WINONA, Minn. — There was nothing easy about the Saint Mary's University men's tennis team's match against Wartburg Saturday afternoon, as the Cardinals gutted out a 6-3 nonconference win at the Winona Tennis Center.
 
"The guys put forth an exceptional effort," said Saint Mary's men's tennis coach Jeff Halberg. "They played very, very well — and really set us up nicely heading into (Sunday's match against) St. Olaf.
 
Josh Janssen (Green Bay, Wis.) and Evan Huemoeller (Owatonna, Minn.) teamed for an 8-6 win at No. 2 doubles and Gabe Graves (Littleton, Colo.) and Reilly Fredell (Colorado Springs, Colo.) added an 8-2 victory at No. 3 to give Saint Mary's a 2-1 lead heading into the six singles matches.
 
And that's where the Cardinals really shined, getting straight-set wins from Brandon Kurilla (Hastings, Minn.), Trevor Smiley (Minnetonka, Minn.), Graves, and E.J. Hietala (Duluth, Minn.), who dropped just a combined eight games in their four straight-set wins.
 
The Cardinals (2-1 overall) return to the Winona Tennis Center courts on Sunday, hosting St. Olaf at 11 a.m.