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NORTHFIELD, Minn. — It wasn't the type of start the Saint Mary's University men's tennis team was hoping for, that's for sure.

The Cardinals drew Macalester— a team SMU beat 6-3 during the regular season — in the first round of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament, and they were hoping history would repeat itself Friday afternoon.

It didn't.

Not by a long shot.

Macalester won five of the sixth singles matches and swept all three doubles matches en route to an 8-1 win over the Cardinals.

The Cardinals did rebound nicely in the ninth-place match, beating Bethel 6-3 to close out their season with a 9-10 overall record.

This year marks the first time in MIAC men's tournament history that the conference has gone to a team dual tournament format to determine the conference champion. In years past, the team champion was determined by the individual play of the schools' participants, as points were awarded based on how far the individuals advanced in the tournament bracket. This year's conference champion will be crowned by virtue of winning three or four consecutive dual matches.

Tyler Stevenson (Neenah, Wis.) picked up SMU's lone win, posting a 6-3, 6-3 triumph at No. 1 singles. Geoff Granseth (Winona, Minn.) and Bryan Haville (Onalaska, Wis.) had their chances, but Granseth dropped a three-set, 6-3, 4-6, 10-7 decision at No. 3, while Haville lost 6-2, 7-6 (7-2) at No. 4.

SMU swept the top four singles spots against Bethel, with Stevenson, Mark Leeder (Greenfield, Wis.), Granseth and Haville all winning in straight sets. Those four also teamed for SMU's two doubles wins, with Stevens and Leeder posting an 8-1 win at No. 1, while Granseth and Haville were 8-5 winners at No. 2.

Singles
1. Tyler Stevenson (SMU) def. Nick Scheevel, 6-3, 6-4
2. Mark Leeder (SMU) def. Joe Dutcherv 6-1, 6-1
3. Geoff Granseth (SMU) def. Anthony Branitskiv 6-4, 6-2
4. Bryan Haville (SMU) def. Pete Brullev 6-3, 6-3
5. Aaron Freer (BC) def. Chad Bruskyv 6-1, 6-2
6. Chris Brewer (BC) def. Dan Fahey6-2, 6-2

Doubles
1. Stevenson/Leeder (SMU) def. Dutcher/Branitski, 8-1
2. Granseth/Haville (SMU) def. Scheevel/Brullec 8-5
3. Freer/Brewer (BC) def. Andrew Pamperin/Kevin Wriskyc 8-3