By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's tennis team kicks off the 2019 season with a busy home weekend at the Winona Tennis Center. The Cardinals host Martin Luther in a 6 p.m. nonconference match on Friday, before opening MIAC play with a noon matchup against Carleton the following day.
 
The Matchups:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (2018: 7-11 Overall) vs. Martin Luther Knights (2018: 5-9 Overall)
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (2018: 7-11 Overall) vs. Carleton Knights (2018: 21-4 Overall)
 
Last Action:
• This weekend's matches are the season-opener for Saint Mary's, Martin Luther, and Carleton.
 
Saint Mary's vs. Martin Luther  — Their Last Meeting:
• January 26, 2018 * Winona, Minn.: The Cardinals appeared to be in mid-season from in their season-opener against the Knights, as Saint Mary's did not drop a set in cruising to a 9-0 nonconference win over at the Winona Tennis Center | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Carleton — Their Last Meeting:
• January 27, 2018 * Winona, Minn.: Carleton — picked by the coaches to finish second to perennial power Gustavus in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches Poll — swept all three doubles matches and won five of the six singles matches in straight sets in dealing the Cardinals an 8-1 setback at the Winona Tennis Center | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals are back in action next weekend, hosting Northwestern in a 6 p.m. nonconference match on Friday at the Winona Tennis Center.
• Martin Luther: The Knights are now off until Feb. 9, when they travel to Macalester's Leonard Center in St. Paul, Minn., for a 3:30 p.m. nonconference match against the Scots.
• Carleton: Following this weekend's matches against Saint Mary's, UW-La Crosse, and North Dakota, the Knights return to action next Sunday, kicking off MIAC play against Concordia at 10 a.m. at Courts Plus in Fargo, N.D.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals: 
2019 Roster | 2019 Schedule | 2018 Final Statistics
• The Cardinals closed out the 2018 season having won three of their last four matches — including a season-ending 5-4 thriller over Hamline on April 21. … The Cardinals finished the season 3-7 on their home court, while going 4-4 away from the Winona Tennis Center. … Bobby Tiedemann (Euclid, Minn.) closed out the year as the Cardinals' singles wins leader with 10, two more than Robbie Sobczak (Cloquet, Minn.) and four in front of Brenden Amiotte (Rapid City, S.D.). … Tiedemann had his career-high six-match singles winning streak snapped with a 7-6 (3), 6-2 loss at No. 4 against Bethel on Feb. 10. Tiedeman's winning streak covered wins in his last three singles matches in 2017, and the first three in 2018. … Amiotte (6-12), who was the only Cardinal to have played every match at the same position—playing all 18 contests at No. 1 singles — kicked off his 2018 senior season in impressive fashion at the ITA Midwest Regional, rebounding from an opening-round loss to win six straight matches in claiming the consolation title, giving him 12 overall singles wins this season. … Tiedemann and Alex Zuzek (Hastings, Minn.) shared the team lead in dual-match doubles wins a year ago with 10, one more than both Amiotte and Alex Holm (Red Wing, Minn.). … The Cardinals used 11 different doubles combinations this season. … As a team, Saint Mary's finished 42-66 in singles play, while going 29-34 in doubles action. … The Cardinals posted three 9-0 victories last season, sweeping, Martin Luther, North Central, and St. Norbert, while adding a pair of 8-1 wins — beating Wartburg and Edgewood — and a 6-3 triumph over Lawrence. … The Cardinals did not drop a game — in singles or doubles — in rolling to their 9-0 win over North Central on March 16. … Saint Mary's lost just nine games in its six straight-set singles wins vs. Martin Luther on Jan. 26 — including 6-0, 6-0 wins by Sobczak at No. 3 and Zuzek at No. 6. … Amiotte/Tiedemann, Sobczak/Holm, and Zuzek/Gabe Graves (Littleton, Colo.) combined to drop just three games in doubles play against Martin Luther on Jan. 26. … With a 6-3 record last season, the Cardinals are now to 54-19 in nonconference matches since 2012. … The Cardinals have swept North Central in each of their last three meetings. … Fueled by their 8-1 win over Edgewood on Feb. 23, the Cardinals improved to 4-0 against the Falcons all-time — sandwiching 9-0 wins around a pair of 8-1 victories. … Saint Mary's season-opening win over Martin Luther on Jan. 26 pushed its record to 12-0 vs. the Knights — including six straight 9-0 victories.
 
Scouting The Martin Luther Knights:
2019 Roster | 2019 Schedule | 2018 Final Statistics
• The Knights head into the 2019 season on the heels of a 5-9 showing in 2018 — including a 3-4 showing in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC). … Joel Koelpin closed out his freshman season with a team-leading nine singles wins — going 1-2 at No. 3 and 8-2 at No. 4. … Joel Koelpin finished the season 7-3 in his last 10 matches. … Josh Koelpin and Josh Schroeder finished second to Joel Koelpin in singles wins with six each, while Caleb Koelpin and Ethan Schultz both finished with four. … As a team, Martin Luther closed out 2018 16-26 in singles matches. … Schroeder was MLC's doubles wins leader with six, followed by Nicolas Gartner and Josh Koelpin with five, and Joel Koelpin, Ethan Schultz, and Justin Steinke with four each. … Martin Luther, which used nine different doubles combinations a year ago, equaled its singles record, posting a 16-26 mark in doubles play. … The Knights did not win a match on their home courts a year ago, going 0-6, while finishing 5-3 on the road.
 
Scouting The Carleton Knights:
2019 Roster | 2019 Schedule | 2018 Final Statistics
• The Knights open play in 2019 after going 21-4 a year ago — including an 8-1, second-place showing in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. … Carleton dropped a 5-3 decision to Gustavus in the MIAC Playoff title match. … The Knights return four of five All-MIAC performers from a year ago. Jordon O'Kelly and Leo Vithoontien garnered garnered all-conference honors in both singles and doubles, while Aaron Goodman and Andrew Qi were also named to the All-MIAC singles team. … Vithoontien enjoyed a remarkable freshman campaign for the Knights, earning ITA Regional Rookie of the Year honors, while becoming the first Carleton men's tennis player since 1989 to earn All-America status after a 1-1 showing at the 2018 NCAA Championships. … Vithoontien, ranked No. 3-ranked in the Central Region and No. 15 in the nation by the ITA in singles play, closed out the year with a team-leading 19-1 singles record in dual matches. … Vithoontien was one of five Knights with 10 or more singles wins a year ago — Goodman (17), Sahil Chhugani (16), Qi (14), and Kevin Hurley (12) were the others. … As a team, Carleton went 116-33 in singles play — including 22-3 at No. 520-5 at Nos. 2 and 3, and 20-4 at No. 1. … Hurley closed out his senior season having won his last 11 matches. … Hurley and Xander Zuczek teamed up to post a team-high 17 doubles victories — going 10-1 at No. 2 and 7-1 at No. 3. … Vithoontien and Jordon O'Kelly also posted double-digit wins in doubles action, going 12-2 — all at No. 1. … As a team, ,the Knights finish with a 57-18 doubles record. … Carleton used 18 doubles combinations in 2018.