WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University men's tennis team kicks off a busy MIAC weekend Friday, hosting Bethel in a 5 p.m. match. The Cardinals then square off against Saint John's at noon on Saturday. Both matches are at the Winona Tennis Center.



The Matchups:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (0-0 MIAC | 7-4 Overall) vs.
Bethel Royals (0-2 MIAC | 0-3 Overall)
Saint John's Johnnies (0-3 MIAC | 2-8 Overall)

GameDay Live On The Web:
Video Preview | BU GameDay Program | SJU GameDay Program

Last Action:
The Cardinals closed out their four-match spring trip with a 6-3 nonconference loss to Clark University on March 8 in Orlando, Fla. … Bethel has been off since March 3, when the Royals suffered an 8-1 conference loss to Carleton at Lifetime Fitness in Lakeville, Minn. … Saint John's completed its four-match spring trip to California with a 9-0 loss to Kenyon College and a 7-1 setback to Occidental College on March 4.

SMU vs. Bethel — Their Last Meeting:
March 23, 2011: The Saint Mary's University men's tennis team had their chances Wednesday evening, but the Cardinals could not seal the deal, as Bethel outlasted SMU 6-3 in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference match at Lakeville (Minn.) Lifetime Fitness.

SMU vs. Saint John's — Their Last Meeting:
April 17, 2011: Saint John's jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead following the doubles matches and never looked back, as the Johnnies handed the Saint Mary's University men's tennis team a 9-0 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference setback at the Gold's Gym courts.

Up Next:
The Cardinals host their third straight conference match on March 23, hosting MIAC power Gustavus in a 6:30 p.m. contest at the Winona Tennis Center. … Bethel takes to the road on Monday, kicking off its five-day spring trip to Orlando, Fla., with an 8 a.m. match against CUNY. … Saint John's is off until March 31, when the Johnnies head to the Lakeville (Minn.) Lifetime Fitness for an 8 a.m. match against Bethel.

Saint Mary's Cardinals News and Notes:
2012 Roster | 2012 Schedule | 2012 Statistics
Friday's match against Bethel is SMU's first conference match of the season. The Cardinals' first 11 matches were all nonconference contests. … Friday's match vs. the Royals is the first of three straight home matches for the Cardinals. … The Cardinals opened their four-match spring trip in Orlando, Fla., with back-to-back wins over Marywood University and King's College, extending their winning streak to a season-high four straight. A 7-2 loss to Ursinus College snapped that four-match streak. … SMU's 7-2 loss to Ursinus on March 6 and 6-3 setback vs. Clark on March 7 marked the first time this season the Cardinals have dropped back-to-back matches. … Michael Lunka (Eagan, Minn.) and Bobby Steingraeber (La Crosse, Wis.) picked up four wins in four matches at No. 1 doubles in Orlando Fla., extending their season-opening winning streak to 11 straight. … Sam Puff (Eden Prairie, Minn.) was a perfect 4-0 at No. 3 singles on their spring trip, pushing the sophomore's singles winning streak to nine in a row. … Puff leads the team with 10 singles wins, while Lunka is second with seven. … As a team, SMU is 39-27 in singles play, while owning an impressive 25-8 mark in doubles.

Bethel Royals News and Notes:
2012 Roster | 2012 Schedule | 2012 Statistics
Bethel is still looking for its first win of the season, having lost to Gustavus (8-1), St. Cloud State (7-2) and Carleton (8-1) to open the season. … Bryan Johnson, Tucker Morris and Kent Nichols have accounted for Bethel's three singles wins this season. … Bethel is just 1-8 in doubles play, with Tucker Morris and Steven Schull collecting a win at No. 2. … Nichols and Reggie Ronning return after all-conference seasons in 2011.

Saint John's Johnnies News and Notes:
2012 Roster | 2012 Schedule | 2012 Statistics
Saint John's two wins this season have each put an end to a three-match losing streak. SJU beat St. Scholastica 6-3 on Feb. 12 to end a season-opening three-match slide, while its 7-2 victory over College Institute of Technology on March 3 snapped the Johnnies' second three-match slide. … Saturday's match against Saint Mary's is the fifth of six straight road matches for the Johnnies. … Ian Hansen enters Saturday's match vs. Saint Mary's with an 8-2 dual-match record, with his of those eight wins coming at No. 2 singles. Hansen is 2-0 at No. 1 and 6-2 at No. 2. … Fabricio Moncada is 5-3in duals, while also going 5-1 to place second at the USTA/ITA Midwest Regional Tournament last fall. … Moncada and Joe Laue lead the team with two doubles wins. … SJU is just 8-24 in doubles play this year. … The Johnnies have used 12 different doubles combinations in their 10 matches this season.