DULUTH, Minn. (
csssaints.com) – The St. Scholastica men's tennis team will play its final home match of the season on Saturday against Bethany Lutheran College before hitting the road on Sunday to face the University of Minnesota Morris.
Where:
Saturday
Arrowhead Tennis Center – Duluth, Minn.
Sunday
Morris Tennis Courts – Morris, Minn.
When:
Saturday vs. Bethany Lutheran – 2:30 p.m.
Sunday at Minnesota Morris - Noon
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St. Scholastica Saints
Stats
Record: 13-1, 3-0 UMAC
Upper Midwest Athletic Conference: Standings | Stats
Last Action: The Saints were 3-0 last weekend to run their winning streak to eight matches … CSS defeated Martin Luther College on Friday, University of Northwestern (Minn.) on Saturday and then for the first time ever took down the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse on Sunday.
Having a Banner Year: The 13-1 record is the best in program history through 14 matches … The program record for wins in a season is 22 … The program record for fewest losses in a season is three, also in 2014.
Winningest Player in Program History: Logan Engelstad (Thief River Falls, Minn./Lincoln HS) became the winningest player in program history last weekend, breaking
Josh Stainer (Rowlands Castle, England/South Downs College)'s record of 116 … Engelstad enters this weekend with 120 career singles and doubles victories … He is only two wins shy of tying
Mike Fontana (Hibbing, Minn./Hibbing HS (Gustavus Adolphus)) for the program record for singles wins in a career … Engelstad is 14-0 in singles action this spring.
Freshmen Leaders: Outside of the senior Engelstad, freshmen
Serhii Tykhonenko (Kiev, Ukraine/Lyceum #100 “Podil”),
Ernesto Telles (El Salvador/Academia Britanica Cuscatleca) and
Brendan Boudreau (Thunder Bay, Ontario/Sir Winston Churchill Collegiate) are pacing the Saints at the top of the lineup … Tykhonenko has seven victories at the No. 1 singles spot and is 8-1 with Engelstad at No. 1 doubles … Telles is 9-1 at No. 2 singles and Boudreau is 10-1 at No. 3 singles … Telles and Boudreau are 5-2 at No. 2 doubles.
Losing Doubles, but Still Winning: Four times this season, the Saints have lost two of the three doubles match, but have still won the dual … Prior to this year, you have to go back to 2013 for the last time the Saints accomplished that feat once.
5-4 Duals: The Saints have already played in a program-high eight matches this season that have been decided by 5-4 scores … CSS is 7-1 in those matches … The previous high had been five 5-4 matches in a single season.
UMAC Win Streak: The Saints will enter the weekend having won 147 consecutive UMAC dual matches … The last conference loss took place on April 27, 1997.
Seniors: Engelstad and
Zach Meikle (La Salle, Manitoba/Linden Christian School) will playing their final matches in Duluth on Saturday.
2017 UMAC Men's Tennis Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. St. Scholastica - 24 points (4 First Place Votes)
2. Bethany Lutheran - 19 points (1)
3. Northwestern - 18 points (1)
4. Martin Luther - 14 points
5. North Central - 8 points
6. Minnesota Morris - 7 points
Upcoming Opponents
Bethany Lutheran Vikings
Record: 7-8, 1-0 UMAC
The Vikings are coming off a 9-0 loss to Concordia College-Moorhead on Sunday … On Saturday, BLC defeated Loras College (Iowa) and the University of Minnesota Morris to open up league play … Andrew Jelken has four wins at the No. 1 singles spot … Dexter Jackson is 6-2 at the No. 6 spot … Jelken and Dalton Werckman are 4-10 at No. 1 doubles … Jelken was an All-UMAC performer two seasons ago … The Vikings also have Jacob Kubler, who was an All-UMAC selection last season … The Vikings are 35-55 in singles play and 17-26 in doubles action … The Vikings are led by first-year head coach Jill Bailey.
Minnesota Morris Cougars
Record: 0-4, 0-2 UMAC
The Cougars are scheduled to play at Martin Luther College on Saturday before facing the Saints on Sunday, which is scheduled to be the team's home opener … Morris has lost its last three matches by 9-0 scores … Paul Leslie has the team's lone win on the year at No. 1 singles.
Series Records:
-CSS leads Bethany Lutheran 24-0
(Last Meeting: 9-0 CSS – 4/22/2016)
-CSS leads Minnesota Morris 31-3
(Last Meeting: 9-0 CSS – 2/26/2017)
Series Histories: The Saints have dropped only three individual matches all-time to Bethany Lutheran and only one in the last 22 meetings /// CSS defeated Minnesota Morris earlier this season 9-0 in Virginia, Minnesota … The Saints have swept the Cougars 14 of the last 15 meetings.
Looking Ahead: The Saints have their final non-conference match of the season at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire on Wednesday, April 12.
