WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's tennis team kicks off a busy four-day, five-match stretch on Friday, hosting St. Catherine in a 4:30 p.m. Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference match at the Winona Tennis Center. The Cardinals are then off to Arden Hills, Minn., on Saturday for a noon conference showdown with Bethel. Saint Mary's follows that up with back-to-back nonconference matches against St. Norbert and Alverno in Green Bay, Wis., on Sunday, before adding a 3 p.m. contest against Carroll in Waukesha, Wis., on Monday.
 
The Matchups:
Friday, March 31, 2017 | Winona Tennis Center * Winona, Minn. | 4:30 p.m.
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (3-3 MIAC, 7-3 Overall) vs. St. Catherine Wildcats (4-2 MIAC, 9-4 Overall)
Saturday, April 1, 2017 | Arden Hills, Minn. | Noon
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (3-3 MIAC, 7-3 Overall) at Bethel Royals (1-3 MIAC, 12-4 Overall)
Sunday, April 2, 2017 | Western Racquet & Fitness Club * Green Bay, Wis. | 9 a.m. * Noon
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (7-3 Overall) at St. Norbert Green Knights (15-8 Overall)
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (7-3 Overall) vs. Alverno Inferno (11-7 Overall)
Monday, April 3, 2017 | Waukesha, Wis. | 3 p.m.
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (7-3 Overall) at Carroll Pioneers (11-9 Overall)
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—March 24, 2017 * White Bear Lake, Minn.: For the first time in 10 matches, the end result against Macalester was not a 9-0 sweep for Saint Mary's. Fortunately for coach Jeff Halberg, the first non-9-0 decision—a 6-3 victory—had the Cardinals coming out with the win | Recap
• St. Catherine—March 23, 2017 * Orlando, Fla.: The Wildcats completed a perfect spring trip, cruising to a 6-3 nonconference win over Calvin during the final match of their four-match Florida swing | Recap
• Bethel—March 25, 2017 * Minneapolis, Minn.: The Royals picked up wins in four of the six singles matches, but UW-La Crosse—ranked No. 15 in the region—used a sweep of the three doubles matches to hand Bethel a 5-4 nonconference setback | Recap
• St. Norbert—March 26, 2017 * De Pere, Wis.: The Green Knights split their nonconference matches last Sunday, falling to Winona State 6-3, while beating Edgewood 9-0 | Recap
• Alverno—October 8, 2016 * Forest Park, Ill.: The Inferno closed out the fall portion of their scheduled with a pair of 8-1 win over Aurora and Dominican | Recap
• Carroll—March 15, 2017 * Hilton Head, S.C.: The Pioneers closed out their spring trip with a hard-earned 5-4 victory over Nazareth College | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. St. Catherine—Their Last Meeting:
• March 18, 2016 * Minneapolis, Minn.: A year ago, St. Catherine had little trouble getting past Saint Mary's, rolling to a 9-0 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory. Friday evening, the two teams were back on the court, and, unfortunately for the Cardinals, the only similarity to last year was the end result, as the Wildcats handed Saint Mary's a heartbreaking, 5-4 setback at the U of M Baseline Tennis Center | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Bethel—Their Last Meeting:
• April 2, 2016 * Winona, Minn.: Saint Mary's fell behind early in its Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference match against Bethel. And against a high-powered squad like the Royals, that was not what coach Jeff Halberg was hoping for. Fueled by a 3-0 sweep through the doubles portion of their conference match, the Royals tacked on wins in five of the six singles matches in handing the Cardinal an 8-1 setback at the Winona Tennis Center | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. St. Norbert—Their Last Meeting:
• April 3, 2016 * Green Bay, Wis.: Saint Mary's won two of three doubles matches and collected wins in five of the six singles matches—including a three-set marathon by Kirsten Hoffmann (Apple Valley, Minn.) at No. 2—in beating St. Norbert 7-2 | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Alverno—Their Last Meeting:
• Sunday's match will be the first in program history between the Cardinals and the Inferno.
 
Saint Mary's vs. Carroll—Their Last Meeting:
• Monday's match will be the first in program history between the Cardinals and the Pioneers.
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals return to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Saturday, hosting St. Olaf at the Winona Tennis Center. First serve is slated for noon.
• St. Catherine: The Wildcats are off until April 11, when they entertain Macalester in a 5 p.m. conference match in St. Paul, Minn.
• Bethel: The Royals are back in action next weekend, heading to St. Joseph, Minn., for a 10:30 a.m. MIAC showdown against Saint Benedict on Saturday, before returning home to the Ona Orth Athletic Complex for a 2 p.m. conference match against Hamline the following day.
• St. Norbert: The Green Knights return to action next weekend at the Western Racquet & Fitness Club in Green Bay, Wis., hosting UW-Eau Claire and UW-Green Bay on Saturday, before entertaining Concordia (Wis.) and UW-River Falls on Sunday.
• Alverno: The Inferno are back on the road next Saturday, heading to Mequon, Wis., for a 9 a.m. matchup against the University of Dubuque.
• Carroll: The Pioneers are back in action next Saturday, entertaining Concordia (Wis.) in a 9 a.m. match in Waukesha, Wis.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2017 Roster | 2017 Schedule | 2017 Statistics
• Following Friday's match against St. Catherine, the Cardinals will play four straight road matches. Saint Mary's is 5-1 on its home court this season, while going 1-2 away from the Winona Tennis Center. … The Cardinals' 6-3 win over Macalester last Friday was their second straight victory. After opening the season 1-2, the Cardinals have won six of their last seven. … The Cardinals' loss to Gustavus on March 11 snapped their season-high four-match winning streak. … Saint Mary's three conference losses this season have come against the top three teams in the conference standings—St. Thomas, Gustavus, and Carleton. … The Cardinals have collected 23 of their 37 wins over the past three seasons on their home court. … Last Friday's 6-3 win over Macalester marked the first time this season the Cardinals have played a match that did not end in a 9-0 decision. … Laura Sonday (West St. Paul, Minn.), Megan Vandenberg (De Pere, Wis.), Cassandra Barr (Eau Claire, Wis.), and Haley Jorgensen (Fallon, Nev.) picked up singles wins for the Cardinals against Macalester last Friday. … Vandenberg, Sonday, and Barr share the team lead with seven dual-match singles wins, one more than Jorgensen and Julia Boeve (St. James, Minn.). … Barr's 6-2, 6-2 loss at No. 5 singles against Carleton on Jan. 29 snapped the freshman's five-match singles winning streak. Barr kicked off her collegiate career in impressive fashion at the 2016 Gustavus Invitational, going a perfect 4-0 in singles play. … Emily Strezishar's (East Grand Forks, N.D.) 6-0, 6-0 win at No. 6 singles against North Central (Minn.) on Feb. 10 was her first collegiate singles win. … Vandenberg, who owned a season-high six-match winning streak a year ago, posted a season- and career-high 17 singles wins in 2016. … Vandenberg's 17 singles wins rank No. 2 all-time, five wins shy of McKenna Edwards' 22-win total in 2012. … Vandenberg is also sitting No. 2 all-time in career singles wins with 50—seven back of Bailey Edwards' record 57 career singles wins—while Jorgensen is third with 48. … Marissa Kinzer (Aitkin, Minn.) owns a team-leading seven dual-match doubles wins, one more than Vandenberg and Sonday. … As a team, the Cardinals are 40-20 in dual-match singles matches, while going 20-10 in doubles play. … Thanks to their 9-0 victory over UW-Stevens Point on Feb. 26, the Cardinals improved to 39-12 in nonconference action since 2012. … Saint Mary's dropped just seven games in sweeping North Central (Minn.) on Feb. 10, and followed that up by losing just eight games in its 9-0 win over Bethany Lutheran a week later. … With their win over Martin Luther on Jan. 27, the Cardinals have now opened the season with a 9-0 victory in back-to-back seasons. … The Cardinals improved to 10-0 in their last 10 meetings with Martin Luther and are 9-0 against Bethany Lutheran.
 
Scouting The St. Catherine Wildcats:
2017 Roster | 2017 Schedule | 2017 Statistics
• The Wildcats head into Friday's match against Saint Mary's riding a season-high eight-match winning streak. … After opening the season with back-to-back losses to UM-Duluth and Northwestern, the Wildcats are 12-2 in their last 14 matches. … Jessica Duda and Julia Sporer share the team lead in singles wins with 10 each, two more than Alicia Knoll. … Both Duda (10-2 in singles play) and Sporer (10-2) enter their conference matches against Saint Mary's riding seven-match singles winning streaks. … Sporer and Alisha Wiedmeier share the team lead in doubles wins with nine each. … Sporer and Wiedmeier have teamed to win eight of their nine matches at No. 2 doubles—and are riding a seven-match winning streak. … As a team, the Wildcats are 50-27 in singles play—including 10-3 at both No. 4 and No. 5. In doubles, St. Catherine is 23-15, going 7-6 at No. 1, 9-4 at No. 2, and 7-5 at No. 3. … St. Catherine has used 14 different doubles combinations this season. … Five of the Wildcats' 12 wins have been 9-0 sweeps. SCU has also recorded two 6-3 wins, one 7-2 victory and one 5-4 triumph.
 
Scouting The Bethel Royals:
2017 Roster | 2017 Schedule | 2017 Statistics
• Last Saturday's 5-4 loss to UW-La Crosse snapped the Royals' six-match winning streak. … Bethel's 12 wins this season have come during two season-high six-match winning streaks. BU opened the season with six consecutive wins, and, after three straight losses, cruised through its six-match spring trip with a perfect 6-0 record. … Jill Weinzettel heads into Saturday's match against Saint Mary's with a team-leading 13 singles wins, one more than Sami Hindt and Mattie Kidder. … Weinzettel and Kidder are both currently riding seven-match winning streaks. … Kidder has gone 5-3 at No. 1 singles and 7-0 at No. 2 en route to her 12-3 record this season, while Weinzettel is 5-2 at No. 2, 7-1 at No. 3, and 1-0 at No. 1 in posting her 12-3 mark. … Sami Hindt ahs amassed a team-best 12 doubles wins, two more than both Kidder and Weinzettel. … As a team, the Royals are 69-27 in singles play—including 13-3 at No. 2 and No. 3, and 12-4 at No. 4. In doubles, BU—which has used 14 different doubles combinations—is 31-17, going 10-6 at No. 1 and No. 2, and 11-5 at No. 3. … The Royals are 1-1 at home this season, while going 2-2 on the road, and 9-1 in neutral-site matches.
 
Scouting The St. Norbert Green Knights:
2017 Roster | 2017 Schedule | 2017 Statistics
• Sunday's match against Saint Mary's is the third of eight straight home matches for the Green Knights, who are 6-5 on their home courts this year. … Katherine Ake, Katlyn Gahan and Meg Witt won conference championships at Nos. 2, 4 and 6 singles, respectively, during the fall portion of SNC's schedule. It was the first Midwest Conference singles championship for all three. … Ake and Gahan also teamed to win the No. 2 doubles MWC title, while Anna Gosz and Ashley Randazzo won their second MWC title as a doubles tandem at No. 3. … Ake has now won an MWC doubles title each of the last three seasons—having won at No. 2 in 2014 and at No. 3 in 2013. … Witt enters the Green Knights' match against Saint Mary's owning a team-leading 16 dual-match singles wins, one more than Ake, and two in front of Randazzo and Elizabeth Manlick. … Gahan, who has won 11 singles duals, is riding a seven-match winning streak, while Ake and Manlick have won five in a row. … Gosz and Randazzo have teamed for a team-lding 15 dual-match doubles wins, four more than the team of Ake/Gahan. … Ake/Gahan are riding a seven-match doubles winning streak. … As a team, the Green Knights are 87-51 in singles play—including 15-8 at Nos. 1, 2, 5, and 6. In doubles play, St. Norbert owns a 44-25 mark—including a near-perfect 20-3 record at No. 3.
 
Scouting The Alverno Inverno:
2017 Roster | 2017 Schedule | 2017 Statistics
• Sunday's matches against Saint Mary's and St. Norbert are the first of the spring for the Inferno, who closed out the fall portion of their schedule with an 11-6 mark—including a 7-2 showing in the Northern Athletic Collegiate Conference (NACC). … Alverno's 11 wins tie the program's single-season school record. … Alverno closed out the fall having won six straight and nine of its last 10—the lone loss a 7-2 loss to UW-Stout on Sept. 24. … Asia Butler-Yeo heads into Sunday's matches against Saint Mary's and St. Norbert owning a team-leading 14 singles wins, one more than Laeren Yates and Brooke McBain … Yates is currently riding a nine-match singles winning streak, while Butler-Yeo has won eight straight. … Michelle Alexander also owns 10 or more singles wins for the Inferno, boasting a 10-6 record. … Butler-Yeo and McBain share the team lead with 14 doubles wins—Butler-Yeo is 14-1 and McBain is 14-2. … As a team, Alverno is 68-29 in singles play, including 16-1 at No. 1, 13-4 at No. 2, and 11-5 and Nos. 3 and 4. … In doubles play, the Inferno boast a 33-18 overall mark, including a 15-2 showing at No. 1, and 9-8 records at Nos. 2 and 3. … Seven of Alverno's 11 wins have come on their home court—the Inferno are 4-4 on the road this year.
 
Scouting The Carroll Pioneers:
2017 Roster | 2017 Schedule | 2017 Statistics
• After going 8-7 during the fall portion of their schedule, the Pioneers opened the spring portion with back-to-back wins over Marietta (9-0) and Nazareth (5-4) in Hilton Head, S.C. … Megan Krzewinski and Shanna Mogden share the team lead with nine dual-match singles wins, two more than Lauren Goebel. … All nine of Krzewinski's wins have come at No. 2 singles, where she is 9-5. … Mogden, meanwhile, is 1-0 at No. 1 and 8-6 at No. 3. … Carroll has had 20 different individual play a singles match for the Pioneers this season. … The doubles teams of Alison Lambrecht/Lauren Miketinac and Goebel/Mogden have each posted a team-high five doubles wins. … The Pioneers have used 17 different doubles combinations this season. … Carroll is 65-61 in singles play—including 13-8 at No. 6, 12-9 at No. 2, and 11-10 at both No. 3 and No. 5. … In doubles play, the Pioneers own a 31-32 mark, including 11-10 at No. 1 and No. 3. … Carroll is 8-7 in home matches this season, while going 2-2 on the road and 2-0 in neutral-site matches.