WINONA, Minn. — After back-to-back Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference matches, the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's tennis team steps out of conference play this weekend, squaring off against Bethany Lutheran in a 4 p.m. nonconference showdown at the Winona Tennis Center on Friday, before heading to the Moorland Tennis Center in New Berlin, Wis., for matches against Carroll (noon) and Wisconsin Lutheran (3 p.m.).
 
The Matchups:
Friday, February 17, 2017 * Winona Tennis Center * Winona, Minn.
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (1-2 Overall) vs. Bethany Lutheran Vikings (4-5 Overall), 4 p.m.
Saturday, February 18, 2017 * Moorland Tennis Center * New Berlin, Wis.
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (1-2 Overall) vs. Carroll Pioneers (0-2 Overall), Noon
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (1-2 Overall) vs. Wisconsin Lutheran Warriors (0-4 Overall), 3 p.m.

GameDay Live On The Web:
• GameDay Program vs. Bethany Lutheran
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—February 4, 2017 * Minneapolis, Minn.: The Cardinals came up empty in their MIAC match against St. Thomas, falling to the high-powered Tommies 9-0 at the Baseline Tennis Center | Recap
• Bethany Lutheran—February 11, 2017 * Dubuque, Iowa: The Vikings went 1-1 in their two nonconference matches, opening the day with a 9-0 win over Knox, before falling to host University of Dubuque 6-3 | Recap
• Carroll—February 4, 2017 * New Berlin, Wis.: The Pioneers dropped both of their season-opening matches, falling to Concordia 5-4 and Carleton 8-1 | Concordia Recap * Carleton Recap
• Wisconsin Lutheran—February 11, 2017 * Decorah, Iowa: The Warriors came up empty in their two nonconference matches against Simpson and Luther, falling to the Storm 8-1, while being blanked the Norse 9-0 | Simpson Recap * Luther Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Bethany Lutheran—Their Last Meeting:
• January 29, 2016 * Winona, Minn.: Saint Mary's kicked off its 2016 season in impressive fashion—and the Cardinals made it look easy, cruising to a 9-0 nonconference win over Bethany Lutheran at the Winona Tennis Center | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Carroll—Their Last Meeting:
• February 5, 2016 * New Berlin, Wis.: Saint Mary's kicked off a busy nonconference weekend in impressive fashion, cruising to an 8-1 victory over Carroll at the Moorland Park Tennis Center | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Wisconsin Lutheran—Their Last Meeting:
• February 21, 2015 * Heartland, Wis.: It was another busy—but very successful—day for Saint Mary's, as the Cardinals cruised to nonconference wins over Carroll and Wisconsin Lutheran | Recap
 
Up Next:
•  Saint Mary's: Following this weekend's three nonconference matches, the Cardinals return home next Friday, squaring off against Hamline in a 6 p.m. MIAC match.
• Bethany Lutheran: The Vikings return to UMAC action on Saturday, heading to Lifetime Fitness in Fridley, Minn., for a 5 p.m. matchup against North Central.
• Carroll: The Pioneers are now off until March 4, when they travel to the Pleasant Valley Tennis Club in Jackson, Wis., for a pair of matches against St. Norbert and Lake Superior State.
• Wisconsin Lutheran: Following their matches vs. Carroll and Saint Mary's, the Warriors are off until next weekend, when they host the University of Dubuque (Saturday) and Lake Forest (Sunday) at the Elite Sports Club in Brookfield, Wis.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2017 Roster | 2017 Schedule | 2017 Statistics
• Saint Mary's loss to St. Thomas on Feb. 5 was the first road match of the season for the Cardinals, who play four of their first five matches on their home courts. … With their 9-0 win over Martin Luther on Jan. 20, the Cardinals improved to 5-1 in their last six season openers. … Saint Mary's improved to 11-0 against Martin Luther with its season-opening victory on Jan. 20—including five straight 9-0 sweeps. … With their 9-0 win over Martin Luther on Jan. 20, the Cardinals improved to 42-15 in nonconference play since 2012. … Brenden Amiotte (Rapid City, S.D.), Alex Zuzek (Hastings Minn.), Kyle Swanson (Oak Grove, Minn.), Robbie Sobczak (Cloquet, Minn.), Bobby Tiedeman (Euclid, Minn.), and Jake Allen (Winona, Minn.) all collected singles wins against Martin Luther on Jan. 20. … Saint Mary's had three players—Sobczak, Tiedeman, and Allen—posted their first collegiate singles wins against Martin Luther on Jan. 20. … Amiotte/Alex Holm (Hastings, Minn.), Tiedeman/Andrew Johnson (Rochester, Minn.), and Sobczak/Zuzek teamed for Saint Mary's three doubles wins vs. Martin Luther on Jan. 20. … The Cardinals dropped just nine games in cruising to six, straight-set singles wins in in their season-opening 9-0 nonconference win over Martin Luther.
 
Scouting The Bethany Lutheran Vikings:
2017 Roster | 2017 Schedule | 2017 Statistics
• Last Saturday's 9-0 win over Knox snapped the Vikings' three match losing streak. … After opening the season with an 8-1 loss to Grand View, the Vikings rattled off three straight wins. … Two of Bethany Lutheran's four wins have been 5-4 decisions. … Carter Dahl has played all nine matches for the Vikings, compiling a team-high five singles wins—going 1-1 at No. 2, 2-3 at No. 4, and 2-0 at No. 5.  Dexter Jackson, Laine Larson, and Dalton Werckman are all second to Dahl with three singles wins. … As a team, Bethany Lutheran is 19-35 in singles play through nine matches—including a 5-4 record at No. 5. … Larson leads the team with four doubles, wins, one more than Dahl, Jackson, and Jacob Kubler. … As a team, the Vikings are 10-15 in doubles play. … Bethany Lutheran's first nine matches have all been on the road—including seven neutral-site matches.
 
Scouting The Carroll Pioneers:
2017 Roster | 2017 Schedule | 2017 Statistics
• The Pioneers, coming off a 7-12 season a year ago, are still searching for their first win of 2017, having dropped back-to-back matches to Concordia (Wis.) and Carleton in their first two matches this season. … Saturday's matches against Saint Mary's and Wisconsin Lutheran are the third and fourth straight home matches for the Pioneers, who do not play another home match until April 8, when they host Elmhurst. … Peter Jaeger, Chayce Roecker, and Joseph Harrison all picked up singles wins in the Pioneers' season-opening, 5-4 loss to Concordia (Wis.) on Feb. 4. … Jaeger and Matt Michael also posted a doubles win vs. the Falcons, while the doubles team of Harrison/Roecker posted an 8-4 win in Carroll's 8-1 loss to Carleton on Feb. 4. … All nine of the Pioneers' singles losses this season have been in straight sets.
 
Scouting The Wisconsin Lutheran Warriors:
2017 Roster | 2017 Schedule | 2017 Statistics
• Wisconsin Lutheran heads into Saturday's matches against Saint Mary's and Carroll still searching for their first win of 2017, having sandwiched 9-0 losses to Cornell and Luther around a 6-3 loss to Buena Vista and an 8-1 setback to Simpson. … With their 9-0 setback to Cornell, the Warriors have now dropped each of their last five season-openers. … Wisconsin Lutheran has recorded at least six wins—and a .500 conference record in its previous four seasons. … Matt Plaski, Derek Sallmann, and Jon Wordell have each posted a team-high one singles win this season. … The Warriors are winless (0-4) at Nos. 2, 5 and 6 singles. … As a team, Wisconsin Lutheran is 3-21 in singles play through four matches. … Plaski and Wordell own the Warriors' lone doubles win, collecting an 8-4 win at No. 2 against Buena Vista on Feb. 4. … As a team, the Warriors are 1-11 in 12 doubles matches this season.