ST. PAUL, Minn. — If Tuesday's season-opening match against St. Thomas is any indication, it's going to be a long season for the Saint Mary's University men's tennis team.

Literally.

The Cardinals and Tommies battled it out for four-and-a-half hours Tuesday evening, with UST winning three tiebreakers en route to an 8-1 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory over SMU.

"This was a match to remember, that's for sure," said SMU coach Jeff Halberg. "I don't think I've ever been on the losing end of an 8-1 decision and felt so unlucky to lose. Three 10-8 tiebreakers, a pair of singles losses by two points … despite the final score, this really was a match we could have actually won."

The Tommies swept through the six singles matches — but it wasn't easy.

Mark Leeder (Greenfield, Wis.) and Steve Clements (La Crosse, Wis.) each dropped three-setters, while Tyler Stevenson (Neenah, Wis.) fell 6-4, 6-4 at No. 1 singles and Tony Miller (Rochester, Minn.) was a 6-4, 6-3 loser at No. 5.

Stevenson and Leeder picked up SMU's lone win at No. 1 doubles in — what else — a tiebreaker, as they topped St. Thomas' Brian Thomas-Tut Fuller, 10-8 (8).

"This was a good opening match for us," said Halberg. "If we play with that kind of heart all season, we will do very well."