WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University men's tennis team was no match for Gustavus Saturday afternoon in the teams' Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference showdown.
 
But then, a loss to the Gusties is nothing new — for any team in the conference.
 
Gustavus extended its MIAC regular-season winning streak to more than 330 in a row, dropping just three games in the three doubles matches and sweeping five of the six singles contests in straight sets in dealing the Cardinals a 9-0 setback at the Winona Tennis Center
 
"The guys put up a good battle against a very good, nationally ranked Gustavus team," said Saint Mary's coach Jeff Halberg. "(Gustavus) is just so deep and talented. Hats off to Matt (Besek), he played a phenomenal match at No. 6 singles."
 
The Gusties — who picked up their 34th straight MIAC regular-season title in 2023, and won its 12th consecutive MIAC Playoff crown last season — raced out to a 3-0 win with three straight 8-1 victories in the doubles portion of the conference matchup.
 
Gustavus continued to flex their muscles in singles, losing only nine games in posting straight-set wins at Nos. 1-5, while Matt Besek (Winona, Minn.) gave GAC's Joe Li all he could handle at No. 6, winning the first set, only to fall 4-6,6-4, 10-4.
 
The Cardinals (0-2 MIAC, 4-5 overall) are now off until March 4-6, when they head to the USTA National Tennis Campus in Orlando, Fla., for spring trip matches against Adrian, King's, and Albion.