By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's tennis team kicks off the 2019 season with a nonconference showdown against Martin Luther on Friday. The Cardinals and Knights will square off at 5 p.m. at the Winona Tennis Center.
 
The Matchups:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (2018: 12-9 Overall) vs. Martin Luther Knights (2018: 7-9 Overall)
 
Last Action:
• This weekend's match is the season-opener for both Saint Mary's and Martin Luther.
 
Saint Mary's vs. Martin Luther  — Their Last Meeting:
• January 26, 2018 * Winona, Minn.: The Cardinals picked up their 11th straight victory over Martin Luther with their third straight 9-0, season-opening sweep, breezing to wins in all three doubles matches — not to mention dropping just 13 games en route to six, straight-set singles wins at the Winona Tennis Center | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals are now off until next Friday, when they host Northwestern in a 6 p.m. nonconference match at the Winona Tennis Center.
• Martin Luther: The Knights are now off until Feb. 9, when they travel to the Fred Wells Tennis Center in St. Paul, Minn., for a 6 p.m. nonconference match against St. Catherine.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals: 
2019 Roster | 2019 Schedule | 2018 Final Statistics
• The Cardinals closed out their season winning eight of their last 11 matches en route to a 12-9 finish — including a 4-6 effort in conference play. … Laura Sonday (West St. Paul, Minn.) earned All-MIAC singles and doubles honors following her junior season a year ago, while Julia Boeve (St. James, Minn.) collected her first collegiate First-Team All-MIAC singles honor, and Colleen Lois (Green Bay, Wis.) was a First-Team All-MIAC doubles selection in her first year as a Cardinal. … Sonday finished her junior season sharing the team lead with 16 singles wins — including a career-best 11 straight victories at one time during the year. … Sonday closed out the year 14-3 in her last 17 singles matches and owned a 16-5 overall mark — all at No. 1 singles. … Sonday was the only Cardinal to play all 21 matches last season at the same position — and has now played 59 consecutive matches at No. 1 singles. … Boeve — who won each of her last 10 singles matches — shared the top spot with Sonday with 16 singles victories. … Lois and Cassandra Barr (Eau Claire, Wis.) also finished the year with 10 or more singles wins — Lois collected 13, while Barr closed out her sophomore campaign with 11. … Lois did not lose a game in her singles or doubles matches against Adrian on Feb. 28. The sophomore won 6-0, 6-0 at No. 2 singles, while also teaming up with Sonday for an 8-0 win at No. 1 doubles. … Along with her 16 singles wins, Sonday also posted a team-leading 16 dual-match doubles wins, one more than Lois. … As a doubles team, Sonday/Lois finished the year 15-4 — all at No. 1. Sonday also played one doubles match at No. 1 with Ashley Syed (Lewisville, Texas). … Sonday and Lois — who put together winning streaks of five, four, and three straight — closed out the year 10-2 in their last 12 matches. … Lois kicked off her collegiate career last season with five straight victories — winning all three of her singles matches in the 2017 Gustavus Fall Invitational, while teaming with Sonday for a pair of doubles wins at the 2017 ITA/Oracle Midwest Region Tournament. … The Cardinals ended 79-47 in singles play last season, while owning a 38-25 record in doubles play. … Five of Saint Mary's 12 wins last season were 9-0 sweeps. The Cardinals also owned five 8-1 victories and 5-4 triumphs over Macalester and St. Olaf. … With their victory over UW-River Falls on March 27, the Cardinals are now unbeaten in their last 16 meetings with the Falcons. … The Cardinals lost just five games in the six singles matches — and two games in their three doubles matches — in their 9-0 sweep of North Central on March 16. … The Cardinals improved to 5-0 all-time against Edgewood with their 8-1 win on Feb. 23. … With their season-opening win over Martin Luther on Jan. 26, the Cardinals have now opened the season with a 9-0 victory in three straight seasons. … The Cardinals are now 11-0 in their last 11 meetings with Martin Luther. … The Cardinals won all six singles matches against Martin Luther in straight sets. All six Saint Mary's singles players recorded at least one 6-0 victory against MLC—including a 6-0, 6-0 win by Boeve at No. 4 and a 6-1, 6-0 victory by Lois at No. 3. … The Cardinals, who went 6-3 in nonconference play a year ago, are 49-17 in nonconference matches since 2012.
 
Scouting The Martin Luther Knights:
2019 Roster | 2019 Schedule | 2018 Final Statistics
• The Knights head into Friday's season-opener against Saint Mary's after compiling a 7-9 record in 2018 — including a 4-3 showing in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference and an appearance in the UMAC post-season tournament. … MLC dropped a 7-2 decision to St. Scholastica in its post-season opener. … The Knights closed out 2018 winning two of their final three matches. … Anna Hemmelman compiled a team-leading 13 singles wins last season, finishing the year 13-3 — with all 16 matches coming at No. 1. … Hemmelman closed out 2018 having won her last 11 straight singles matches. … Hemmelman, who did not lose a match in seven conference contests, was named the 2018 UMAC Player of the Year. … Graduated senior and All-UMAC First-Teamer Rachel Riediger was second to Hemmelman with seven singles wins, while Sophia Birner, Ella Loersch, and Morgan Shevey all chipped in six. … Martin Luther closed out the year with a 46-50 record in singles play — including 13-3 at No. 1, 7-9 at No. 2, 4-12 at No. 3, 6-10 at No. 4, 7-9 at No. 5, and 9-7 at No. 6. … Along with her 13 singles wins, Hemmelman also led the team with nine doubles victories, one more than Loersch and Riediger. … As a team, the Knights boasted a 22-26 doubles record — 9-7 at No. 1, 5-11 at No. 2, and 8-8 at No. 3. … Martin Luther used eight different doubles combinations a year ago.