ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – Heading into the College of Saint Benedict tennis team’s Feb. 21 match against MIAC-rival St. Thomas, senior Tessa Rahrick was 0-3 in singles play against the Tommies. She left Minneapolis that night with not only a singles win against UST, but a team win as well.
In her first year with the Bennie tennis team, Rahrick teamed up to beat the Tommies 9-7 at No. 1 doubles with teammate Laura Finn. She lost at No. 2 singles that year, and lost in 2017-18 and 2018-19 at No. singles. Her 2019 match went to extra sets, but Rahrick fell just short.
In 2020, Rahrick pushed through another extra-set match, and this time came out on top.
She won the first set 6-4, but UST’s No. 1 singles player Taylor McLeod – who had defeated Rahrick a year earlier – won the second set 6-4 to force a third set. At one point, Rahrick was down 6-1 in the third set (which goes to 10), but she came back to win 10-8 to pick up the win and help the Bennies upset the Tommies 6-3.
“By the end of the match I was so physically exhausted that I was shaking,” Rahrick said. “I will never forget that last point. It was a long point, and I knew that if I lost it, I would likely not be able to physically recover, and would probably end up losing the match. I won the point, and immediately was filled with so much happiness and excitement. I could not stop smiling, almost crying at the relief and joy. It was a moment I will never forget.”
Rahrick’s singles match was one of four that went to extra sets that night against the Tommies, and one of three that the Bennies pulled through to win. The team’s victory marked the first over UST since 2012, and snapped a nine-match losing skid.
“The win as a team was just as memorable,” Rahrick said. “Watching the final match with my teammates, we were holding hands and barely able to watch some of the points because it was so stressful and intense. We all wanted this so badly, and were giving everything, cheering for our teammates. It is the most intense energy I have ever seen in my tennis team.”
The match against the Tommies ultimately proved to be one of Rahrick’s last in a Bennie uniform, but it will go down as one of her favorite memories from her four seasons with the team.
“I’m so glad I was able to experience that (win) before our season ended,” she said. “There was so much energy and intensity. The exhilaration from the win was just incredible.”
