Men's Summary vs. Macalester / Women's Summary vs. Macalester

WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University men's tennis team got off on the right foot Sunday afternoon in its Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference match against Macalester.

Unfortunately for the Cardinals, they finished on the wrong one.

After opening their match with two wins in the three doubles matches, the Cardinals dropped four of the five singles matches in falling to the Scots 5-4 at the SMU Tennis Center.

Things weren't quite so close for the SMU women, who managed just one win — a 9-8 victory at No. 2 doubles — in falling to Macalester 8-1.

"It was a tough day at the office," said SMU coach Jeff Halberg, whose women were gunning for their second win of the weekend, having dismantled UM-Morris 9-0 on Saturday. "The men got off to a good start in the doubles matches, but couldn't keep it up in singles. Everyone played hard — and played pretty well — we just couldn't catch the breaks when we needed them.

"The women, on the other hand, just ran into a buzz-saw in Macalester," Halberg added. "We had leads in several matches, only to have (Macalester) come storming back).

"We fought hard, but give Macalester credit, they played a heck of a match."

The Cardinals' No. 1 and No. 2 doubles teams of Walter Mannino (Chicago, Ill.)-Tom Vollmen (Oak Park, Ill.) and Steve Grundhoefer (St. Paul, Minn.)-Pawel Szczepkowski (Opolskie, Poland) got SMU off and running, with both posting 8-4 victories.

In the singles portion, however, only Mannino and Szczepkowski could solve the Scots, as Mannino posted a straight-set, 6-4, 6-4 victory at No. 1, while Szcepkowski needed three sets to post a 6-4, 3-6, 10-8 triumph at No. 3.

Macalester swept all six singles matches in straight sets on the women's side, with Toni Troumbley (Bovey, Minn.) and Abby Cooper (La Crosse, Wis.) teaming for SMU's lone doubles win, a 9-8 triumph at No. 2.

"We played some good tennis today," Halberg said. "We just ran into a team that played a little bit better."