Match Summary | GameDay Preview

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The final score read 7-2 Northwestern, but according to Saint Mary's University men's tennis coach Jeff Halberg, the end result was much — much — closer than that.

“It just wasn't our night,” Halberg said. “Northwestern has a good squad and played great.  They deserved their victory.”

But it certainly wasn't easy.

The Eagles, who jumped out to a 2-1 lead after the doubles competition, picked up wins in five of the six singles matches — with all four of those wins coming in three sets — to seal the win.

Gavin Smith (White Bear Lake, Minn.) and Justin Loeffler (Winona, Minn.) collected SMU's lone doubles win, winning 9-8 (7-2) at No. 3, while Northwestern won at No. 1 8-6 and No. 2 9-7. The 8-6 loss at No. 1 doubles was just the second loss in 19 matches for SMU's Michael Lunka (Eagan, Minn.) and Bobby Steingraeber (La Crosse, Wis.).

It was more of the same in singles play, as the Eagles picked up three-set wins at Nos. 3-6, while Lunka recorded SMU's lone singles victory, a straight-set 7-6, 6-4 win at No. 1.

“We had our chances,” said Halberg. “This was definitely once of those matches that could have gone either way. We need a bounce or two to go our way, and we just couldn't get it.”

The Cardinals (9-10 overall) are back in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play on Saturday, traveling to Owatonna, Minn., for a 1 p.m. match against St. Olaf.