ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – Peyton Kopel had a busy weekend for the College of Saint Benedict tennis team
The sophomore has moved into the No. 1 doubles slot with senior Lily Fredericks, and has also taken over as the team’s No. 2 singles player, and in both of the team’s matches this weekend, her singles matches went to extra sets.
Kopel hung on to win both of those long singles matches – including an extra-set match against a Division II opponent. For her impressive play over the weekend, Kopel is this week’s CSB Athlete of the Week.
Kopel and her Bennie teammates started the week with a MIAC win over St. Scholastica – the team’s first conference win over the Saints, and the first time the two teams have met since the 2012-13 season. Kopel and Fredericks dropped their singles match, but Kopel bounced back in singles play to help the team to a 6-3 win with an extra-set win at No. 2 singles. After dropping the first set 7-5, Kopel came back to win the next two sets 6-0 and won marathon extra set 13-11.
On Sunday, Kopel came up big in both singles and doubles against Division II St. Cloud State. Kopel and Fredericks won their doubles match 6-1 to help the Bennies earn the point for doubles play and take a 1-0 lead over the Huskies heading into singles play.
Kopel picked up her second singles win of the weekend a short time later when the defeated her SCSU opponent in extra sets. Once again, Kopel dropped the first set, but she came back to win 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.
Kopel is second on the team with seven singles wins so far this weekend, and she is 4-0 in MIAC singles play. She is also 6-5 in doubles play, including 2-2 so far with Fredericks.
CSB has two more matches scheduled this weekend, starting with an 11 a.m. match Saturday, April 2, at Macalester. The Bennies are scheduled to take on Carleton at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, April 3, at Sta-Fit in Sartell.
