 vs.  |
|
UM-Crookston no match for Cardinals as SMU rolls to 9-0 victory
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — The lineup looked a little different than the previous night, but the result was the same.
The Saint Mary's University women's tennis team picked up its second straight victory Saturday evening, rolling to a 9-0 nonconference win over UM-Crookston.
"It was nice to come away with two wins on the weekend," said SMU coach Jeff Halberg, whose team picked up its first win of the year Friday, crusting past MSU-Moorhead 7-2. "We played very well (on Friday), and then came back and maybe played even a notch better (against UM-Crookston).
"We were able to try a few people in some different positions, and everyone responded nicely. It was a good win all the way around."
Good, and dominating.
The Cardinals did not lose a game in sweeping the three doubles matches, then added stragiht-set wins in all six singles matches. In fact, the Cardinals' Val Meschke (Pine River, Minn.), Toni Troumbly (Bovey, Minn.) and Brittney Nielsen (Apple Valley, Minn.) did not lose a game in rolling to 6-0, 6-0 wins, while the other three singles players — Ann Leeder (Greenfield, Wis.), Abby Cooper (La Crosse, Wis.) and Courtney Spartz (Western Springs, Ill.) — lost just nine games combined.
"To open the season 2-1 is nice," said Halberg, whose team is now off until Feb. 24, when the Cardinals play host to Macalester in their home opener. "One of our goals this season was to get off on the right foot, and I'd say we've accomplished that. Now the key is, to continue to build on the momentum we built up this weekend."