After a strong conference finish last season and several players earning Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) All-Conference honors, the St. Catherine University tennis team was looking to prove itself this year early in the fall season.
 
With several players picking up impressive wins against tough competition this weekend at the University of Minnesota Invitational, the Wildcats showed that they can hang with some of the best of the best.

"It was a perfect way to start the season," said Head Coach Ben Hageseth. "We had some incredible wins and continued to improve as the weekend progressed.  Everyone showed a ton of promise, even in the face of tough Division I opponents, and we will definitely build from it."
 
Throughout the tough three-day tournament, Michaela Burroughs (Waterloo, Neb.) and Maria Koval (Green Bay, Wis.) showed why they both picked up All-MIAC honors last season for their doubles play. The dynamic duo finished third in the eight-team Maroon Doubles Flight, defeating Lindsay Cayton and Steffania Russo of the University of Northern Iowa by a score of 8-4, Friday, to advance to the winners' bracket.
 
Burroughs and Koval couldn't come up with a win to advance to the final, but managed to take down Mallory Shellum and Heather Annis of Guastavus 8-6 to secure their third-place finish, Saturday.
 
Sophomore Angie Lorenzen (Mitchell, S.D.) was the only Wildcat to pick up two singles wins on the weekend as she finished 10th overall in the Gophers Singles Flight, Sunday.
 
The 2012 All-MIAC pick lost her first match of the tournament, but rebounded with a huge three-set win over Shellum (7-6, 5-7, 6-3). She continued to play strong, picking up another win over Annis (6-3, 6-4) to advance to the consolation match where she eventually fell in three sets to Maddie Lindstrom of Gustavus.
 
Koval, who lost her first three matches in the Maroon Singles Flight, finished the tournament 15th as she picked up a 6-2, 6-1 win on the final day of competition over Annie Mahoney of Gustavus.
 
Burroughs and Kylie Ketcho (Eden Prairie, Minn.) also competed in singles competition but came up short in all of their matches against tough competition.
 
The Wildcat tennis team will return to competition next weekend at the ITA Regional Tournament.
 
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