ARDEN HILLS, 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 Bethel for a 3 p.m. showdown with the Royals.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (1-5 MIAC, 7-6 Overall) at Bethel Royals (1-2 MIAC, 12-4 Overall), 6:30 p.m.
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—March 24, 2017 | White Bear Lake, Minn.: Saint Mary's put together one of its best performances of the season, but it was not enough, as the Cardinals dropped a 6-3 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference decision to Macalester | Recap
• Bethel—March 25, 2017 | Minneapolis, Minn.: UW-La Crosse jumped out to a 2-1 lead after the three doubles matches, and the two teams split the six singles contests, as the Eagles handed Bethel a 5-4 nonconference setback | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Bethel—Their Last Meeting:
• April 2, 2016 * Winona, Minn.: Saint Mary's could have used a break or two in its Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference match against Bethel. Two of the three doubles matches were decided by three games or less, while two of the six singles matches including a first- or second-set tiebreaker, and a third went the maximum three sets. And in all five of those matches, it was the Royals who came out on top, as Bethel dealt the Cardinals a 9-0 setback at the Winona Tennis Center | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals return home to the Winona Tennis Center next Saturday, hosting St. Olaf in a 3 p.m. conference match.
• Bethel: The Royals hit the road next Saturday, traveling to Collegeville, Minn., for a 3 p.m. MIAC showdown with Saint John's.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2017 Roster | 2017 Schedule | 2017 Statistics
• Saturday's match against Bethel is the second of back-to-back road matches for the Cardinals, who are 4-4 away from the Winona Tennis Center this season. … Saint Mary's loss to nationally ranked Gustavus on March 1 snapped the Cardinals' season-high four-match winning streak. Since that four-match run, the Cardinals have dropped three straight. … Three of the Cardinals' six losses this season have been 9-0 decisions—the exceptions, 5-4 losses to Concordia on March 19 and Carroll on Feb. 18, and last Friday's 6-3 setback at Macalester. … Three of Saint Mary's five conference losses have come against the top three teams in the MIAC standings—Carleton, Gustavus, and St. Thomas. … Robbie Sobczak (Cloquet, Minn.) picked up Saint Mary's lone singles win against Macalester last Friday, rallying from a set down for a 6-7 (4), 7-6 (2), 10-7 victory at No. 6. … Two double's teams accounted for the other two wins for the Cardinals against Macalester, as Brenden Amiotte (Rapid City, S.D.) and Bobby Tiedemann (Euclid, Minn.) rolled to an 8-1 win at No. 2, and Alex Zuzek (Hastings, Minn.) and Sobczak added an 8-3 win at No. 3. … With his three-set win against Macalester last Friday, Sobczak moved into a tie for the team lead in singles wins (8) with Tiedemann. … Zuzek, who put together a season-high five-match singles winning streak earlier this season, is second to Tiedeman and Sobczak with seven dual-match singles wins. … Saint Mary's had three players—Tiedeman, Sobczak, and Jake Allen (Winona, Minn.)—record their first collegiate singles wins against Martin Luther on Jan. 20. … Tiedeman and Amiotte share the team lead with nine dual-match doubles wins. … Amiotte and Tiedemann have teamed up to win six of their last seven matches at No. 2 doubles. … As a team, the Cardinals are 43-35 in singles play, while going 21-18 in doubles action. … 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. … 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 owns a 3-1 record on their home court, while going 4-3 away from the Winona Tennis Center this season. … Saint Mary's is a near-perfect 5-1 in nonconference play—the lone setback, a 5-4 decision at Carroll on Feb. 18. … With their 3-0 showing in their last three nonconference matches, the Cardinals improved to 47-16 in nonconference play since 2012. … Saint Mary's has put together two, 9-0 victories this season—sweeping Bethany Lutheran on Feb. 17 and Martin Luther on Jan. 20. … Saint Mary's has won nine straight against Bethany Lutheran and are 11-0 against Martin Luther—including five straight 9-0 victories.
 
Scouting The Bethel Royals:
2017 Roster | 2017 Schedule | 2017 Statistics
• The Royals had their seven-match winning streak snapped with last Saturday's 5-4 loss to UW-La Crosse. … Eleven of Bethel's 12 wins have coming during two lengthy winning streaks. Along with their season-high seven-match run, the Royals also own a four-match win streak. … Kolin Kiekhoefer and Hunter Fernelius have been the team's singles leaders, compiling 12 and 11 singles wins, respectively. … Kiekhoefer (12-1 in singles play) enters Saturday's match against Saint Mary's riding a nine-match singles win streak, while Fernelius (11-2) has won each of his last seven singles matches. … Matt Schull has collected a team-best 10 doubles wins, one more than Fernelius, Kiekhoefer, and Kent Schaller. … The Royals have used 20 different doubles combinations through 16 matches. … As a team, Bethel is 70-26 in singles play—including 15-1 at No. 2 and 13-3 at No. 3. In doubles action, the Royals are 38-10—including 13-3 at both No. 1 and No. 2. … The Royals have won their lone home match, while going 1-3 on the road and 10-1 in neutral-site matches.