ST. PAUL, MINN. – The St. Catherine University tennis team has one more Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) opponent to face before heading off to sunny Florida for spring break. The Wildcats host the Saint Mary's University Cardinals at 6 p.m. at the University of Minnesota Baseline Tennis Center Friday night for their fourth MIAC tennis match in the last four weeks.
St. Kate's is also looking to get back in the win column Friday night, as they have lost three consecutive matches to the top teams in the MIAC. Here are the important facts to know before first serve:
7, 8 – The Cardinals and Wildcats are currently ranked No. 7 and No. 8 in the MIAC respectively. Saint Mary's has played two more games than St. Kate's, bring a 6-3 overall and 1-2 conference record to Sunday night's match. The Wildcats currently hold a 4-3 record and are 1-3 in MIAC play.
9 – St. Kate's won all nine of their matches against Saint Mary's last season, to earn their first MIAC win of the 2015 season. The Wildcats went 3-0 in doubles play against the Cardinals, then went undefeated in singles to play to seal the 9-0 victory.
18 – When St. Kate's and Saint Mary's played last year, the Wildcats were No. 18 in the Central Region behind the stellar play at both singles and doubles play.
Mikinzee Salo (Brainerd, Minn. / Brainerd),
Angie Lorenzen (Mitchell, S.D. / Mitchell),
Alicia Knoll (Waseca, Minn. / Waseca),
Jessica Duda (St. Michael, Minn. / St. Michael-Albertville), and
Julia Sporer (Rogers, Minn. / Rogers) all played key roles in helping the Wildcats earn that regional ranking.
1561 – There are 1561 miles between St. Kate's and Orlando, Florida, where the tennis team is traveling for spring break this year. The drive would take nearly 22 hours and include multiple toll ways and construction stops along the way. Fortunately for the Wildcats, the 3 hour flight won't include nearly as many stops or bumps in the road.
4 – St. Kate's will play four matches while on spring break. They open with a match against Carthage College on Sunday, then play both Hamilton and Elmhurst Monday before taking a day off. The Wildcats will close their spring break trip with a match against Hollins on Wednesday.
