ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – The College of Saint Benedict tennis team has a short fall season, but the Blazers are making the most of it.
 
CSB plays two of its four matches of the fall this Saturday, Sept. 5, when it travels to Decorah, Iowa. One of those two matches is against host-school Luther, which has a strong tennis tradition. The Norse finished the year tied for 20^th in the ITA Central Region rankings in 2015. The Norse finished 15-10 last season, including 8-1 at home.
 
After taking on Luther at 9 a.m. Saturday, the Blazers play Loras College in another non-conference matchup. The Duhawks finished 7-10 in 2014-15.
 
Saint Benedict finished the year 8-12 overall and finished sixth in the MIAC in 2014-15, and returns two seniors, three juniors and three sophomores with experience to its lineup this season. Leading the way for the returners are senior Rachel Raden and junior Laura Finn, who both earned All-MIAC honors in 2015. Raden earned All-MIAC doubles honors, and Finn – who is studying abroad in the fall but will return for the spring season – earned All-MIAC for her singles play.
 
Also back for CSB is senior Victoria Beach, who went 6-11 in singles play and 9-9 in doubles play last season. Sophomore Taylor Kraemer picked up nine doubles wins as a first year and was named to the All-MIAC Sportsmanship Team. Sophomore Ellen Stensrud finished second on the team with seven singles wins as a first year, including a 5-0 record in MIAC play.
 
New faces on CSB's roster this year include Kylie Miller, a St. Cloud Tech graduate who participated in the state tennis tournament for three straight years from 2012-14 and Maddie Farver, a Broomfield, Colo., native who qualified for the state tournament at No. 1 singles as a senior.
 
After two matches in Iowa Saturday, the Blazers are back on the road Saturday, Sept. 19, when they travel to Eau Claire, Wis., to take on UW-Eau Claire and an opponent yet to be determined. The remainder of the Blazers' 2015 season will be played in the spring.