SAINT MARY’S CARDINALS

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2022: 1-8 MIAC, 6-15 Overall

LIVE ON THE WEB:

Tournament Website

SMU-ITA * A YEAR AGO:

Oct. 1-2, 2021 * St. Peter, MN

Day 1 Recap * Day 2 Recap 

SAINT MARY’S * UP NEXT:

Jan. 28, 2023 * Winona, MN

Martin Luther * 12:30 p.m.

Jan. 29, 2023 * Winona, MN

Carleton * 1:30 p.m.

SAINT MARY’S CARDINALS SCOUTING REPORT:

• FOR THE RECORD: The Cardinals closed out the 2022 season with a 6-15 overall record, including a 1-8 mark in conference play.

• TOTAL DOMINATION: With their 7-2 win over Martin Luther on Jan. 29, 2022, the Cardinals pushed their winning streak to 19 straight against the Knights. SMU has never lost to Martin Luther in program history.

• SUCCESS ON THE ROAD: Five of the Cardinals’ six wins in 2022 came on the road. Saint Mary’s — which played seven of its first 10 matches on their home courts — was 1-7 at home, while boasting a 5-5 mark away from the Winona Tennis Center.

• SINGLED OUT: E.J. Hietala (Duluth, Minn.) closed out the 2022 campaign owning a team-leading 11 dual-match singles wins. The then-junior also collected three singles matches at the ITA/Midwest Open last fall to give him a team-best 14 overall singles victories. Tucker Stene (Fridley, Minn.) shared the team lead with 11 dual-match singles wins in his first year as a Cardinal. … Stene had his season- and career-high six-match winning streak snapped against Macalester on March 26, 2022. The freshman ended the year 7-3 in his last 10 singles matches. … Josh Janssen (Green Bay, Wis.) and Hietala both put together season-high five-match singles wins earlier in the year. 

• CAREER FIRSTS: Matt Besek (Winona, Minn.) collected his first collegiate singles victory with a 6-3, 6-4 win at No. 6 against Lawrence on Feb. 5, 2022. Besek is the fourth Cardinal to record collegiate win No. 1, joining Stene, Peter Quinn (Lake Elmo, Minn.), and Brendon Raabolle (Andover, Minn.). Stene notched SMU win No. 1 against Martin Luther on Jan. 29, 2022, while Quinn notched his against Ripon on Feb. 4, 2022 and Raabolle picked up his first collegiate singles win at the ITA Regional/Midwest Open on Oct. 1, 2021. 

• GOING THE DISTANCE: Six of the 12 singles matches in the Cardinals’ season-ending losses to St. Scholastica and Hamline last season went to a third set. SMU closed out the season playing 45 three-set matches this season and own an 22-23 mark in three-setters.

• PERFECT RUN: Janssen and Hietala were each perfect in SMU’s three wins over Ripon, Lawrence, and St. Norbert on Feb. 4-5, 2022, winning all three of their singles and doubles matches.

• DOUBLING UP: The doubles team of Janssen/Brandon Kurilla (Hastings, Minn.) led the Cardinals with 12 doubles wins last season — all at No. 1 — while Hietala/Quinn were second with four doubles wins at No. 2. Hietala also teamed with Raabolle to post four wins in eight doubles matches together. … Besek had a hand in four dual-match doubles wins, going 2-4 with Raabolle and 2-5 with Caden Rodning (Mason City, Iowa). … SMU used just one doubles combination at No. 1, four combinations at No. 2, and six at No. 3.

• WEEKLY HONOR: Janssen collected his first collegiate MIAC Athlete of the Week honor on Feb. 7, 2022, after his perfect 6-0 showing in SMU’s wins over Ripon, Lawrence, and St. Norbert on Feb. 4-5.

• PROGRAM FIRSTS: The Cardinals’ matches against Calvin, Piedmont, Houghton, and Mount Vernon Nazarene during their spring trip were all the first meetings in program history.

• OUT OF THEIR LEAGUE: The Cardinals’ losses to UW-Superior and Loras on Feb. 18-19, 2022 snapped their five-game nonconference winning streak. SMU is now 5-7 in nonconference play this season and 71-33 vs. non-MIAC foes since 2012.