Match Summary vs. Carleton

LAKEVILLE, Minn. — Jeff Halberg knew his Saint Mary's University women's tennis team was going to have its hands full when they took the court against Carleton Thursday evening.

And, unfortunately for the Cardinals, the Knights didn't disappoint, as Carleton cruised to straight-set wins in five of the six singles matches en route to a 9-0 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory over SMU.

“They are a very, very good team — they certainly deserve their (No. 11) regional ranking,” said Halberg of the Knights, who improved to 2-0 in the conference and 3-1 overall, while his Cardinals fell to 1-1 overall and 0-1 in the MIAC. “They are a deep and talented team and they showed it tonight.

“Our ladies battled, we just didn't have enough firepower to match (Carleton).”

Courtney Spartz (Western Springs, Ill.) nearly picked up SMU's lone win at No. 5 singles, but the Cardinal junior came out on the short end of a 6-2, 4-6, 10-6 decision. The Cardinals, who won just 15 games in the other five singles matches, gave Carleton a run for their money in doubles, losing 8-5, 8-4 and 8-4, respectively.

“I thought we gave them a pretty good battle in the doubles matches, we just couldn't keep up in the singles,” said Halberg. “It was a tough match, but I'm proud of the way we hung tough and kept fighting right to the end.”