WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University men's tennis team kicks off a busy weekend on Friday, hosting Northwestern in a 6 p.m. nonconference match at the Winona Tennis Center.





The Matchups:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (5-10 Overall) vs.
Northwestern Eagles (4-10 Overall), 6 p.m.

GameDay On The Web:
GameDay Program

Last Action:
The Cardinals are coming off a heartbreaking 5-4 MIAC loss to Hamline last Saturday in St. Paul, Minn. … Northwestern, meanwhile, picked up a 9-0 victory on Thursday over Bethany Lutheran in Mankato, Minn.

Last Meeting — April 14, 2010:
Home proved to be very sweet for the Cardinals, who rolled to the 9-0 victory over the Eagles at the Winona Tennis Center.

Up Next:
The Cardinal men close out their regular season on Tuesday, hosting Minnesota State Mankato in a 3 p.m. nonconference match at the Winona Tennis Center. … Northwestern, meanwhile, heads to Fridley, Minn., on Tuesday, taking on Martin Luther in a UMAC match scheduled for 3:30 p.m.

Saint Mary's Cardinal Men From The Baseline:
2011 Schedule | 2011 Roster | 2011 Overall Statistics
Last Saturday's loss at Macalester was the second straight 5-4 setback for the Cardinals — who dropped a 5-4 decision to Hamline on April 2. … The Cardinals' 5-4 loss at Hamline was as close a match as you can get — with four of the six singles matches going the maximum three sets, while two of the three doubles matches were decided by 8-6 scores. … Bobby Steingraeber (La Crosse, Wis.) picked up two of the team's four wins vs. Macalester Saturday, as the sophomore was a three-set, 6-3, 5-7, 10-6 winner at No. 5 singles, then teamed with Steven Mino (Austin, Minn.) for a 9-8 win at No. 3 doubles. … Tim Wolford (Maple Grove, Minn.) and Sam Puff (Eden Prairie, Minn.) also won in singles vs. Macalester. … Puff's three-set win at No. 4 singles as his team-leading 10th singles win of the season. … Michael Lunka (Eagan, Minn.) has collected seven singles wins this season — with all seven coming at No. 1 singles, where the Cardinal sophomore is 7-7. … Wolford has now won seven of his last 10 singles matches and is 7-5 in his 12 doubles matches. … After losing his first three doubles matches of the season, Mino has rattled off nine doubles wins in his last 12 matches. … Mino's nine dual-match doubles wins are a tied a team high, one more than Lunka. … All five of the Cardinals' wins this season have come on the road.

Northwestern Eagles From The Baseline:
2011 Schedule | 2011 Roster | 2011 Statistics
Friday's match at Saint Mary's is the third match in a four-day span for the Eagles. … Northwestern snapped a season-opening nine-match losing streak with a 9-0 win over Bethany Lutheran on March 31. … All four of Northwestern's wins this season have been by a 9-0 count — including a pair of conference sweeps over Bethany Lutheran. … The Eagles were picked to finish second in the UMAC in the preseason coaches' poll, after going 8-2 in conference play a year ago. … No. 1 singles player Caleb Kauss was named the 2010 UMAC Player of the Year. The senior has struggled to find his 2010 form, however, going 4-10 in singles action thus far this season. … Freshman David Knight — a 2010 Iowa State High School League singles champion — boasts a team-best seven singles wins this season, all at No. 2 singles. … Keagan Blancke is one win behind Knight, posting six wins in 14 matches. … Friday's match at Saint Mary's marks the fourth time this season the Eagles have squared off against an MIAC opponent. Northwestern has already played Macalester (L, 9-0), Bethel (L, 8-1) and Concordia (L, 6-3).