Match Summary | GameDay Preview

WINONA, Minn. — Saint Mary's University women's tennis coach Jeff Halberg expected a fight-to-the-finish battle when his Cardinals took the court against St. Olaf Friday evening at the Winona Tennis Center.

And the Cardinals and Oles didn't disappoint.

St. Olaf jumped out to a 2-1 lead after the three doubles matches, then held off the Cardinals in singles play in handing SMU a 5-4 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference setback.

“This was a great match, one that certainly could have gone either way,” said Halberg. “We put ourselves behind the eight ball by dropping two of those three doubles matches — that deficit just proved to be too much to overcome.

“However, we lost to (St. Olaf) 8-1 (in the regular season) and 5-0 (in the MIAC tournament match that was played to result) last year, so we have clearly made progress,” Halberg added. “Now we just need to find a way to clear that final hurdle.”

Bailey Edwards (Fond du Lac, Wis.) and Rebecca Snyder (Eden Prairie, Minn.) had a hand in three of the Cardinals' four wins, as Edwards won 6-4, 6-1 and No. 1 singles and Edwards was a 6-3, 6-2 winner at No. 2. The duo then teamed up for an 8-4 victory at No. 1 doubles. Andrea Allis (Wells, Minn.) accounted for the Cardinals' other win, outlasting St. Olaf's Claire Carlson 6-2, 2-6, 10-6 at No. 4 singles.

The Cardinals (0-3 MIAC, 3-4 overall) are back in action on March 5, traveling to Elkhorn, Wis., for a nonconference match against Edgewood College.