Results

DULUTH, Minn. (csssaints.com) – The St. Scholastica men's tennis team won its 17th consecutive Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) regular season title on Saturday with a 9-0 victory over Northwestern College at the Arrowhead Tennis Center to close the regular season.

The Saints extended its regular season conference unbeaten streak to 114 matches with today's win. It also marked the first time the Saints blanked Northwestern since the 2009 season.

CSS began play by sweeping all three doubles matches. The No. 2 team of James Mack (Portsmouth, England/Cams Hill School) and Kolin Dean (Rhinelander, Wis./Rhinelander HS) (8-0) and the No. 3 team of Nick Lambrecht (Stacy, Minn./North Branch HS (Minn.-Duluth)) and Mike Fontana (Hibbing, Minn./Hibbing HS (Gustavus Adolphus)) (8-2) cruised to wins. The No. 1 tandem of Josh Stainer (Portsmouth, England/South Downs College) and Cullen Combs (White Bear Lake, Minn./White Bear Lake HS) pulled out a tight 9-8 (9-7) victory to complete the doubles sweep.

Stainer again was in a tight match in singles action, dropping the first set in a close tiebreaker, only to rally and win the match in a third set super-breaker 6-7 (7-9), 7-5, (10-5).

It was straight set wins for the rest of the Saints in singles play. Mack won at the No. 2 spot 6-1, 6-0. Lambrecht prevailed at No. 3 by scores of 6-4, 6-4. At No. 4, Fontana won 6-2, 6-1 for his 10th straight victory. Combs blanked his opponent at No. 5 by scores of 6-0, 6-0 and the final winner was Dean at No. 6 by scores of 6-0, 6-1.

The Saints (18-8, 10-0 UMAC) matched their program record for wins in season, set just last year. They will now move on to the UMAC Tournament next Friday and Saturday, hosted at the Baseline Tennis Center in Minneapolis. The Saints will not know their semifinal opponent until later in the week.