Match Summary vs. UW-La Crosse

WINONA, Minn. — The day didn't start quite the way the Saint Mary's University women's tennis team had hoped Saturday afternoon, as St. Olaf handed the Cardinals a 7-2 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference setback at the Winona Indoor Tennis Center.

And, unfortunately for the Cardinals, the day didn't exactly end the way they had hoped, either, as UW-La Crosse held off a late rally to beat SMU 6-3 in a nonconference match.

“It was kind of a day tough from a won-lost standpoint,” said SMU coach Jeff Halberg. “But I thought we played some pretty solid tennis. St. Olaf nd UW-La Crosse are both very good teams, and I thought we gave both of them a run for their money.”

Rebecca Snyder (Eden Prairie, Minn.) completed a perfect day with a 6-3, 6-2 win at No. 2 singles and an 8-6 victory at No. 1 doubles, where she teamed with Bailey Edwards (Fond du Lac, Wis.). The two had opened the day with an 8-5 win No. 1 doubles win vs. St. Olaf, while Snyder also recorded a 7-5, 6-4 win vs. the Oles at No. 2 singles.

Edwards was SMU's only other winner vs. UW-La Crosse, picking up a 7-5, 6-2 victory at No. 1 singles.

The Cardinals trailed 2-1 after the doubles competition, but rallied to within 4-3, with two singles matches remaining ¬— two matches in which SMU held leads in the second set. The Eagles, however, proved to be too much in holding the Cardinals off  down the stretch.

“I'm very proud of the way this team battled,” said Halberg. “We came into the (UW-La Crosse) match feeling a little down after a tough match against St. Olaf. But instead of just going through the motions, they gave it everything they had.”