SARTELL, Minn. – The College of Saint Benedict tennis team hung close with St. Kate's Friday night, but as has been the case in several other tight matches this season, the Bennies came up just short.
 
CSB fell 6-3 to the Wildcats in a MIAC match at Sta-Fit in Sartell. The Bennies are now 8-7 overall and 4-4 and in sixth in the conference with four matches left in the regular season.
 
"We got off to a slower start in doubles, which made the battle back in singles hard," CSB head coach Michael Engdahl said. "We were right there in every match, and it was another MIAC match that could have gone either way. There are a lot of positives coming out of (Friday), and it will be fun to see if we can turn a match like this around when it matters most."
 
All three doubles matches were close, but the Wildcats earned the sweep with a trio of close wins. Lily Fredericks and Peyton Kopel fell 8-4 at No. 1 doubles. Jane Bodensteiner and Sophia Jonas were down 3-0 to start their match at No. 2 doubles, but fought back before falling 8-7. Maria Bedford and Greta Nesbit also kept things close before falling 8-6 at No. 3 doubles.
 
Nesbit, Bodensteiner and Jonas picked up the team's three wins in singles play Friday. Nesbit lost her first set, but came back to win the next to to come away with a 2-6, 6-3, 10-6 win at No. 3 singles. Bodensteiner won 6-1, 6-2 at No. 4 singles, and Jonas picked up a 6-2, 6-4 win at No. 5 singles.
 
Fredericks fell 6-3, 6-1 at No. 1 singles and Kopel lost 6-2, 6-3 at No. 2. Grace Lee rounded out the day for the Bennies as she fell 6-5, 7-6 at No. 6 singles.
 
CSB wraps up the 2022 regular season with a pair of home matches next week. The Bennies host Hamline on Friday, April 29, and Gustavus on Saturday, April 30.