WHITEWATER, Wis. — It was a collegiate day to remember for Saint Mary's University's Peyton Buerman (Shawano, Wis.) and Ashley Renwick.
 
The duo, competing in their first matches as a members of the Cardinal women's tennis team, recorded their first collegiate singles victories — but it was anything but easy.
 
Bueerman outlasted Northwestern's Taylar Smith 7-6 (7-4), 1-6, 10-6 and Renwick followed suit with a marathon, 6-0, 3-6, 10-4 victory over Caroline Hutchinson of Wartburg during the opening day of the ITA Regional/Midwest Open competition Friday.
 
And that was just the tip of the iceberg for the Cardinals at the Midwest Open, as Saint Mary's collected singles wins in all four opening-round matches.
 
Saint Mary's also picked up a pair of singles wins at the ITA Regional — including a second-round win by Natalie Peterson (St. Cloud, Minn.).
 
Emily Henderson (Jordan, Minn.) followed the  lead of her freshmen teammates and posted a three-set win of her own at the Midwest Open, beating Chihiro Ono of Wartburg, 3-7, 6-2, 11-9, while Maddie Dosser (South St. Paul, Minn.) rolled to a 6-3, 7-5 win in her opening match against Karina Manders of Edgewood.
 
Henderson followed up her three-set win with a 7-6 (7-0), 6-4 win over Northwestern's Belinda Weddle, but the road ended in the second round for Buerman, Dosser, and Renwick. Buerman fell to Wartburg's Natalie Kaiser, 6-1, 6-3, Dosser dropped a 6-3, 6-0 decision to UW-L's Katie Kearney, and Renwick suffered a 6-2, 6-2 setback to Mary Enright of Gustavus.
 
Peterson and Maggie Frye (Colorado Springs, Colo.) got Saint Mary's off to a strong start during Friday's ITA Regional singles action. Peterson, who received a first-round bye, outlasted Concordia's Jenna Forknell in yet another Cardinal three-setter, 6-4, 5-7, 10-2, while Frye rolled to a 6-4, 7-6 (4) win over Edgewood's Alyssa Carew. Zoie Becker (St. James, Minn.) and Kennedy Morgan (Green Bay, Wis.) were not as fortunate in their ITA opening-round matches, both falling in straight sets.
 
Frye's bid for a second straight singles win fell short, falling to second-seeded Mary Frances Hose of Carleton, 6-0, 6-0.
 
In doubles play, the Cardinals came up empty, with Peterson/Morgan and Kailee Johnson (Rochester, Minn.)/Maddie Dosser (South St. Paul, Minn.) falling in ITA play, while Ella Boomgarden (St. Peter, Minn.)/Kara Hand (Lisle, Ill.) and Sarrianna Hoffer (Wausau, Wis.)/Sofia Holmes (Medina, Minn.) lost at the Midwest Open.

Peterson and Henderson will take part in the third round in their respective ITA and Midwest Open singles draws, while the rest of the Cardinals will compete in consolation draws in either singles or doubles.