Hamline Match Summary

ST.  PAUL, Minn. — It's crunch time for the Saint Mary's University women's tennis team.

With four Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference matches remaining heading into Wednesday's showdown with Hamline, the Cardinals could not afford any type of letdown in their quest for a berth in the six-team MIAC Tournament.

And thanks to a commanding 6-3 victory over the Pipers, the Cardinals moved one step closer to that elusive post-season invitation.

"We knew how important this match was," said SMU coach Jeff Halberg, whose team improved to 4-3 in conference play, moving into a tie for fourth place with St. Olaf and Saint Benedict. "Our goal at the beginning of the season was to earn one of those six (tournament) spots — and tonight's win was definitely a step in the right direction."

The Cardinals picked up wins in four of the six singles matches — including straight-set wins by Kayla Lenz (Pequot Lakes, Minn.) at No. 2, Aubrey Hirsch (Topeka, Kan.) at No. 3 and Colleen Radermacher (Belgrade, Minn.) at No. 6, and a three-set, 6-4, 4-6, 10-4 marathon win by Toni Troumbly (Bovey, Minn.) at No. 4.

SMU also added wins at No. 2 and No. 3 en route to its second straight win.

"The ladies played a solid match tonight," said Halberg, whose team is back in action Friday, stepping out of conference play to take on UW-River Falls in a 5 p.m. match at the SMU Tennis Center. "But we've still got a lot of work ahead of us — the last week (of the regular season) is going to be a dogfight."