MINNEAPOLIS, Minn.  — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's tennis team kicks off a busy weekend on Saturday, traveling to Baseline Tennis Center for a 7 p.m. MIAC showdown with St. Thomas. The Cardinals then head to Waverly, Iowa, on Sunday for a 2 p.m. nonconference match against Wartburg.
 
The Matchups:
Saturday, March 21, 2015 | U of M Baseline Tennis Center * Minneapolis, Minn.
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (3-1 MIAC | 12-2 Overall) at St. Thomas Tommies (3-1 MIAC | 5-1 Overall), 7 p.m.
Sunday, March 22, 2015  | Wartburg College * Waverly, Iowa
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (12-2 Overall) at Wartburg Knights (6-4 Overall)
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals pushed their winning streak to 11 straight last Saturday, rolling to a 9-0 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference win over Concordia at the Winona Tennis Center | Recap
• St. Thomas: The Tommies rallied from a 2-1 deficit, getting wins at Nos. 2-6 singles en route to a 6-3 MIAC win over Saint John's on March 13 in Sartell, Minn. | Recap
• Wartburg: The Knights head into their three-match weekend having not played since March 7, when they dropped an 8-1 decision to Bethel
 
Saint Mary's vs. St. Thomas—Their Last Meeting:
• April 6, 2014: St. Thomas got off to a quick 3-0 start in doubles play, before completing the conference sweep with six singles victories en route to a 9-0 win over the Cardinals at the Winona Tennis Center | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Wartburg—Their Last Meeting:
• February 15, 2014: The Cardinals rallied from a 4-2 deficit with wins at Nos. 1, 3 and 4 singles to knock off Wartburg 5-4 in a nonconference match at the Winona Tennis Center | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals are back in action on Wednesday, hosting UW-La Crosse, Wis., in a 4 p.m. nonconference match at the Winona Tennis Center.
• St. Thomas: The Tommies are now off until March 30, when they begin their spring trip to Tampa and Winter Haven, Fla., with a nonconference match against Eckerd.
• Wartburg: The Knights return to the court next Saturday, squaring off against Graceland and Grand View in a pair of road contests.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2015 Roster | 2015 Schedule | 2015 Statistics
With their 9-0 effort against Concordia last Saturday, the Cardinals pushed their winning streak to 11 straight. … The Cardinals' 11-match winning streak is the longest in coach Jeff Halberg's 15 years at the helm. … Saint Mary's victory over Concordia was its fifth 9-0 sweep. Saint Mary's has also recorded three 8-1 victories during its current 11-match run. … Brett Giesen (Cato, Wis.) and Brenden Amiotte (Rapid City, S.D.) each picked up singles wins against Concordia last Saturday, pushing their season-high winning streaks to 11 in a row. … Alex Holm (Red Wing, Minn.), Tim Wolford (Maple Grove, Minn.) and Collin Kaczorowski (Suamico, Wis.) also kept lengthy singles streaks in tact with wins vs. the Cobbers. Holm picked up his eighth consecutive win at No. 5, while Wolford and Kaczorowski each won their seventh straight match at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively. … Giesen boasts a team-leading 13 singles wins, one more than Amiotte and Wolford, and two in front of Kaczorowski. … Kaczorowski and Wolford teamed for an 8-1 win at No. 1 doubles vs. Concordia—it was their 12th straight doubles victory, all at No. 1. … Kaczorowski and Wolford share the team lead with 13 doubles wins each, three more than Amiotte and Holm. … As a team, the Cardinals own an impressive 67-17 singles record in dual matches, while going 34-8 in doubles play. … Saint Mary's has used 15 different doubles combinations through 14 matches. … With their wins over King's, Regis and Morningside (Iowa) during their spring trip to Orlando, Fla., the Cardinals improved to 9-1 in nonconference play this season. … Saint Mary's owns a 20-2 record against non-MIAC opponents over the past two seasons, and is 33-5 in nonconference action over the past three years. … Seven of the Cardinals' 11 wins have come on the road, where Saint Mary's is a perfect 7-0. The Cardinals are 5-2 on their home court this season.
 
Scouting The St. Thomas Tommies:
2015 Roster | 2015 Schedule | 2015 Statistics
With their win over Saint John's on March 13, the Tommies have now won back-to-back matches. … UST's 5-4 loss to Carleton on March 1 snapped its season-opening three-match winning streak. … St. Thomas has posted a pair of 9-0 wins and two 8-1 victories to account for four of its five victories this season. … Luke Elifson enters Saturday's match against Saint Mary's riding a season-opening six-match singles winning streak—with all six wins coming at No. 2. … Elifson's six wins are a team high, two more than Brady Radermacher, Brandon Schneider, and Scott Wall. … Wall and Matt Kavanagh share the team lead in doubles wins with five each, while Anderson and Allen-Michael Muench are both one behind with four doubles wins. … As a team, UST is 30-6 in singles play through six matches, while going 14-4 in doubles. … St. Thomas is a perfect 3-0 on the road this season. The Tommies are 2-1 in home-court matches.
 
Scouting The Wartburg Knights:
2015 Roster | 2015 Schedule | 2015 Statistics
With their 8-1 loss to Bethel on March 7, the Knights dropped to 2-3 in their last five matches. … Wartburg bounced back from a season-opening 9-0 loss to Ashford University by putting together a season-high four-match winning streak. … Three of Wartburg's four losses have been 9-0 sweeps, with the other an 8-1 loss to Bethel on March 7. On the flip side, the Knights own two 9-0 wins, a pair of 8-1 victories, as well as one 7-2 and one 6-3 triumph. … Fumiya Kitahara owns a team-leading six singles wins, one more than Frank Loconti, and two better than Luke Benna, Jeremy Ellerby, Eric Hilpert, and Brandon Hornback. … As a team, Wartburg is 5-4 at Nos. 1, 2, 3, and 5 singles, while going 6-3 at No. 4 and 5-3 at No. 6. … Hilpert and Kitahara have teamed to post a team-best 5-3 record in doubles play—all at No. 2. … Benna and Hornback are second on the team with four doubles wins. … Sunday's match against Saint Mary's is just the second home contest for the Knights, who are 1-0 on their home court, but just 5-4 on the road.