Bethel Box Score / Gustavus Box Score / St. Thomas Box Score / Hamline Box Score

NORTHFIELD, Minn. — When the Saint Mary's University men's tennis team squared off against St. Thomas in the teams' regular-season meeting, it was the Tommies who had the upper hand, edging the Cardinals 5-4 on April 2.

The Cardinals got their revenge — when it mattered most.

SMU knocked off the Tommies by the same 5-4 score Saturday afternoon at the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships, propelling the Cardinals into the tournament's fifth-place match against third-seeded Hamline.

And while their tank wasn't empty against the Pipers, the Cardinals certainly were running on fumes — and Hamline took advantage, beating SMU 5-3.

"We just ran out of gas a bit in that Hamline match," said SMU coach Jeff Halberg. "(Hamline) didn't have to play before our match, while we had to play an emotionally and physically draining match against St. Thomas — and it showed a bit. The tank may not have been empty, but it was awfully low."

The Cardinals and Tommies split their six singles matches, with SMU getting victories from Tyler Stevenson (Neenah, Wis.) at No. 1, Walter Mannino (Chicago, Ill.) at No. 2 and Adam Solseth (Shakopee, Minn.) at No. 3, while Stevenson-Solseth teams for an 8-6 triumph at No. 1 doubles, while Mannino and Thomas Vollman (Oak Park, Ill.) locked up the win with an 8-0 shutout at No., 2.

"That was a great win for us," said Halberg of the victory over St. Thomas, SMU's first-ever vs. the Tommies. "I was so proud of the guys, they just played an awesome match."

The first day of the MIAC Championships started on a high for the Cardinals.

But a second-round showdown with Gustavus, the nation's No. 1-ranked team, brought the Cardinals back down to earth — in a hurry.

The Cardinals opened the season-ending conference tournament in impressive fashion, putting together a 6-3 win over Bethel Friday afternoon at the Owatonna Indoor Tennis Facilities.

Their second-round match, however, wasn't quite so memorable, as the Gusties — who entered the conference championships having compiled 21 straight undefeated MIAC seasons — rolled to a 5-1 victory over the Cardinals.

"Overall, I was pretty pleased with the first day," said Halberg, whose match vs. GAC was played to conclusion, meaning once the Gusties reached five, the match was halted. "That first match was a big one for us. Bethel was just as determined to win that one as we were — our guys just stepped up their games a bit and really played well.

"Then, the Gustavus match, I thought we gave them a pretty good run," continued Halberg. "When you look at the matches, we were up a set at six (singles), we were 4-3 in the second set at one and five (singles) and we had just won a breaker at two — so the match was really a bit closer than the final score."

SMU, which had beaten the Royals 7-2 in the teams' regular-season meeting on March 4, won four of the six singles matches and locked up the opening-round victory with wins at No. 1 and No. 3 doubles en route to their 11th win of the season.

Stevenson, Mannino (Chicago, Ill.), Tony Miller (Rochester, Minn.) and Vollman all posted straight-set singles wins, while Stevenson-Solseth and Vollman-Andrew Pamperin (Menomonie, Wis.) chipped in doubles victories.

Mannino picked up SMU's lone win against the Gusties, rebounding from a 6-4 loss in the first set to win the second set 7-6 and the third 10-8.

"The guys have a lot to be proud of this season," said Halberg, whose Cardinals closed out the year with a 12-11 overall record. "They fought hard every time they took the court — I'm very proud of this group."