WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University men's tennis team kicks off its season with a pair of nonconference matches Saturday, hosting MSOE (noon) and Luther (6 p.m.) at the Winona Tennis Center.



The Matchups:
SMU Cardinals (0-0 Overall) vs. MSOE Raiders (0-0 Overall)
SMU Cardinals (0-0 Overall) vs. Luther Norse (0-0 Overall)

Last Action:
Friday's matches are the season opener for the Cardinals, who are coming off a 7-11 season a year ago. … Friday's matches are also the season opener for both MSOE and Luther. MSOE put together a 9-9 campaign — including 8-1 in Northern Athletic Conference play — in 2011, while the Norse went 20-8 a year ago won their fifth straight Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference crown.

SMU vs. MSOE — A Year Ago:
February 28, 2011: SMU swept its three doubles matches against MSOE, dropping just six games. Michael Lunka (Eagan, Minn.), Tim Wolford (Maple Grove, Minn.), Pawel Czczepkowski, Bobby Steingraeber (La Crosse, Wis.) and Sam Puff (Eden Prairie, Minn.) then added dominating straight-set singles wins in an 8-1 victory over the Raiders at the Pleasant Valley Tennis Center in Jackson, Wis.

SMU vs. Luther — Their Last Meeting:
February 26, 2005: The Cardinals dropped all three doubles matches in rather convincing fashion, and Luther never let SMU regain any of the momentum as the Norse handed the Cardinals their second straight loss, a 7-2 decision at the Winona Tennis Center.

Up Next:
The Cardinals take on another pair of nonconference foes next Sunday, hosting Edgewood (9 a.m.) and Martin Luther (3 p.m.) at the Winona Tennis Center. … MSOE, meanwhile, is off until Feb. 25, when the Raiders travel to Eau Claire, Wis., for matches against Lawrence and UW-Eau Claire. … Luther heads to Elkhorn, Wis., next weekend, battling UW-Whitewater and UW-Oshkosh on Saturday, then facing Wheaton on Sunday.

Saint Mary's Cardinals News and Notes:
2012 Roster | 2012 Schedule | 2011 Statistics
Sam Puff (Eden Prairie, Minn.) closed out the 2011 season as the Cardinal men's singles wins leader, finishing 11-9 overall. … Tim Wolford (Maple Grove, Minn.)?chipped in nine singles wins, while Michael Lunka (Eagan, Minn.)?finished with eight. … Lunka and Bobby Steingraeber (La Crosse, Wis.) each closed out the year with 13 doubles wins, while Steven Mino (Austin, Minn.)?added 11.