Men's Summary vs. Hamline / Women's Summary vs. Hamline

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WINONA, Minn. — It was the perfect end for the Saint Mary's University men's and women's tennis teams.

In seasons that have seen more than their fare share of ups and downs, the Cardinal rollercoaster ended on a high for both SMU teams, as the men dropped visiting Hamline 6-3 in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference match, while the women closed out their season with a 7-2 conference win over the Pipers at the Winona Indoor Tennis Center.

“This was a fantastic way for these two teams to finish the season,” said SMU coach Jeff Halberg. “For the guys, a win in conference play has been tough to come by, so to finish with such a convincing victory really gave the guys a boost. I'm pleased with the way they played — it was a great team win.”

As was the Cardinal women's.

“The ladies finished with a great win,” Halberg said. “We competed extremely hard at all positions and beat a very tough Hamline team.”

The Cardinal men headed into the singles portion of their season finale with a 2-1 advantage, as Pawel Czczepkowski (Opolskie, Poland) and Jack Schway (Mendota Heights, Minn.) teamed for an 8-1 win at No. 1 doubles and Justin Loeffler (Winona, Minn.) and Keith Welch (Fort Wayne, Ind.) were 8-3 victors at No. 2.

SMU then completed the victory with wins at No. 2, 4, 5 and 6 singles. Welch, Loeffler and Andy Weigman (Maple Plain, Minn.) all won in straight sets, while Reckase was a three-set, 3-6, 6-3, 10-5 winner at No. 4.

On the women's side, the Cardinals also opened with a 2-1 lead after the three doubles matches, as Rebecca Snyder (Eden Prairie, Minn.)-Briana Placek (Greendale, Wis.) and Abby Cooper (La Crosse, Wis.)-Sara Clements (La Crosse, Wis.) posted 8-6 and 8-5 wins at No. 2 and No. 3 doubles, respectively.

SMU followed that up with win in five of the six singles matches, including a 2-6, 7-5, 10-6 win by Snyder at No. 2 that gave the Cardinal freshman a perfect 10-0 dual-meet record this season. Bailey Edwards (Lino Lakes, Minn.), Toni Troumbly (Bovey, Minn.), Cooper and Brittney Nielsen (Apple Valley, Minn.), meanwhile, all posted straight-set victories for SMU.

“it's been an up-and-down season for both teams,” said Halberg, whose women closed out the year with a 9-9 overall record (3-7 in the MIAC), while the men finished 5-10 overall (1-8 in the MIAC). “It's great to see them both end the year on the high note.”