WINONA, Minn. – The College of Saint Benedict tennis team played a lot of extra tennis Saturday afternoon – and did well in those extra sets.
The Bennies played four singles matches to extra sets and two other first-set matches went to tiebreakers as the team beat Saint Mary's 8-1 in a MIAC match in Winona. CSB won three of the extra-set matches and both of the tiebreakers.
"We played great (Saturday) and we have a lot to be proud of," head coach Michael Engdal said. "We did a great job playing our game when it mattered most, and that showed up in the score line. Nothing but positives coming out of this match, and we are turning ourselves into a mentally tough team."
CSB (6-2, 2-0) started with a sweep of doubles play against the Cardinals (4-2, 0-2).
Lily Fredericks and
Peyton Kopel won 8-3 at No. 1 doubles,
Jane Bodensteiner and
Grace Lee won 8-6 at No. 2 doubles and
Maria Bedford and
Greta Nesbit picked up an 8-2 win at No. 3 doubles.
Saint Mary's started singles play with their lone win of the day as Fredericks fell 6-1, 1-6, 2-10 in an extra-set match. From there on out, it was all the Bennies, however. Kopel won 6-4, 4-6, 10-4 at No. 2 singles, and Nesbit lost her first set, but came back to win 4-6, 6-0, 10-4 at No. 3 singles. Bodensteiner and Lee both won first-set tiebreakers en route to wins at No. 4 and 5 singles. Bodensteiner won 7-6 (7-4), 6-4 and Lee won 7-6 (7-4), 6-1. Bedford wrapped up the day with a 2-6, 6-2, 10-6 win at No. 6 singles.
CSB returns home Saturday, March 5, to take on a pair of nonconference opponents. The Bennies play Luther at 9:30 a.m. and UW-River Falls at 3:30 p.m. at Sta-Fit in Sartell.
