Box Score

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Saints men's tennis team opened up Upper Midwest Athletic Conference play with a 8-1 victory over Northwestern College Friday night. The Saints won all six singles matches and looked strong in doubles play. 

#Dillon Sterle# (Sr.-Hibbing, Minn.) set the tone for the day with a 6-4, 7-5 victory in first flight singles, as he, #Jacob Engelstad# (So.-Thief River Falls, Minn.), and #Brian Lindberg# (So.-Hermantown, Minn.) won in three tight matches. Meanwhile, #Kevin Hilpert# (So.-Stillwater, Minn.), #Tim Dean# (Jr.-Rhinelander, Wis.), and #Joe Vidmar# (Jr.-Chisholm, Minn.) dropped just one game in the final three singles matches. 

The first flight of doubles competition was a close one, ending 9-8 as #Brendan Anderson# (Jr.-Plymouth, Minn.) and Sterle came just short of defeating Northwestern's team of Jeremiah Schneck and Keagen Blancke. 

Meanwhile, the teams of Engelstad and #Tucker Combs# (Jr.-White Bear Lake, Minn.) and Lindberg/Dean picked up a pair of 8-2 victories to send the Saints home with a victory. 

The Saints returned to UMAC action today with a doubleheader against Bethany Lutheran College and North Central (Minn.) University. Stay tuned to csssaints.com for an update on those matches when it becomes available. 

The men return to the courts in two weeks when they return to UMAC play against Martin Luther College on Apr. 10. The match starts a 1 p.m.