Box Score

WINONA, Minn. — Saint Mary's University women's tennis coach Jeff Halberg knew that nothing but his team's best would do Saturday against Saint Benedict.

And he got just that.

What he didn't get was that one lucky bounce, which could have easily turned their 7-2 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference loss into a win.

"The score does not tell the whole story," said Halberg, whose team had its two-match winning streak snapped with the loss. "There were some matches that could have gone either way.

"We just couldn't catch that lucky break."

Ann Leeder (Greenfield, Wis.) and Aubrey Hirsch (Topeka, Kan.) picked up SMU's lone doubles win, as SMU went into the singles portion of the match down 2-1. Had Ashley and Val Meschke (Pequot Lakes, Minn.) been able to convert game points in either of the last two games of their 8-5 loss at No. 2, however, and it could have been SMU leading 2-1.

That was unlucky break No. 1.

Unlucky breaks 2 and 3 came at No. 4 and No. 5 singles. Becky Newby (Brookfield, Wis.) lost a second-set tiebreaker in falling 6-0, 7-6, while Hirsch rallied from one set down to tie her No. 5 singles match and for force a third and decisive set, only to come up just short, 6-2, 4-6, 10-8.

"St. Ben's is a tough, tough team," said Halberg of the Blazers, who improved to 11-1 overall with the win. "They are very talented and very deep. I knew it was going to take a near-perfect performance on our part to beat them, and we almost pulled it off.

"I'm very pleased with the way we played."