WINONA, Minn. — Saint Mary’s University men’s and women’s tennis coach Jeff Halberg didn’t have to think long when asked about his expectations for the upcoming seasons.
In fact, the veteran head coach summed things up in one word: Consistency.
“We have a lot of potential this season, both on the men’s and the women’s side,” said Halberg, whose teams kick off their season on Jan. 30, playing host to Carleton in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference match at the Winona Tennis Center. “But if we are going to get the results we are capable of, we are going to have to be much more consistent in our intensity level and in our desire to play hard — and up to our abilities — each and every match.
“The conference is probably the deepest it’s been in my 15 years,” Halberg added. “And if I’ve learned anything in this conference, it’s that there are no givens — there are no given wins and there are no assumed losses.
“We need to make sure we come out and are ready to go. If we can maintain that consistency level, we could surprise some people.”
Two Cardinals who won’t be surprising anyone this year are sophomores
Rebecca Snyder (Eden Prairie, Minn.) and
Bailey Edwards (Fond du Lac, Wis.), who certainly turned a few heads during their freshmen campaigns.
Snyder returns after earned all-conference honors in both singles and doubles — going a perfect 11-0 at No. 2 singles, while also compiling a 9-3 doubles record — while Edwards enters Saturday’s conference opener ranked No. 24 in the Central Region, following her stellar showing at the Wilson/ITA Women’s Division III Championships this Fall.
“Rebecca and Bailey both had outstanding years last year, but like most freshmen, last year was also a learning experience for them,” said Halberg. “I can already tell that both are playing with much more confidence this year — it’s no longer unknown territory for them and both a looking to take another step forward.”
So is the rest of the women’s squad.
“We did graduate a few solid players,” admitted Halberg. “But we’ve been able to bring in some strong freshmen, and we have some excellent players who saw limited playing time a year ago, but are ready to go this year.
“Everyone’s ready to hit the ground running.”
“Our goal on the men’s side is pretty simple — we want to take a step forward this year,” said Halberg, whose men finished with a 5-10 overall record a year ago. “We’ve got a lot better depth on the team this year than we’ve had in the past. That depth — which includes a good mix of returners and talented freshmen — leave us feeling confident we can make a little noise this year.
“It should be an exciting season on both the men’s and women’s sides.”