Saint John's tennis begins its 2021 season with a 2:30 p.m. MIAC match against Concordia on Saturday, March 13, at Courts Plus in Fargo, N.D.

A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John's tennis returns its top three players from a team that went 7-3 (2-0 MIAC) in the COVID-19-shortened, 2020 season. The Johnnies won the season's first seven matches before dropping the final three contests of the spring-break trip in Orlando (to Division I Hampton, Division II Cedarville and Ohio Northern).

Senior Nate Jordre (St. Cloud, Minn./Tech) went 8-3 overall (2-0 MIAC) with a 7-2 record in singles play at No. 1 last season. Classmate Thomas Gillach (Lindstrom, Minn./Chisago Lakes) also had a 7-2 record in singles play at the No. 2 spot. In doubles play, the duo collected at 7-2 record (1-1 MIAC) at No. 1. Gillach (32-14 singles, 38-14 doubles) and Jordre (29-17, 34-11) enter their senior seasons with a combined record of 61-31 in singles and 72-25 in doubles.

Sophomore Wil McDowell (Sioux Falls, S.D./O'Gorman) ended the 2020 season with a 4-2 (1-1 MIAC) record at No. 3 singles, while going 5-3 (2-0 MIAC) in the No. 2 doubles with Jess Hansen '20.

A LOOK AT THE COBBERS: Concordia ended the 2020 season with a 5-9 record (0-4 MIAC) and need to replace four graduated seniors: Erik Porter, Jared Saue, Carter Steffes and David Youngs. Porter (6-8 singles) and Saue (6-8 singles) combined to go 8-4 at No. 1 doubles. Youngs, meanwhile, was 8-5 in singles competition and 6-8 in doubles play.

LAST SPRING: SJU posted a 6-3 conference win over Concordia last Feb. 22 (2020) at Sta-Fit in Sartell. The duo of Gillach and Jordre dropped their first match of 2020 at No. 1 doubles, 8-4, but bounced back with singles wins. Jordre moved to 4-1 (3-0 at No. 1) with a straight-set victory (6-3, 6-1), while Gillach needed a super-breaker to claim his win at No. 2. Gillach suffered a 7-5 defeat in the first set, but responded with a 7-6 (7-5) win in the second and a 10-6 decision in the super-breaker. Hansen teamed up with McDowell for an 8-4 win at No. 2 doubles. The Cobbers earned victories at Nos. 3 and 5 singles.

SERIES HISTORY: The Johnnies are 26-9 against Concordia since the 1989 season, including wins in eight of the last nine matchups.