Match Summary vs. Bethel

ARDEN HILLS, Minn. — Saint Mary's University women's tennis coach Jeff Halberg has been coaching in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference long enough to know just how tough the competition is.

He knows every opponent is going to be talented — and every win is going to be hard-fought.

His young Cardinals are learning that, too.

SMU picked up its second conference win of the season Saturday afternoon — and for the second time, the end result was a nailbiting, come-from-behind 5-4 victory.

“This was a tough match, and we gave it everything we had,” said Halberg of Saturday's 5-4 triumph over Bethel. “Bethel had the upper hand in the doubles portion, but we came back and picked up four straight singles matches — the last in a 10-6 tiebreaker — to seal the win.

“A win in this conference is always pleasing, and the ladies played very well and were rewarded for that effort.”

Bailey Edwards (Fond du Lac, Wis.) and Courtney Spartz (Western Springs, Ill.) teamed for SMU's lone doubles win, an 8-3 triumph at No. 1. Edwards then posted one of the Cardinals' four singles wins, dropping Bethel's Kristin Kishaba 6-2, 6-2 at No. 1, while Abby Cooper (La Crosse, Wis.), Brittney Nielsen (Apple Valley, Minn.) and Andrea Allis (Wells, Minn.) also collected singles victories for SMU.

The Cardinals, who moved to 2-5 in the MIAC and 3-7 overall, are back in action Sunday, playing host to Bemidji State in a 1 p.m. nonconference match at the Winona Indoor Tennis Center.