By EMILY LOOF
Saint Mary's Sports Information Intern
 
WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's tennis team returned to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play Friday at the Winona Tennis Center after last week's spring trip to Florida.
 
Unfortunately for the Cardinals, they returned to MIAC competition by playing host to unbeaten St. Thomas—and the Tommies continued their winning ways by dealing the Cardinals a 7-2 setback.
 
The Cardinals found themselves staring at a 3-0 deficit early, as the Tommies swept the three doubles matches. Laura Sonday (West St. Paul, Minn.) and Colleen Lois (Green Bay, Wis.) fell 8-3 at No. 1 doubles, while Julia Boeve (St. James, Minn.), and Cassandra Barr (Eau Claire, Wis.), who were paired for No. 2, dropped an 8-2 decision, and Ashley Frederickson (St. James, Minn.) and Marissa Kinzer (Aitkin, Minn.) fell 8-1 at No. 3.
 
A pair of Cardinals turned things around in the singles matches—Sonday won her match in straight sets at No. 1, winning 7-5 and 7-6, while Boeve opened with a 7-5 win, and rallied from a second-set 6-0 loss to win 10-6 and secure her singles win. Barr, Lois, Frederickson, and Sheyenne Bauer (Cannon Falls, Minn.) all fell in straight sets to round out the Cardinals' singles matches.
 
"The ladies started a little slow but then finished with incredible fight," said Saint Mary's coach Jeff Halberg. "They played some really amazing tennis."
 
The Cardinals are back in action Friday, as they entertain North Central (Minn.) in a nonconference matchup at 6 p.m. at the Winona Tennis Center, before traveling to Fargo, N.D., Saturday for a 9:30 a.m. conference showdown against Concordia at Courts Plus.