DULUTH, Minn. (csssaints.com) – The St. Scholastica men's tennis team opens its season this weekend in the Twin Cities against North Central University and Macalester College.
 
Where:
Saturday
Lifetime Fitness – Bloomington, Minn.
Sunday
Lifetime Fitness – Lakeville, Minn.
 
When:
Saturday at North Central – 4 p.m.
Sunday at Macalester – 4:30 p.m.
 
Social Media:
Twitter: www.twitter.com/CSSsaints
Instagram: www.instagram.com/csssaints
Facebook: www.facebook.com/css.saints
 
St. Scholastica Saints
Roster | 2015 Stats
2015 Record: 18-8, 10-0 UMAC
Upper Midwest Athletic Conference: Standings | Stats
 
Key Returners:
-Josh Stainer (Rowlands Castle, England/South Downs College) – Reigning two-time UMAC Player of the Year … Holds the program record for career wins at the No. 1 flight in both singles and doubles.
-Logan Engelstad (Thief River Falls, Minn./Lincoln HS) – All-UMAC selection last season … Set a program record with 38 total victories … Led the team in singles victories with a program record of 20 … Finished off the season with 11 consecutive singles victories.
-Mike Fontana (Hibbing, Minn./Hibbing HS (Gustavus Adolphus)) – Three-time All-UMAC choice … Became the fifth player in program history to record 50 career singles wins last season.
 
Key Losses:
-James Mack (Portsmouth, England/Cams Hill School) – Partnered with Stainer the last three seasons … Finished his career with a program record 58 doubles victories.
-Tyler Bates (St. Cloud, Minn./St. Cloud Tech) – All-UMAC selection last season … Led the team in doubles with a record of 20-7.
-Cody Mauston (Virginia, Minn./Virginia HS) – All-UMAC choice last season … Went 3-0 in UMAC singles and 7-0 in UMAC doubles action.
 
Coach Patten: Head Coach Wells Patten enters his 20^th season guiding the men's tennis team … Under Patten's direction, the Saints have won 19 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference regular season titles and has earned 15 UMAC Tournament championships … In addition, the team has compiled a record of 135-2 against UMAC opponents for a .985 win percentage in conference play.
 
UMAC Win Streak: The Saints have won 134 consecutive UMAC dual matches … CSS suffered its first individual match defeat in conference play last season against Martin Luther College, its first in nearly two seasons.

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Top 5 Matches to Watch
2/13 – vs. St. Olaf
The Oles finished third in the MIAC last season and the Saints have not beaten St. Olaf since 2004.
2/14 – vs. Carleton
The Knights placed runner-up in the MIAC in 2015 and had an overall record of 23-3.
2/27 – vs. Northwestern
The Eagles are the preseason favorite in the UMAC.
3/5 vs. UW-La Crosse
The Saints are 0-6 all-time against the Eagles.
4/24 – at Saint John's
CSS has only two wins all-time against the Johnnies and have never defeated the Saint John's away from Duluth.

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UMAC Preseason Poll
1. 23 Points – University of Northwestern (3 First Place Votes)
2. 21 Points – College of St. Scholastica (3)
3. 17 Points – Bethany Lutheran College
4. 13 Points – Martin Luther College
5. 10 Points – University of Minnesota Morris
6. 6 Points – North Central University

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Upcoming Opponents
North Central Rams
2015 Record: 1-14, 1-9 UMAC
 
The Rams opened their season on Saturday with a 9-0 loss to the University of Northwestern … North Central had only one win last season and that was a 5-4 victory over Martin Luther College … Ian and Alex Bird both return to singles and doubles action looking to improve their record from last season … Shane Christensen and Joshua Lee are also returning.
 
Macalester Scots
2015 Record: 9-9, 4-5 MIAC
 
The Scots finished fifth in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) last season and fell to the University of St. Thomas in the first round of the MIAC Tournament … Macalester had a pair of freshmen, Josh Doyle and Aidan Tirpack, and a pair of juniors, Brian Utz and Wilson Merrell, earn All-MIAC accolades last season … All four are expected to return this season … Doyle was 16-4 and singles action last season, while the doubles team of Doyle and Wilson Merrell had 12 wins.
 
Series Histories:
-CSS leads North Central 15-0
-Macalester leads CSS 9-1
 
Last Meetings: The Saints have never dropped an individual match against North Central in 15 meetings … The Saints last played Macalester College in 2004, which resulted in a 7-2 CSS victory.

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Looking Ahead: The Saints will be at St. Olaf College on Saturday, February 13 and then have their home opener on Sunday, February 14 against Carleton College at the Arrowhead Tennis Center.