SAINT MARY'S CARDINALS 

Home | Roster | Stats | Schedule

• 2021: 4-8 Overall / 2-6 MIAC

NORTHWESTERN EAGLES

Home | Roster | Stats | Schedule

• 2021: 20-9 Overall / 4-2 UMAC

MARTIN LUTHER KNIGHTS

Home | Roster | Stats | Schedule

• 2021: 4-6 Overall / 3-3 UMAC

CARLETON KNIGHTS

Home | Roster | Stats | Schedule

• 2021: 9-2 Overall / 7-1 MIAC 

SMU v. NORTHWESTERN:

April 2, 2021 * L, 5-4

Series History

SMU v. MARTIN LUTHER:

Jan. 24, 2020 * W, 9-0 

Series History

SMU v. CARLETON:

April 21, 2021 * L, 8-1

Series History

SAINT MARY'S LAST ACTION:

Oct. 1-2, 2021 * ITA Regional * Recap 1 / Recap 2

SAINT MARY'S UP NEXT:

Feb. 13, 2022 * Gustavus * Winona, MN * 1:30

NORTHWESTERN LAST ACTION:

May 12-13, 2021 * ITA NCCAA N’tl Tournament

Dallas Baptist * L, 4-0 | Campbellsville * L, 4-0

Oakland City * L, 4-0

NORTHWESTERN UP NEXT:

Feb. 18, 2022 * Concordia * Fargo, ND * 5:30

MARTIN LUTHER LAST ACTION

April 30, 2021 * UM-Morris * L, 9-0

MARTIN LUTHER UP NEXT:

Feb. 5, 2022 * Macalester * Minneapolis, MN * 1:00

CARLETON LAST ACTION:

May 8, 2021 * Gustavus * L, 5-1

CARLETON UP NEXT:

Feb. 12, 2022 * UWEC * Rochester, MN * Noon

• FOR THE RECORD: The Cardinals enter the 2022 season have finished 4-7 overall a year ago, including 2-8 in conference action.

• GOING THE DISTANCE:Of the Cardinals’ 11 singles matches during the opening day of the ITA Regional/Midwest Open, four were extended to a third set.

• THREE-FOR-THREE: E.J. Hietala rattled off three straight singles wins to open ITA Regional/Midwest Open on Oct. 1, 

• CAREER FIRSTS: Tanner Tschumper (Foley, Minn.) and Brendon Raabolle (Andover, Minn.) each picked up their first collegiate singles wins at the ITA Regional/Midwest Open on Oct. 1. Tschumper kicked off his collegiate career with a 6-1, 5-7, 10-7 victory over Hamline’s Britton Von Ruden, while Raabolle dropped Northwestern’s Eli Henderson, 6-3, 4-6, 10-8 victory. Tschumper and Raabolle joined Evan Huemoeller (Owatonna, Minn.), Hietala, and Reilly Fredell (Colorado Springs, Colo.), who all notched their first Cardinal wins in 2021.

• HOME SWEET HOME: All four of the Cardinals’ wins in 2021 came on their home courts — defeating Loras (7-2), Wartburg (6-3), Hamline (6-3), and Concordia (9-0).

• REVOLVING DOOR: Saint Mary’s used six different combinations at No. 3 doubles, combining for a 5-7 record.

• TEAM LEADER: Trevor Smiley (Minnetonka, Minn.) closed out the year with a team-leading seven singles wins — six of which came during the junior’s career-high six-match singles winning streak.

• ROLLING ALONG: Saint Mary’s closed out the home portion of its schedule in 2021 with a 9-0 win over Concordia on April 18. The win over the Cobbers was Saint Mary’s first 9-0 sweep of the season. SMU also owned two 6-3 victories and one 7-2 triumph.

• STREAK-SNAPPER: The Cardinals’ 5-4 loss to Northwestern on April 2 snapped their 13-match winning streak against the Eagles.

• TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS: With their wins over Loras and Wartburg, and loss to Northwestern, the Cardinals are now 67-25 in nonconference matches since 2012. 

• FOR THE RECORD: The Eagles head to Saint Mary’s fresh off a 20-9 season in 2021, including a 4-2 mark in UMAC action. Northwestern dropped a 5-4 decision to UW-Superior in the semifinals of the UMAC Tournament a year ago.

• NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT: After falling to UW-Superior 5-4 in the UMAC Tournament semifinals, the Eagles received an invitational to compete in the NCCAA National Championship, falling to Dallas Baptist, Campbellsville (Ky.), and Oakland City, all by 4-0 counts.

• RECORD-SETTING SEASON: The Eagles’ 20 wins in 2021 were a program record. UNW opened the season winning its first 12 matches, before dropping a 7-2 decision to St. Olaf. The Eagles then put together a four-game win streak, only to close the season 4-7 in its last 11 matches.

• MIAC FOES: Northwestern faced five teams from the MIAC a year ago, beating Concordia (6-3) and Saint Mary’s (5-4), while falling to St. Olaf (7-2), Gustavus (9-0), and Hamline (5-4). UNW also suffered a 7-2 loss to 2021-22 MIAC-newcomer St. Scholastica.

• LEADING THE WAY: Stewart Morrell closed out 2021 having amassed a team-leading 21 singles wins, finishing the year at 21-4 — going 2-0 at No. 1, 4-4 at No. 2, 9-0 at No. 3, and 6-0 at No. 4. … Jack Geurkink (15), Adam Ryerse (14), Davis Pfaff (14), and Matthew Wedin (12) also recorded 10 or more singles wins for the Eagles a year ago.

• DIFFERENT LOOKS: Northwestern had five players play at least three different singles positions last season, including three — Ryerse, Morrell, and Joel Fremling — who played at four different spots a year ago.

• DOUBLING UP: Along with his team-leading 21 singles wins, Morrell also led the team with 17 wins in doubles competition, two more than Ryerse. Pfaff and Wedin chipped in 14 doubles victories, followed by Geurkink and Tyrus Studer with 11 each. … Pfaff and Wedin were the winningest doubles pair, going 13-10.

• AS A TEAM: Northwestern finished 111-53 in singles play a year ago, while going 55-30 in doubles. … The Eagles used 18 different doubles combinations last season. … UNW played just six home matches in 2021, going 5-1. The Eagles were 8-4 in road contests and 7-4 in neutral-site matches.

• FOR THE RECORD: The Knights head into their season-opener against Saint Mary’s after finishing 4-6 in 2021, including a 3-3 showing in UMAC action. MLC reached the semifinals of the UMAC Tournament, beating UM-Morris 8-1, before being swept by St. Scholastica 9-0.

• SWEPT AWAY: Five of MLC’s six losses last season were 9-0 sweeps — the lone exception, a 5-4 setback at the hands of UM-Morris on April 15. On the flip side, Martin Luther’s four wins came by scores of 5-4, 7-2, 8-1, and 9-0.

• SINGLED OUT: Josiah Koelpin closed out 2021 owning a team-leading five singles wins, while Benjamin Foss and Elijah Schulz finished tied for second with four victories. Jonah Schulz was the only Knight to play all 10 matches at the same position, finishing the year 2-8 at No. 1 singles.

• DOUBLING UP: Foss and Jonah Schulz closed out the year leads the team with five doubles wins each, one more than Josiah Koelpin and Elijah Schulz, while Seth Kolpin and Marcus Sims both added three doubles victories. … Foss and Jonah Schulz closed out the year 5-4 as a doble team, with all nine matches played at No. 1. … MLC had two different doubles combinations compete at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles, while three different pairs played at No. 3.

• AS A TEAM: MLC finished the year 21-39 in singles play, while going 12-18 in doubles. The Knights owned a 5-5 record at No. 5 and No. 6 singles, while going 4-6 at No. 3, 3-7 at No. 2, and 2-8 at Nos. 1 and 4. In doubles, the Knights boasted a 5-5 record at No. 1, while going 3-7 at No. 2 and 4-6 at No. 3.

• FOR THE RECORD: The Knights head into their season-opening matches against Saint Mary’s and UW-La Crosse coming off a 9-2 showing in 2021 — including a near-perfect 8-1 mark in conference play. Carleton’s both losses a year ago came at the hands of Gustavus — falling 6-3 in regular-season play and 5-1 in the championship match of the MIAC Tournament.

• NATIONAL CHAMPIONS x 2: The Knights boasted NCAA Division III national champions in both singles and doubles last season. Leo Vithoontien won the program’s first-ever singles national title, then teamed with fellow senior Xander Zuczek to claim Carleton’s first doubles national crown. … Vithoontien became the 12th player in men’s tennis history to win national titles in both singles and doubles in the same season. 

• POST-SEASON DOMINANCE: The Knights’ loss to the Gusties in the MIAC Tournament championship match marked the 11th time in the last 14 seasons that Carleton and Gustavus have met with the MIAC Tournament title on the line.

• SINGLED OUT: Vithoontien and Yuv Kataria closed out 2021 leading the Knights in dual-match singles wins with eight, one more than Aswath Viswanathan and two up on Xander Roti. … Vithoontien did not lose a singles dual all season, with all eight wins coming at No. 1. … Kataira (8-1( and Roti (6-3) led the team in matches played with nine each. No Knight played in all 11 duals last season.

• DOUBLING UP: Aniketh Vipparla and Christof Zweifel finished with a team-high seven wins as a doubles combination, while Vithoontien/Zuczek and Kataria/William Walsh were both tied for second at 5-2. 

• AS A TEAM: The Knights closed out their dual-match schedule boasting a 46-15 record in singles play, while going 27-6 in doubles competition. … Carleton has six players compete at three different positions, including three — Kataria, Noah Mueller, and Aniken Vipperia — who competed in four different positions. … The Knights played with 11 different doubles combinations last season.