MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's tennis team returns to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Saturday, as the Cardinals head to the U of M Baseline Tennis Center for a 7:30 p.m. match against Bethel
 
The Matchup:
Saint Mary's Cardinals (0-1 MIAC | 3-2 Overall) at Bethel Royals (1-0 MIAC | 2-0 Overall), 5 p.m.
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
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Last Action:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals posted a 3-1 record in their four matches last weekend—beating Bethany Lutheran (9-0), St. Norbert (8-1) and Martin Luther (9-0), while falling to regionally ranked Luther (5-4) | BLC Recap * SNC Recap * Luther Recap * MLC Recap
• Bethel: The Royals kicked off conference play in impressive fashion last Saturday, dropping Concordia 7-2 at Courts Plus in Fargo, N.D. | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Bethel—Their Last Meeting:
• April 5, 2014: Bethel picked up wins in all three doubles matches and won four of the six singles matches in straight sets in handing the Cardinals a 9-0 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference setback at the Winona Tennis Center | Recap
 
Up Next:
•  Saint Mary's: The Cardinals step out of conference play next weekend, traveling to the Lake Country Racquet Club in Milwaukee, Wis., for matches against Carroll (1 p.m.) and Wisconsin Lutheran (4 p.m.), before heading to Elite Fitness-River Glen in Milwaukee, Wis., for a 10 a.m. match against Milwaukee School of Engineering on Sunday.
• Bethel: The Royals return to the U of M Baseline Tennis Center on Friday—as the visitor—as Bethel squares off against Halmine in a 6:30 p.m. conference match
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2015 Roster | 2015 Schedule | 2015 Statistics
With their 3-1 nonconference showing last weekend, the Cardinals improved to 14-2 against non-MIAC teams over the past two seasons. Saint Mary's is 27-5 in nonconference action over the past three years. … Saint Mary's dropped just seven games in coasting to its 9-0 nonconference win over Martin Luther last Sunday—including straight-set, 6-0, 6-0 victories from Collin Kaczorowski (Suamico, Wis.), Brett Giesen (Cato, Wis.), and Brenden Amiotte (Rapid City, S.D.) at Nos. 1-2-3. … Tim Wolford (Maple Grove, Minn.) picked up wins in all three No. 1 singles matches he played last weekend—including a pair of 6-0, 6-0 victories and a 6-4, 7-6 win against regionally ranked Luther. … Wolford also won all four of his doubles matches—highlighted by a 9-8 win over the high-powered Norse last Saturday. … Wolford has amassed a team-best five singles wins, one more than Collin Kaczorowski (Suamico, Wis.)—who set a single-season school record with 20 singles wins in 2013, and shared the team lead with 14 singles wins a year ago—and Giesen. … Kaczorowski and Wolford share the team lead in doubles wins with four each, one more than Warren Lawrence (Rochester, Minn.), Andrew Johnson (Rochester, Minn.), and Alex Holm (Red Wing, Minn.). … Saint Mary's is 23-20 in singles play—including 19-11 in dual matches—and 16-7 in doubles action, including 12-3 through their first five matches this spring.
 
Scouting The Bethel Royals:
2015 Roster | 2015 Schedule | 2015 Statistics
With their victory over Concordia last Saturday, the Royals head into Saturday's showdown with Saint Mary's riding a season-opening two-match winning streak. … Bethel swept the three doubles matches against the Cobbers last Saturday—including a 9-7 marathon at No. 3. … Jakob Bartels, Kolin Kiekhofer, Kent Schaller and Blake Watts have all started the season 2-0 in singles play. … BU's two singles losses this season have come at No. 1 and No. 3. … Bethel has dropped just one doubles match in its first two matches this season. … The doubles teams of Schaller-Brett Lizotte and Luke Palmquist-Matt Shcull are a perfect 2-0. … Saturday's match against Saint Mary's is the first of back-to-back contests at the U of M Baseline Tennis Center—BU squares off against Hamline next Friday.