By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
WINONA, Minn. — It may not have been pretty — but for the Saint Mary's University men's tennis team, it was a victory all the same.
 
The Cardinals needed a 6-3, 6-4 win by Josh Janssen (Green Bay, Wis.) at No. 5 singles to secure their 5-4 nonconference win over Loras Sunday at the Winona Tennis Center.
 
"This was not a pretty win," said Saint Mary's coach Jeff Halberg. "But the guys were able to gut it out, and Josh came through with the clinching win to get us over the hump. Our little break now could not come at a better time."
 
Loras grabbed the upper hand after doubles, picking up wins at No. 1 and No. 3, with Robbie Sobczak (Cloquet, Minn.)/Gabe Graves (Littleton, Colo.) earning Saint Mary's doubles victory, an 8-5 triumph at No. 2.
 
The Cardinals came to life in singles getting straight-set wins from Trevor Smiley (Minnetonka, Minn.), Graves, and Janssen, while Nolan Smiley (Minnetonka, Minn.) needed three sets for a 6-0, 2-6, 11-9 win at No. 6.
 
The Cardinals (6-4 overall) are now off until March 13-14-15, when they play three matches in three days. Saint Mary's will host Gustavus in a 6 p.m. MIAC contest on March 13, before hitting the road for back-to-back matches at UM-Morris on Saturday and at Concordia on Sunday.