Saint John's tennis hosts a pair of conference matches indoors this weekend at Sta-Fit in Sartell, beginning with a 4 p.m. bout vs. No. 12 Gustavus Adolphus on Saturday, April 6. The Johnnies then face Concordia at 1 p.m. Sunday, April 7. 

MOVED INDOORS: Both matches were scheduled to be played outdoors at the Chang Tennis Complex in Collegeville, but this weekend's forecast of wind on Saturday and cold temperatures with rain on Sunday moved them indoors.

A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John's (1-6, 1-1 MIAC) played its first match in 15 days and suffered a 6-3 loss at St. Scholastica in its return to conference play back on March 23 at the Virginia Indoor Tennis and Pickleball Club. The Saints swept doubles competition and the two teams split the singles matches with each squad earning a victory via the super-breaker.

Freshman Sam Wolden (St. Louis Park, Minn.) and senior Mark Rosen (Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson) won their singles matches at Nos. 3 and 6, respectively, in straight sets with tie-breakers in the first for SJU. Senior Mason Meyer (Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson) recorded the Johnnies' third singles victory – his first match in a month (Feb. 24) – via the super-breaker: 6-4, 3-6 and 10-5. 

Junior Ryan Will (Northfield, Minn.) won his first set at No. 1 singles but was edged in the second and in the super-breaker: 4-6, 7-5, 10-8. 

A LOOK AT THE GUSTIES: Gustavus Adolphus (14-6, 4-0 MIAC) went 4-2 in its most recent matches March 25-29 in California. GAC, which will also send a portion of its roster to face No. 6 Chicago Saturday in Milwaukee, moved up one spot to No. 12 in Wednesday's (April 3) ITA national rankings. Sophomore Gage Gohl leads the team with a 17-9 singles record but has yet to face MIAC competition. Gohl and classmate Tyler Haddorff are 21-5 (1-0 MIAC) as a doubles tandem, including a 10-1 record at No. 2.

LAST SPRING: Then- No. 14 Gustavus handed SJU a 9-0 defeat last March 26 (2023) in St. Peter. The duo of Hunter '23 and Will '23 Fischer came the closest to victory with an 8-7 (10-8) loss at No. 3 doubles. 

Peyton Fischer '23 and Rosen both lost a set with a 7-6 (7-5) decision at Nos. 2 and 6 singles, respectively, while senior Daniel Perez (Quito, Ecuador) went to 7-5 in his second set at No. 5 against the Gusties.

A LOOK AT THE COBBERS: Concordia (3-11, 1-4 MIAC) posted an 8-1 home win over Saint Mary's its last time out on March 17 in Fargo, N.D. The victory was the Cobbers' first in MIAC play since March 24, 2019, which was also a win over SMU (5-4). CC is again led by sophomores Logan Sandberg and Kai Pierce, who earned All-MIAC honors last spring at Nos. 1 and 2 singles, respectively, for a team that finished 2-12 (0-9 MIAC). Sandberg is 5-9 (2-4 MIAC) at No. 1 so far in 2024, while Pierce is 5-9 (3-3 MIAC) at No. 2. The Cobbers host Macalester Saturday before venturing to Sartell Sunday.

A YEAR AGO: The Johnnies won their fourth-straight match with a 6-3 victory at Concordia-Moorhead last March 25 (2023) in Fargo, N.D.

SJU nearly swept the three doubles matches but suffered an 8-7 (9-7) defeat at No. 1. P. Fischer and Will won their fourth-consecutive match at No. 2 (8-3), while H. Fischer and W. Fischer took their third in a row at No. 3 (8-2).

The Cobbers picked up wins at Nos. 1-2 singles, the latter via the super-breaker, but the Johnnies cruised to victories at Nos. 3-6 with 6-0 shutouts in four of the eight sets: Will at No. 3 (6-1 and 6-0); H. Fischer at No. 4 (6-2 and 6-0); Perez at No. 5 (6-0 and 6-0); and Rosen at No. 6 (6-4 and 6-2). 

SERIES HISTORY: SJU is 36-10 against Concordia since 1981, including a 21-3 record on its home court, with wins in 11 of the last 12 meetings overall. The Johnnies have not hosted the Cobbers in Collegeville since 2010.