WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's tennis team kicks off its season with a pair of nonconference matches Friday, hosting Winona State (3 p.m.) and Northwestern (6 p.m.) at the Winona Tennis Center.



The Matchups:
SMU Cardinals (0-0 Overall) vs. Winona State Warriors (0-0 Overall), 3 p.m.
SMU Cardinals (0-0 Overall) vs. Northwestern Eagles (0-0 Overall), 6 p.m.

Last Action:
Friday's matches are the season opener for the Cardinals, who are coming off an 8-12 season a year ago. … Friday's matches are also the season opener for Winona State and Northwestern. Winona State went 15-7 in 2011 and reached the NCAA Division II Regional, falling to Mesa State 5-0, while Northwestern posted a 6-13 record a year ago.


SMU vs. Winona State — A Year Ago:
March 26, 2011: The Warriors raced out to a 3-0 lead after doubles, then completed the 9-0 nonconference sweep of the Cardinals with straight-set wins in all six singles matches at the Winona Tennis Center.

SMU vs. Northwestern — A Year Ago:
February 19, 2011: The Cardinals swept the three doubles matches, then picked up straight-set wins from Bailey Edwards (Fond du Lac, Wis.), Rebecca Snyder, Abby Voigt (Burnsville, Minn.), Grace Zachman (Elk River, Minn.) and Deanne Webber (Reedsburg, Wis.) in singles action en route to an 8-1 nonconference win over Northwestern at Liftetime Fitness in Lakeville, Minn.

Up Next:
The Cardinals kick off Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play next Saturday, hosting Carleton in a 3 p.m. match at the Winona Tennis Center. … Winona State, meanwhile, is off until Feb. 17, when they host the University of Sioux Falls (S.D.) in a 3 pm., match at the Winona Tennis Center, while Northwestern is right back in action on Saturday, squaring off against Macalester and Bemidji State in a pair of nonconference matches in St. Paul, Minn.

Saint Mary's Cardinals News and Notes:
2012 Roster | 2012 Schedule | 2011 Statistics
Bailey Edwards (Fond du Lac, Wis.) set SMU's single-season women's wins record with 17 singles wins a year ago. … Fueled by those 17 wins in 2011, Edwards enters her senior season with a school-record 43 career singles wins. … Edwards also collected 13 doubles wins last season, giving her a school-record 37 doubles victories. … Abby Voigt (Burnsville, Minn.) finished second to Edwards in singles wins last season with seven — including a perfect 4-0 mark at No. 4. … Voigt also finished second to Edwards in doubles wins with 10, while Andrea Allis had nine. … Coach Halberg used 16 different women's doubles teams combinations last season. … The Cardinals closed out 2011 with a 3-5 record on their home courts, while going 5-7 on the road.