NORTHFIELD, Minn. – In its first of two fall dual matches, the St. Olaf College women's tennis team was blanked, 5-0, by visiting Cardinal Stritch University on Saturday afternoon at Carlson Courts.

Cardinal Stritch (1-1) – a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) scholarship program – won each of the three doubles matches and picked up wins at No. 5 and No. 6 singles to defeat St. Olaf (0-1). Four singles matches were left unfinished, as the match ended after the Wolves reached the five points needed to claim the team result.

In doubles, the top-two matches were both decided by two games or fewer but both went the way of the visitors, who claimed a doubles sweep. Sophomore Olha Zubarieva and senior Allie Prokosch pushed their opponents to a tiebreaker at No. 1 doubles before dropping the breaker by a 7-4 margin, while sophomores Sarah Clark and Jane Spading fell by an 8-6 score at No. 2 doubles.

In singles, Cardinal Stritch earned straight-set victories at No. 5 and No. 6 singles to gain the two points needed to end the match. When the match was decided, first year Alexandra Berns was locked in a tight match at No. 3 singles, leading the super tiebreaker, 2-1, after splitting the first two sets. Berns won the first set by a 6-4 margin for the lone set win of the day for the Oles.

St. Olaf hosts Hamline University in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) play on Saturday, Oct. 8 at 1 p.m.