MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's tennis coach Jeff Halberg knew the key to the Cardinals' Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Playoff opener against St. Thomas was getting off to a quick start.
 
And a quick start is what Halberg witnessed Wednesday afternoon.
 
Unfortunately for the Saint Mary's head coach, it was the third-seeded Tommies who raced to a quick lead—and never looked back in ousting  the sixth-seeded Cardinals 5-0 at the University of Minnesota Baseline Tennis Center.
 
"St. Thomas came out of the blocks playing very well," said Halberg. "But once we got our feet under us, we battled hard.
 
"St. Thomas deserved  their win today but I am very proud of our effort today, and all year."
 
The Tommies grabbed a 3-0 lead after the three doubles matches, winning 8-2 and Nos. 1 and 2, while adding an 8-3 victory at No. 3. St. Thomas completed the victory with 6-1, 6-1, and 6-0, 6-0 victories at No. 3 and No. 4 singles.
 
The Cardinals, who were making their first MIAC Playoff appearance since 2010, closed out the season with a 12-7 overall record—including a 5-5 mark in conference play and sixth-place finish in the regular-season MIAC standings.
 
St. Thomas (15-2 overall) travel to second-seeded Gustavus on Friday for one of the MIAC Playoffs' two semifinal matches.