Box Score

WINONA, Minn. — For the Saint Mary's University men's tennis team, Sunday's performance against Minnesota State University-Mankato was nearly an instant replay of their effort against Bethel a day earlier.

The Cardinals opened with wins in two of the three doubles matches, then followed that up with four singles victories.

Even Tyler Stevenson (Neenah, Wis.) turned in a repeat performance, dropping the first set en route to a 1-6, 7-6, 10-6 victory.

Fortunately for the Cardinals, the encore performance also had the same outcome, as SMU improved to 5-3 overall with its 7-2 nonconference win over the Mustangs.

Things didn't have quite the same happy ending for the SMU women, as MSU-Mankato used a 6-7, 6-4, 11-9 win in the final match of the day at No. 3 singles to beat the Cardinals 5-4.

"It was one of those days where the guys were rewarded for their hard work, while the women weren't," said SMU coach Jeff Halberg, whose men have now won four straight matches. "Top-to-bottom, I was pleased with the way everyone performed today. These were two great matches."

The SMU men jumped out to a 2-1 lead after the doubles competition, as Stevenson and Walter Mannino (Chicago, Ill.) posted an 8-3 win at No. 1 doubles, while Adam Solseth (Shakopee, Minn.) and Thomas Vollman (Oak Park, Ill.) followed suit with an identical 8-3 triumph at No. 2 doubles.

Stevenson then extended his season-long unbeaten streak to eight straight with his three-set triumph at No. 1 singles. Mannino and Vollman chipped in straight-set wins at No. 2 and No. 5, respectively, while Dan Fahey (Brookfield, Ill.) added a 5-7, 6-2, 10-5 win at No. 6.

The SMU women also jumped out to a 2-1 lead after doubles, but the Mustangs had the upper hand in singles, winning at No. 1, No. 2, No. 3 and No. 6 — with Lindsey Schmidt's three-set marathon win over Val Meschke (Pequot Lakes, Minn.) at No. 3 icing the win.

"That was such a tough match," said Halberg of the No. 3 singles showdown. "Both lades played well, it was a match that easily could have gone either way.

"This was a tough one (for the women) to lose — they went toe-to-toe with an NCAA Division II school and really gave them a battle in every match," said Halberg. "Both teams continue to make positive strides with every match, and that's good to see."