Hard-luck Cardinals can't get any wins for their efforts

WINONA, Minn. — The score was a definitive 9-0 victory for Carleton last Sunday.

Yet, despite the lopsided final outcome, Saint Mary's University women's tennis coach Jeff Halberg couldn't be happier.

Not wtih the final score, but with the Cardinals' performance — and their potential.

"The score certainly didn't tell the whole story," said Halberg. "We may not have taken any matches, but we were very close at most positions — which is especially important when you consider that Carleton is a regionally ranked team with a very good chance of qualifying for the NCAA Division III national tournament. "

The Cardinals failed to win a match against the high-powered Knights, but Ann Leeder (Greenfield, Wis.) certainly gave it her best effort, falling in three sets, 5-7, 6-2, 10-3 at No. 4 singles, while Ashley Meschke (Pequot Lakes, Minn.) dropped a a hard-fought 7-5, 6-1 decision at No. 1 singles. Michele Clarke (Omaha Neb.) and Angie Beissel (Hastings, Minn.) also gave Carleton all it could handle at No. 2 doubles, as the SMU duo fell 9-8.

"I'm very proud of the way we played," said Halberg, whose men's team was also scheduled to play the Knights, but a scheduling mix-up forced the match to be postponed to a later date. "This women's team has already come a long way since the beginning of the season and they have a lot of fight in them."

THE SMU MEN'S TENNIS TEAM had plenty of fight as well last week — unfortunately, like the Cardinal women, they didn't have much success in the won-lost department.

"If it weren't for bad luck, I swear, we'd have no luck at all," said Halberg after his team dropped its second straight 5-4 decision, this time to UW-Eau Claire at the SMU Tennis Center last Friday. "It was another great effort — we just haven't been able to get the breaks to go our way, and that's unfortunate.

"I told the guys after the match that the effort can't be any better, and if they continue to play the way they are, our fortunes are going to change."

Tyler Stevenson (Neenah, Wis.) and Mark Leeder (Greenfield, Wis.) continued their torrid starts against the Blugolds, as Stevenson rolled to a 6-4, 6-1 win over Chris Slagle at No. 1 singles, while Leeder was a 7-5, 6-1 winner at No. 2. The twosome — both of which are now 7-1 in singles play — then teamed up for one of the Cardinals' two doubles wins, posting an 8-3 win at No. 1.

Tom Vollman (Oak Park, Ill.) and Steve Clements (La Crosse, Wis.) accounted for SMU's other win, picking up a 9-8 decision at No. 3 doubles.

"We are so close — we could easily be 6-2 right now, rather than 3-5," said Halberg, whose team had opened the week with a 5-4 loss to UW-La Crosse. "The road doesn't get any easier for us, but I like the way this team is coming together."