ST. PETER, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota and Gustavus men's tennis teams entered Saturday's Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference showdown owning a combined 13 straight wins.
 
The Cardinals, fresh off a thrilling 6-3 win over Hamline Friday evening at the Winona Tennis Center, boasted wins in each of their last four matches.
 
The Gusties, meanwhile, bounced back from back-to-back season-opening losses to Whitman and Pomona-Pitzer by rattling off nine straight wins.
 
Unfortunately for coach Jeff Halberg, it was his Cardinals' winning streak that came to a screeching halt, as Gustavus dealt Saint Mary's a 9-0 conference setback at the Swanson Tennis Center.
 
"I thought we played pretty well," said Halberg. "But Gustavus is a handful—they are a very talented team and they deserved the outcome today."
 
Gustavus dropped just six games in cruising to 8-2, 8-3, and 8-1 wins in the three doubles matches, and the Gusties never took their foot off the gas, rolling to six straight straight-set singles wins.
 
The Cardinals (1-3 MIAC, 6-4 overall) are back in action next Sunday, returning to the Winona Tennis Center for a 9:30 a.m. conference matchup against Concordia.