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PREVIEW: Men’s Tennis Opens Season Saturday Night vs. St. Cloud State

| By: Jesse Robinson
Season Preview Video

DULUTH, Minn. (csssaints.com)  – The St. Scholastica men's tennis team begins its 2013 campaign on Saturday when it travels to face Division II St.
Cloud State. The match is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. at the Fitness Evolution Tennis Center in Sartell.

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About the Saints
2012 Record: 18-7, 10-0 UMAC

  • The Saints are coming off a program-record 18-win season, in which, they captured their 16th straight Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) regular season championship and 12th conference tournament title.
  • CSS also set a program mark with 98 singles victories.
  • Entering 2013, head coach Wells Patten probably has the deepest team he has ever had at St. Scholastica.
  • CSS will have to replace 2012 UMAC Player of the Year Jacob Engelstad (Thief River Falls, Minn./Lincoln HS), as well as all-conference members Kevin Hilpert (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater HS) and Brian Lindberg (Hermantown, Minn./Hermantown HS).
  • Engelstad had the greatest career in CSS men's tennis history, recording a program record 61 singles wins and 54 doubles victories. His 115 combined wins beat the previous record by 11 victories. He recorded at least 12 wins in each of his four seasons.
  • Back this season for the Saints are All-UMAC performers James Mack (Portsmouth, England/Cams Hill School) and Kolin Dean (Rhinelander, Wis./Rhinelander HS).
  • Mack matched a team-high with 16 singles victories as a freshman last season.
  • Dean matched a team-high with 16 doubles wins in 2012.
  • Other key returnees this season for the Saints include Dylan Kelly (Minneapolis, Minn./Minneapolis South HS), Nick Lambrecht (Stacy, Minn./North Branch HS (Minn.-Duluth)), Cullen Combs (White Bear Lake, Minn./White Bear Lake HS) and Tyler Bates (St. Cloud, Minn./St. Cloud Tech).
  • This season Mack will be joined by fellow Englishman Josh Stainer (Portsmouth, England/South Downs College). Patten expects Stainer to compete near the top of the lineup.
  • Other newcomers that will make an instant impact this season are Mike Fontana (Hibbing, Minn./Hibbing HS (Gustavus Adolphus)), Guthrie Coughlin (Staples, Minn./Staples-Motley HS) and Wells Brose (Mound, Minn./Mound Westonka HS).

About the Huskies
2012 Record: 17-6

  • Before the playing the Saints Saturday night, St. Cloud State will have a match under its belt when it hosts Macalester College at 10 a.m. that same day.
  • The Huskies are coming off their 12th straight NCAA Division II Tournament appearance.
  • St. Cloud State played 13 matches against NCAA Division III schools last season, including the Saints and had a record of 10-3.
  • Leading the returnees for the Huskies are team captains Joao Orsi and Matt Sturgeon.
  • Orsi was also ranked among the region's top 10 for both singles and doubles by the ITA in 2012.
  • Expect Orsi and Sturgeon to play No. 1 and No. 2 singles play, respectively, this season.

Series History: (CSS Record vs. St. Cloud State: 0-12)
  • The Saints are winless in all 12 of the previous meetings against the Huskies.
  • CSS has been blanked in 10 of those matches, including last season.
  • 11 of the 12 meetings have taken place at St. Cloud.
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