LAKEVILLE, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's tennis team hits the road on Thursday, traveling to the Lakeville Lifetime Fitness for a 6 p.m. conference match against Bethel.




The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (0-5 MIAC / 4-7 Overall) vs.
Bethel Royals (0-1 MIAC, 2-6 Overall)

Last Action:
The Cardinals came up empty against nationally ranked Gustavus on Saturday, falling to the MIAC defending champion Gusties 9-0 at the Winona Tennis Center. … Bethel, meanwhile, dropped the final two matches of its spring trip to Orlando, Fla., falling to Nichols (5-4) and Otterbein (6-3).

Last Meeting — April 10, 2010:
SMU go four straight-set singles wins to go with an 8-4 win at No. 1 doubles and an 8-5 triumph at No. 3, as the Cardinals collected a 6-3 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference win over the Royals at the Winona Tennis Center.

Up Next:
The Cardinals are back in action on Saturday, when they host Concordia in an MIAC match at noon, before entertaining Winona State in a 5 p.m. nonconference contest. Bethel, meanwhile, is off until March 29, when they host Hamline in a 4 p.m. conference contest at the Ona Orth Athletic Complex.

Saint Mary's Cardinals From The Baseline:
2011 Schedule | 2011 Roster | 2011 Overall Statistics
Bailey Edwards (Fond du Lac, Wis.) had her six-match losing streak snapped with a three-set, 4-6, 6-0, 10-6 loss to Gustavus' Sam Frank. … Saturday's loss was the second time Frank has beaten Edwards this season, having knocked off the Cardinal junior 7-6, 6-3 in the quarterfinals of the USTA/ITA Midwest Regional in late September. … All six of Edwards' wins during her six-match win streak were won in straight sets. … Edwards enters Thursday's match at Bethel with a team-leading nine singles wins. … With her two wins against Edgewood's Hannah Pincsak and Saint Mary's (Ind.) Jillian Hurley on SMU's spring trip — and her straight-set win over St. Catherine's Michaela Burroughs last Friday — Edwards pushed her school-record singles wins total to 39. … Edwards is also closing in on the top spot in career doubles wins. Edwards — who is 7-4 in doubles play this season — is currently third with 32 doubles wins. Aubrey Hirsch owns the career record with 36. … Killian Edwards is second to her older sister in doubles wins this season with five. … Ten of the Cardinals' first 12 matches are on the road.

Bethel Royals From Behind The Baseline:
2011 Schedule | 2011 Roster | 2011 Overall Statistics
The Royals enter Thursday's match against Saint Mary's having lost two straight and five of their last six. … Thursday's match vs. SMU is the home opener for the Royals, Bethel's first six matches were all play away from its home site, the Ona Orth Athletic Complex. … Bethel snapped a season-high three-match losing streak with a 5-4 win over Simpson on March 16. … The Royals have played just one conference opponent through their first eight matches, falling to Carleton 7-2 on Feb. 24. … Amanda Johnson has won her last two singles matches and leads the Royals in singles wins with five — going 2-1 at No. 4, 0-1 at No. 5 and 3-0 at No. 6. … As a team, the Royals are 16-32 in singles play. … Abby Edin enters Thursday's match with a team-best five doubles wins — all coming at No. 2. … Edin and partner Kayla Wheeler won three straight at No. 2 doubles heading into tonight's match vs. SMU. … Steph Brown and Lisa Scheevel have teamed up to go 4-4 at No. 1 doubles this season. … As a team, Bethel is 12-12 in doubles play.