ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's tennis team closes out the regular-season on Saturday, squaring off against St. Catherine in a key MIAC match at the University of Minnesota Baseline Tennis Facility.



The Matchup:
SMU Cardinals (3-6 MIAC | 11-10 Overall) at St. Catherine (4-5 MIAC | 11-7 Overall)

GameDay Live On The Web:
Video Preview

Last Action:
The Cardinals kept their MIAC Tournament hopes alive, going 1-1 in their two Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference matches last weekend. SMU knocked off St. Olaf 5-4 in Northfield, Minn., on Saturday, then dropped a heartbreaking 5-4 decision to Macalester at the Winona Tennis Center on Sunday. … St. Catherine, meanwile, had a chance to lock up a post-season berth last Sunday, but the Wildcats dropped a 5-4 decision to Saint Benedict in St. Joseph, Minn.

SMU's MIAC Tournament Picture:
Saint Mary's must beat St. Catherine Saturday to have a shot at reaching the six-team conference tournament. If SMU beats St. Catherine and Concordia beats Hamline, there would be a three way tie for sixth place, which brings the second tiebreaker into play — head-to-head scores vs. each other. Concordia beat SMU 6-3 and lost to St. Catherine 5-4 for 10 points.  If SMU beat St. Catherine 5-4, the Cardinals would have eight points and St. Catherine would have nine points, giving Concordia the bid.  If SMU wins 7-2, the Cardinals would have 10 points and be tied with Concordia — but since CC beat SMU head-to-head, the Cobbers would still advance. In other words, the Cardinals need an 8-1 or 9-0 victory over the Wildcats to make the post-season field.

SMU vs. St. Catherine — Their Last Meeting:
March 18, 2011: The Wildcats got a 7-5, 6-4 win at No. 2 singles to break a 4-4 tie and lift St. Catherine to a 5-4 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory over the Cardinals at the Winona Tennis Center.

Up Next:
Saturday's matches are the regular-season finale for both Saint Mary's and St. Catherine.

Saint Mary's Cardinals News and Notes:
2012 Roster | 2012 Schedule | 2012 Statistics | 2012 Media Guide
The Cardinals' 5-4 win over St. Olaf last Saturday marked the first time in SMU coach Jeff Halberg's 14-year tenure that SMU has beaten the Oles. … Sunday's 5-4 loss at Macalester snapped the Cardinals' three-match winning streak. … SMU's last three losses have been by 5-4 decisions. … Bailey Edwards (Fond du Lac, Wis.) and sister McKennah Edwards (Fond du Lac, Wis.) enter Saturday's match against St. Catherine ranked No. 8 in the latest ITA Central Regional rankings. It's the highest regional ranking by an SMU doubles team in coach Jeff Halberg's 14-year tenure. … McKennah Edwards is also ranked No. 23 in singles play. … With her two singles wins last weekend, McKennah Edwards pushed her winning streak to four straight, while improving to 8-2 in her last 10 singles matches. … McKennah Edwards now owns a single-season school-record 21 singles wins, entering the final day of the regular season with a 21-6 record — including five singles wins at the USTA-ITA Midwest Regional on Sept. 23-25. … McKennah Edwards' 16 dual-match wins are second to Carleton's Anne Lombardi's conference-leading 17 singles wins. … Bailey and McKennah Edwards won both of their doubles matches last weekend, improving to 19-3 overall and 17-2 in dual matches. The duo has won its last 10 doubles matches — all at No. 1. … Overall, Bailey Edwards owns a 21-3 doubles record this season, while McKennah Edwards is 20-3. … Bailey Edwards' 21 doubles wins are a single-season school record, while the senior also owns a school-record 58 career doubles wins. … Bailey Edwards is also the school's career singles wins leader with 56. … Deanne Weber (Reedsburg, Wis.) and Lindsey Reinisch (Hastings, Minn.) are second to McKennah Edwards with 13 singles wins this season, while Bailey Edwards is third with 12. … SMU is 66-60 in dual-match singles play this season, while boasting a 36-27 mark in doubles action. … Coach Halberg has used 14 different doubles combinations this season.

St. Catherine Wildcats News and Notes:
2012 Roster | 2012 Schedule | 2012 Statistics
The Wildcats' 5-4 loss to Saint Benedict last Sunday snapped their two-match winning streak. It was also the third 5-4 setback of the season for SCU. … Four of the six singles matches vs. Saint Benedict last Sunday went to a third-set tiebreaker, while two of the three doubles matches were decided by 8-6 scores, with the other being a 9-7 decision. … Maria Koval enters the final weekend of the regular season with a team-best 13-4 overall singles record — including a 12-4 mark at No. 2. … Angie Lorenzen is second on the team with 10 singles wins, while Michaela Burroughs, April Fard and Mackenzie Weber all have nine. … Lorenzen and Lauren Beadnell have been St. Catherine's top doubles team, compiling a 10-3 mark, while Burroughs-Koval and Fard-Weber are second in doubles wins with nine each. … St. Catherine is 63-39 in singles play this season, while compiling a 38-13 mark in doubles.