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WINONA, Minn. — On paper, St. Catherine headed into Friday's Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference match against the Saint Mary's University women's tennis team boasting an unblemished 8-0 record and a No. 6 ranking in the latest NCAA Division III Central Region poll.

And on the court, the Cardinals learned first-hand that the Wildcats were deserving of that perfect record and national ranking.

The Wildcats started strong — and finished stronger — as SCU swept the first three doubles matches and never let up in cruising to a 9-0 MIAC win Friday at the Winona Tennis Center.

“We fought hard, but just got outplayed by the best team in the conference,” said SMU coach Jeff Halberg. “They deserved their No. 6 ranking — no question about that.”

SCU picked up a pair of 8-4 wins at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles, and added a win at No. 3 to take a 3-0 lead into singles play, and the Wildcats completed the sweep with straight-sets wins in all six singles matches to complete the sweep.

SMU (1-4 MIAC, 4-6) is back in action on Sunday, as the Cardinals step out of conference play for a pair of nonconference matches against Edewood and St. Norbert.