Match Summary vs. Winona State / Photo Gallery

WINONA, Minn.  — If there were any early season butterflies, the Saint Mary's University women's tennis team certainly didn't show it Saturday evening, as the Cardinals rallied from a 2-1 deficit with five singles wins to beat Winona State 6-3 in a nonconference dual at the Winona Indoor Tennis Center.

“This was a great match from start to finish,” said SMU coach Jeff Halberg. “Winona Sate got off to a 2-1 lead (in doubles), but our team just hung in there. It's too early for our best tennis to show, but we showed great courage and a real will to fight through that early adversity.”

After dropping two of the three doubles matches, the Cardinals came to life, collecting singles wins at No. 1, 2, 4,5,6 en route to their season-opening victory. Bailey Edwards (Fond du Lac, Wis.), Andrea Allis () and Abby Cooper (La Crosse, Wis.) all picked up straight-set wins, while Rebecca Snyder (Eden Prairie, Minn.) outlasted WSU's Mary Hesterman 7-5, 2-6, 11-9 at No. 2 singles and Brittney Nielsen (Apple Valley, Minn.) earned a three-set 7-6, 6-7, 10-6 win at No. 4. SMU nearly swept the six singles matches, but Toni Troumbly (Bovey, Minn.) dropped a heartbreaker, 6-3, 5-7, 10-8 at No. 3.

“Over the years, this match against Winona State has become a real cross-town rivalry,” said Halberg, whose team beat the Warriors 5-4 a year ago. “Everyone was pretty fired up for this match, our we hung tough and got the job done.

“It was a great win — a huge win for us.”