By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
WINONA, Minn. — There was good news, and there was bad news for the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's tennis team Friday evening.
 
The good news … all three doubles matches were decided by 8-3 decisions.
 
The bad news … all three of those doubles matches were won by Bethel.
 
And that was just the tip of the iceberg, as the Royals took that 3-0 lead and added six, straight-set singles wins in dealing the Cardinals a 9-0 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference setback at the University of Minnesota Baseline Tennis Center.
 
"We met a tough Bethel team tonight — they are solid throughout," said Saint Mary's coach Jeff Halberg, who Cardinals had their two-match winning streak snapped with the loss. "We got some solid performances — especially from Bobby (Tiedemann) and Brandon (Kurilla) —but Bethel was just too much for us."
 
The Royals quickly grabbed their 3-0 lead with back-to-back-to-back 8-3 victories and then managed to hold off the hard-charging Cardinals in winning the six singles matches in straight sets.
 
Bobby Tiedemann (Euclid, Minn.) suffered a 6-4, 6-4 setback in his first appearance at No. 1 singles this season, while Brandon Kurilla (Hastings, Minn.) dropped a 6-1, 7-6 (1) decision at No. 4.
 
The Cardinals (0-2 MIAC, 4-3 overall) are right back in action at the U of M Baseline Tennis Center on Saturday, squaring off against St. Thomas in a 4 p.m. conference matchup.