FRIDLEY, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University men's tennis team steps out of Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Wednesday, traveling to Lifetime Fitness for a 4 p.m. nonconference match against the University of Northwestern
 
The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (12-5 Overall) at University of Northwestern Eagles (4-10 Overall)
 
Last Action:
The Cardinals came up empty against a pair of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference's best last weekend, as SMU fell to Bethel (9-0) and St. Thomas (9-0) at the Winona Tennis Center. … Northwestern posted a pair of victories last Friday, blanking UM-Morris 9-0 and dropping Bethany Lutheran 7-2 at the Lakeville Lifetime Fitness.
 
SMU vs. Northwestern — Their Last Meeting:
February 23, 2013: SMU has a very good memory — and when the Cardinals squared off against Northwestern in a nonconference match, they weren't about to forget what happened the previous year. And they were determined to not let it happen again. The Eagles handed SMU a 7-2 setback in the teams' meeting in 2012, but it was the Cardinals who gained a bit of revenge, cruising to an 8-1 victory at the Winona Tennis Center.
 
Up Next:
The Cardinals return to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play this weekend, as SMU travels to Northfield, Minn., on Saturday for a 4 p.m. match against St. Olaf, before returning home for a 3:30 p.m. MIAC showdown with Gustavus on Sunday at the Winona Tennis Center. … Northwestern is right back on the court on Thursday, as the Eagles head to New Ulm, Minn., for a 3 p.m. match against Martin Luther.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2014 Roster | 2014 Statistics | 2014 Schedule
Last Saturday's loss to Bethel snapped the Cardinals' three-match winning streak. … SMU's losses to Bethel and St. Thomas last weekend marked the first time all season the Cardinals have dropped back-to-back matches. … SMU enters Wednesday's match against Northwestern having won seven of its last 10 matches. … The Cardinals have put together a pair of three-match winning streaks, as well as a season-high five-match win streak. … The Cardinals close out their nonconference schedule Wednesday against Northwestern boasting a 23-4 record in nonconference play over the past two seasons and a 37-11 mark vs. non-MIAC foes over the past four years. … SMU is 14-5 on its home court over the past two seasons. … Gavin Smith (White Bear Lake, Minn.) enters Wednesday's match with Northwestern owning a team-leading 13 singles wins. … Smith's 13 singles wins are one more than Collin Kaczorowski (Suamico, Wis.). … Kaczorowski set a single-season school record with 20 singles victories a year. … Smith also leads the team with 11 doubles wins, again one more than Kaczorowski, and two better than Tim Wolford (Maple Grove, Minn.). … As a team, the Cardinals are 29-22 in doubles matches, while going 55-47 in singles play. … SMU's 9-0 loss to Carleton on Feb. 14 snapped the Cardinals' season-opening five-match winning streak — the longest season-opening winning streak in coach Jeff Halberg's 16 years as SMU's head coach. … With their 9-0 win over Martin Luther on Feb. 1, the Cardinals have now won their last four season openers. 
 
Scouting the University of Northwestern Eagles:
2014 Roster | 2014 Statistics | 2014 Schedule
Northwestern heads into Wednesday's match against Saint Mary's riding a three-match winning streak. … After opening the season with eight straight losses, the Eagles have gone 4-2 in their last six matches. … Like the team in general, Jimmy Ekman, Phil Gudim and Agassi Mila are also riding three-match singles winning streaks heading into Wednesday's showdown with SMU. … Fueled by their current three-match steaks, Ekman and Gudim each pushed their team-leading wins total to six. … Ekman's six singles wins have all come at No. 1, while Gudim's six have all come at No. 2. … Guiden and Ekman have also teamed to collected a team-best six doubles wins. … Northwestern has used 11 different doubles combinations this season.