No. 5 Saint Mary's faced off against MIAA and in-state rival Trine twice this weekend, winning once in South Bend and once in Angola, Ind.
The first dual meet was held at the par-75 South Bend Country Club in windy conditions that made low numbers hard to come by and made the round an exercise in course management. The Belles were able to come away with a 353-398 victory, led by junior Rosie O'Connor's 84.
Sophomore Natalie Matuszak shot an 87, while junior Mary Kate Boyce finished with an 88. No Thunder golfers finished in the top three individual performances, while senior Belles captain Perri Hamma fired a 94 to close out the scoring four for Saint Mary's.
Belles coach Mark Hamilton had a mixed opinion of the day overall for his squad.
"Saturday was tough conditions and a tough golf course," he said. "There were some glimpses of good, but it wasn't quite there."
On Sunday, the Belles traveled to Angola to play in another dual meet with the Thunder on Trine's Zollner Golf Course. Saint Mary's took advantage of more favorable conditions and played aggressively, resulting in a 22-stroke victory. The Belles finished with a score of 321 strokes to Trine's 343.
Boyce led Saint Mary's by carding the day's best round, a 74. O'Connor shot a 79, Hamma shot an 83 — with a 39 on the back nine — while Matuszak was the final scoring player with an 89.
"[Sunday] we played really well," Hamilton said. "We did better on Sunday."
Hamilton said he was especially pleased with the fact that the pair of dual wins came heading into the first NCAA qualifier Wednesday.
"That's really what we needed, a good confidence booster, because we've been playing decently but not putting good scores up," Hamilton said. "We showed the rest of the country that we've got what it takes to make it."
Hamilton said he wants his squad to continue to minimize mistakes in order to continue to improve.
"We're really working on eliminating big numbers and staying in every hole," he said. "The focus was what improved over the weekend, allowing us to perform up to the ability that we're capable of."
The Belles look to continue to improve on Wednesday at Medalist Golf Club in Marshall, Mich., in the first MIAA NCAA qualifier.
