WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University women's tennis team cruised into Friday's Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference match against St. Catherine riding a two-match winning streak — thanks to convincing wins over Loras (7-2) and Minnesota State-Mankato (8-1).
 
The Cardinals' ride, however, hit a speed bump against the Wildcats, as SCU dealt Saint Mary's a 6-3 conference setback at the Winona Tennis Center.
 
"We put up an incredible fight and I am so proud of this team," said Saint Mary's coach Jeff Halberg. "The ladies played well enough to win today — it was an outstanding effort all the way around."
 
The Wildcats opened the match with wins in two of the three doubles matches — Emily Henderson (Jordan, Minn.) and Maddie Dosser (South St. Paul, Minn.) recorded SMU's doubles victory with an 8-6 triumph at No. 3.
 
St. Catherine maintained the upper hand in singles play, winning four of the six singles contests. Zoie Becker (St. James, Minn.) extended her season-opening winning streak to four with a three-set thriller at No. 5 — beating SCU's Elsa Joly 4-6, 6-4, 10-6 — while Henderson completed her perfect evening, adding a 6-4, 7-6 win at No. 6 singles to her victory at No. 3 doubles.
 
The Cardinals (0-2 MIAC, 2-2 overall) are right back on the courts at the Winona Tennis Center on Saturday, hosting Wartburg in a 12:30 p.m. nonconference match.