WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University men's tennis team kicks off its 2014 season Saturday, hosting Martin Luther in a 5 p.m. match at the Winona Tennis Center.

The Matchup:
Saturday, February 1, 2014 | 5 p.m. | Winona Tennis Center
Saint Mary's Cardinals (2013: 17-7 Overall) vs. Martin Luther Knights (2013: 6-6 Overall

GameDay Live On The Web:
Video Preview | Martin Luther GameDay Program

Last Action:
Saint Mary's and Martin Luther are opening their 2014 seasons this weekend.

SMU vs. Martin Luther — Their Last Meeting:
February 12, 2012: The Cardinals dominated Martin Luther 9-0, losing just one game in sweeping the three doubles matches, while cruising to wins in all six singles matches in straight sets at the Winona Tennis Center.

Cardinals Up Next:
The Cardinals are back in action next weekend, traveling to the Paley Tennis Center in Milwaukee, Wis., for a 7 p.m. nonconference match against Concordia (Wis.) on Friday, before heading to the Moorland Tennis Center in New Berlin, Wis., for matches against Carroll (8 a.m.) and Wisconsin Lutheran (12:30). SMU closes out its busy weekend on Sunday with a 9 a.m. match against St. Norbert at the Four Seasons Tennis Center in Green Bay, Wis.

Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2014 Roster | 2014 Statistics | 2014 Schedule
SMU boasted three players on the All-MIAC Team a year ago — Michael Lunka (Eagan, Minn.), Bobby Steingraeber (La Crosse, Wis.) and Sam Puff (Eden Prairie, Minn.). Lunka was named to the all-conference team in both singles and doubles, while Puff was a singles selection and Steingraeber was a pick in doubles. … It was the third time in their four-year careers that Lunka and Steingraeber were named All-MIAC in doubles. … SMU made its first-ever appearance in the six-team MIAC Tournament, which began in 2007, last season … The Cardinals' sixth-place regular-season finish equaled their highest conference finish under head coach Jeff Halberg. … The Cardinals' 17 overall wins were also the most under Halberg. … SMU closed out the season having won 10 of its last 13 matches. … SMU lost back-to-back matches just once all season, while putting together winning streaks of two (twice), three (three times) and four straight matches. … With their 9-0 victory over North Central on April 20, the Cardinals improved to 13-1 in nonconference play last season. SMU's 6-3, spring trip-opening loss to Ursinus was its lone non-league loss this season. … Collin Kaczorowski (Suamico, Wis.) set a single-season school record with his 20th singles win — a straight-set victory at No. 5 singles against Macalester on April 27. … Kaczorowski's 20 singles wins were a team high, while Andrew Rangitsch (Oakdale, Minn.) was second with 16. … Kaczorowski and Blake Olmscheid (Farmington, Minn.) each recorded their first collegiate singles win against Wisconsin Lutheran in the team's season-opener on Feb. 8, while freshman Warren Lawrenz (Rochester, Minn.) notched his first win as a Cardinal against Northwestern on Feb. 23. … The doubles team of Lunka/Steingraeber, finished 18-7 at No. 1 doubles last season and teamed to compile a 59-21 overall doubles record in their four years together. … Steingraeber recorded his single-season school-record 20th doubles win when he teamed with Lunka for an 8-2 win at No. 1 against Macalester April 27. … Lunka notched 18 doubles wins a year ago, pushing his school-record career wins total to 64 — two more than Steingraeber. … As a team, the Cardinals — who used 14 different doubles combinations — finished 47-25 in dual-match doubles play this season. … Rangitsch set a single-day school record with five wins during the opening day of the Gustavus Midwest Open last fall, reaching the quarterfinals, as he dropped a two-and-a-half hour, three-set, 7-6, 4-6, 6-2 decision to Saint John's Alex Weigmann. … With their wins over Wisconsin Lutheran, Concordia (Wis.) and Carroll, the Cardinals opened the season 3-0 for the first time in Halberg's 15 years at the helm. … SMU's 5-4 win over Carroll on Feb. 9 was Halberg's 100th collegiate coaching victory.

Scouting the Martin Luther Knights:
2014 Roster | 2013 Final Statistics | 2014 Schedule
After opening the season 2-4 in their first six matches, the Knights closed out 2013 going 4-2 in their final six matches. … Saturday's match is the first of back-to-back matches against Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference foes. MLC will face Hamline in St. Paul, Minn., on April 2. … Five of Martin Luther's six wins last year were 9-0 sweeps. … Micah Koelpin led the Knights with seven singles wins a year ago, while Scott Henrich and Kris Kuschel each chipped in six. … Henrich-Paul Koester and Tom Gorzalski-Marty Johnston each picked up seven doubles victories to account for 14 of the Knights' 20 wins in doubles play last season. … MLC used seven different doubles combinations a year ago.