| Get Email Alerts | Get Text Updates | Buy Photos |

| Schedule | CSB 9, USF 0 |

St. Joseph, Minn. – The Saint Benedict tennis team will have a new look in 2013, with six new faces among the nine player roster.
 
“Were so young this year and I didn't know what to expect coming off the offseason,” head coach Scott Larsen said during the first week of practice. “But I've been pleasantly surprised. Our group is as excited as I've had a group be this early. I can tell they've all done a lot of work in the offseason and I think we're in a pretty good starting place.”
 
Larsen returns for his seventh season on the sideline, coming off of back-to-back 7-3 campaigns in MIAC play, including a third place finish last year. In 2011 he was named MIAC Women's Tennis Coach of the Year, leading the Blazers to 13 wins overall.
 
Leading the way in just her junior season, will be Jamie Hoffman, who enters this spring as the teams most experienced player.
 
“Jamie's our captain and she is going to have a chance to start a new chapter and step up and be our leader,” Larsen said. “With the graduation of four out of our top-six players last year, now this is Jamie's team to run with. She has the experience, she's been in the MIAC playoff and has had the tough matches. We've talked a lot about it, and I'm counting on her to get the team prepared mentally for what it means to compete in a really tough conference, and she's really risen to the challenge.”
 
Hoffman was 3-1 in MIAC matches last season, along with a perfect 6-0 mark in doubles play.
 
Joining her at the top of the line-up is expected to be first year Daley Rupar. A Merril, Wis. native, she begins her collegiate campaign off a decorated high school career. She was a three-time place-winner at the Wisconsin State Championships, capped by a fourth place tally as a senior.
 
“Daley is going to be near the top of the line-up, right there pushing Jamie. She'll start the year at No. 2, and we'll put the two of them together as our No. 1 doubles team,” Larsen said.
 
The rest of the line-up will provide opportunities for all the new faces to earn their spots, and Larsen is excited about watching them play.
 
“We have a pretty nice first-year class coming in and there will be great opportunities for them to step in and contribute right away.”
 
The Blazers closed the season with back-to-back wins in 2012, taking a close 5-4 match over fellow MIAC Tourney qualifier St. Catherine, before wrapping up the regular season in perfect fashion with a 9-0 sweep over Hamline. In the first round of the conference tournament, they fell by a closest of margins, 5-4 to St. Thomas.
 
That momentum is expected to carry them strong into league play this year as they look to again be in the tournament mix at the end of the season. Conference play kicks off on Mar. 2 at St. Catherine, before the MIAC home opener on Mar. 8 against Bethel. Conference play splits up with the annual spring trip in late March, before a grueling stretch to end the season with MIAC powers Carleton and Gustavus, sandwiched around a strong regional opponent in St. Scholastica.
 
“When we recruit our players we want to get them excited about coming to a place where tennis has a strong tradition. We want to continue our streak of making the conference playoffs and this is a talented group. They're going to play hard, they're going to compete and we expect to be playing in the MIAC tournament at the end of the year.”