SARTELL, Minn. – The College of Saint Benedict tennis team stayed undefeated against Division II opponents Friday night when it beat St. Cloud State 5-2 at Sta-Fit in Sartell.
The match got off to an emotional start as the Huskies honored longtime coach Jerry Anderson – who died this fall – prior to the match. The yearly meeting between the two teams will be known as the Jerry Anderson Legacy match going forward, and CSB is the first team to take home the Jerry Anderson Legacy Trophy. The trophy will travel between the two schools and stay with whichever team wins the match each year.
"(Friday) was definitely a match with high emotions on and off the court," said CSB head coach Michael Endgahl, who played for Anderson at St. Cloud State during his one season of collegiate tennis. "Jerry was an awesome guy and you could tell how many people he touched by the turnout and support for SCSU.
"I thought we handled ourselves well, and we played great tennis to close the match out. The positive momentum we have created feels good, and we need to keep things rolling."
CSB – which stayed undefeated at 7-0 with the win – kicked things off by winning the doubles point after picking up wins at No. 2 and 3 doubles. The Huskies (5-9) won 6-1 at No. 1 doubles, but
Erin Kolbow and
Tessa Rahrick picked up a 6-3 win at No. 2 doubles, and
Mackenzie Schurhamer and
Karsen Aune came through with a 7-5 win at No. 3 doubles.
Rahrick dropped a tight match at No. 1 singles, falling 6-2, 4-6, 2-6, but CSB picked up wins at No. 2, 3 and 4 singles to help solidify the win. After dropping her first set, Kayle McIver came back to win 4-6, 6-0, 6-3 at No. 2 singles, and Kolbow fought for a big win at No. 4 singles. She also dropped her first set, but ended up winning 5-7, 6-2, 6-2.
Lily Fredericks won 6-4, 6-3 at No. 3 singles, and Aune won 6-2, 6-4 at No. 6 singles. Schurhamer lost her first singles match of the season, 6-2, 6-2, at No. 5 singles. She was 6-0 heading into Friday's match.
CSB looks to take Friday's momentum and bring that into MIAC play Saturday. The team opens the conference season with a 2:30 p.m. match against Concordia in Moorhead.
