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WINONA, Minn. — Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's tennis coach Jeff Halberg knew his squad was in for a tough, tough match when the Cardinals kicked off Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference power Carleton Saturday afternoon at the Winona Tennis Center.
 
And, unfortunately for the Cardinals, the high-powered Knights did not disappoint.
 
Carleton outlasted the Cardinals in the three doubles matches to take a 3-0 lead, before dropping just 10 games in sweeping the six doubles matches in straight sets.
 
"We started well, but ran into a buzz-saw," said Halberg, whose Cardinals kicked off the season with a 9-0 nonconference win over Martin Luther Friday evening. "We knew Carleton was going to be a tough, tough opponent—and they lived up to their billing today."
 
Brenden Amiotte (Rapid City, S.D.) and Alex Holm (Red Wing, Minn.) dropped an 8-3 decision at No. 1 doubles, while Bobby Tiedemann (Euclid, Minn.) and Andrew Johnson (Rochester, Minn.) fell 8-5 at No. 2, and Alex Zuzek (Hastings, Minn.) and Robbie Sobczak (Cloquet, Minn.) were defeated 8-4 at No. 3.
 
That, however, would be as close as Saint Mary's would get, as only Amiotte—who lost 6-2, 6-3 at No. 1—would win more than one game off the Knights in singles action.
 
The Cardinals (0-1 MIAC, 1-1 overall) take to the road for the first time this season on Feb. 5, traveling to the U of M Baseline Tennis Center in Minneapolis, Minn., for a 4:30 p.m. conference matchup against St. Thomas.