Johnnies Journey North Sunday to Duluth

By: Ryan Klinkner, SJU Director of Athletic Communications

Saint John’s visits St. Scholastica for a 1 p.m. match on Sunday, April 19, on the Duluth Indoor Tennis Center. – Live Stats

A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John’s (2-8, 1-4 MIAC) went 1-1 (1-0 MIAC) final weekend.

Northwestern 4, at Saint John’s 3 (April 11)

SJU suffered a slim 4-3 non-conference loss to Northwestern on Saturday within the Donald McNeely Spectrum. The match was initially scheduled to be the Johnnies’ first open air on the Chang Tennis Complex this spring however was moved to the Spectrum attributable to rain. The final match performed by SJU within the Spectrum was a 5-4 win over Division II Michigan Tech on Feb. 26, 2011.

The Eagles earned the essential doubles level, as each groups cut up the six singles matches, with wins at Nos. 1 (6-4) and three (6-2). Senior Taylor Duncan (Benson, Minn.) and freshman Jack Gangl (Elk River, Minn.) posted a 6-4 victory at No. 2 for SJU.

SJU swept Nos. 2-4 singles. Senior Josh Peterson (Perham, Minn.) returned to the court docket for his first match since March 8 and gained at No. 2, 7-6 (7-1) and 6-3. Freshman Nam Tran (Shakopee, Minn./Eden Prairie) dropped his first set at No. 3, 4-6, however bounced again with a 6-2 victory and took the super-breaker with a 10-7 rating. Sophomore Cole Haabala (Alexandria, Minn.) tallied his team-leading fourth singles win this spring at No. 3, 6-1 and 7-5.

Saint John’s 6, at Saint Mary’s 1 (April 12)

Saint John’s snapped a four-match skid with its first MIAC win of the season – 6-1 – at Saint Mary’s on Sunday night time in Winona.

The Johnnies swept all three doubles matches, regardless of two going to a 7-6 tie-breaker, and suffered its lone singles loss to SMU when junior Alex Draeger (Litchfield, Minn.) left his match at No. 1 within the second set attributable to harm.

Draeger and Haabala improved to 5-4 (4-1 MIAC) with a 7-6 (7-5) win at No. 1 doubles, whereas Tran and sophomore Andrew Eckmann (Eagan, Minn./Two Rivers) did the identical at No. 2 with a 7-3 tie-breaker.

Duncan and Gangl gained their match at No. 3 doubles, 6-3.

Duncan (No. 2), Tran (No. 4), Haabala (No. 5) and Eckmann (No. 6) all cruised to singles victories in straight units. Peterson did too however wanted an 8-6 tie-breaker in his second set for the win.

A LOOK AT THE SAINTS: St. Scholastica (9-5, 3-2 MIAC) was defeated 7-0 final Sunday towards Wisconsin-La Crosse. The Saints misplaced the doubles level 2-1 with their lone win being a 7-6 choice at No. 2. CSS, which travels to Saint Mary’s on Saturday earlier than internet hosting SJU on Sunday, returns two All-MIAC picks from final season. Senior Eamon Gerrard-Stace earned his second All-MIAC choice in singles after beforehand receiving the distinction in 2023. So far this season, Gerrard-Stace is 4-2 in singles from primarily the No. 3 spot and is 9-3 in doubles together with his associate freshman Mateo Torre, who’s 6-8 at No. 1 singles. Junior Dane Patten earned his second-consecutive All-MIAC picks in each singles and doubles final 12 months after ending 6-7 at No. 2 singles and went 13-3 at No. 2 doubles with senior Jack Onkka. To this level within the season, Patten is 7-3 at No. 2 singles and is 9-3 throughout Nos. 1-2 doubles, largely with freshman Finn Schulze-Topphoff.

A YEAR AGO: SJU battled to 3 singles wins through the super-breaker to assert a 6-3 victory – the staff’s third in a row – over St. Scholastica final April 17 (2025) at Sta-Fit in Sartell.

Sparked by an 8-7 (7-4) win from Cooper Anderson ’25 and Ryan Will ’25 at No. 1, the Johnnies gained a 2-1 lead after doubles competitors. Down 7-5, the duo responded with two-straight factors to power the tie-breaker the place they recorded the set’s first 4 factors en path to a 7-4 victory.

Duncan and Haabala tallied SJU’s second doubles level with an 8-4 win at No. 3.

Junior Sam Wolden (St. Louis Park, Minn.) improved to 11-3 (6-1 MIAC) at No. 2 with a straight-set victory, 6-1 and 7-6 (7-4).

Draeger began the string of three super-breaker wins at No. 4. He gained his first set 6-2, fell by a 7-5 rating within the second and broke an 8-8 stalemate with the ultimate two factors for a 10-8 margin within the super-breaker. 

Duncan dropped his first set at No. 5, 6-3, bounced again with a 6-3 win of his personal after which took the match with an 11-9 rating. He trailed 9-8 within the breaker however scored the ultimate three factors for the victory.

Peterson mirrored Duncan’s scores at No. 6, besides he gained his first match 6-3, fell 6-3 within the second and notched an 11-9 victory within the super-breaker due to a dramatic end. He was down 9-6 however scored the final 5 factors to shut the match and earn his tenth win of the season (10-6 report).

The Saints gained at Nos. 1 and three singles in straight units.

SERIES HISTORY: The Johnnies are 30-5 all-time towards the Saints on the tennis court docket, together with a 9-4 report in Duluth.