-1 nonconference victory over Martin Luther College three hours later.

"It's nice for the guys to get that first win — they played very well," said SMU coach Jeff Halberg. "It's not that we haven't played well (in the Cardinals' first five games), but against Martin Luther, we finally put it all together."

SMU won five of the six singles matches, including three-setters by Matt Hoehn (Onalaska, Wis.) at No. 2 (5-7, 6-3, 10-6) and Brad Reichuber (Mahtomedi, Minn.) at No. 3 (6-4, 2-6, 10-7), while the Cardinals swept all three doubles matches — winning 8-3 at No. 1 and No. 2, and earning a default victory at No. 3.

"The Gustavus match was a tough one, but it gave everyone an idea of what it takes to be among the conference's best," said Halberg, whose team's lone win came at No. 2 doubles, where Mark Leeder (Milwaukee, Wis.) and Bryan Haville (Onalaska, Wis.) posted an 8-6 win. "I was very pleased with our play, especially that of Leeder (who dropped a heartbreaking 6-4, 4-6, 10-8 match at No. 2 singles). They were just too deep for us."

The SMU women picked up their second win of the season on Saturday, crushing Martin Luther 9-0.

The Cardinals didn't lose a set in pushing their overall record to 2-4. Nicole Hilo (Mendota Heights, Minn.), Joni Peterson (New London, Minn.), Allison Ast (Conway Springs, Kan.), Lisa Thompson (Lake City, Minn.), Liz Hilke (Baraboo, Wis.) and Emily Strom (Watertown, Wis.) posted singles wins, while Dena Bing (Cannon Falls, Minn.) and Bing, Ast and Thompson, and Keely Nyquist (St. Paul, Minn.) and Beth Carroll (Chicago, Ill.) teamed to sweep the three doubles matches.

"The women's team played a very solid match," Halberg said. "We were able to get a lot of people into the lineup, and it was good to see some of them get that first win under their belts.

"Hopefully, (the wins over Martin Luther) are just a sign of good things to come."

Singles
1. Nicole Hilo (SMU) d. Rachel Lotito, 6-1, 6-2
2. Joni Peterson (SMU) d. Becky Laitinen, 6-2, 6-3
3. Allison Ast (SMU) d. Lucy Templeton, 6-1, 6-1
4. Lisa Thompson (SMU) d. Meghan Metzig, 6-0, 6-1
5. Liz Hilke (SMU) d. Karen Lotito, 6-2, 6-4
6. Emily Strom (SMU) d. Katie Fischer, 6-1, 6-0

Doubles
1. Dena Bing-Ast (SMU) d. R. Lotito-Laitinen, 8-5
2. Angie Beissel-Jennifer Duffy (SMU) d. Templeton-Fischer, 8-0
3. Keely Nyquist-Beth Carroll (SMU) d. Metzig-K. Lotito, 8-2