ST. JOSEPH, Minn. –The College of Saint Benedict Tennis Team (8-6, 5-3 MIAC) will close the regular season with a home MIAC test against Bethel (15-2, 7-1 MIAC) at 12 p.m., on Saturday, April 22 at the Sta-Fit Center in Sartell, Minn. Then, they travel to face Carleton (16-0, 8-0 MIAC) in their regular season finale at 12 p.m., on Sunday in Lakeville, Minn.   

Last weekend, the Bennies dropped a 6-3 decision to Macalester on April 15 and 8-1 to Gustavus Adolphus on April 16. The top six teams will compete in the MIAC Tournament starting Wednesday, April 26.  At 5-3, the Bennies sit fifth in the MIAC entering play this weekend.

Breaking Down Bethel
Bethel, coached by Drew Fernelius, enters his ninth season as the head men's and women's tennis coach at Bethel University. During Fernelius tenure he has taken both programs to new heights where both programs hosted and won MIAC Playoff matches in 2017 and 2019. Bethel opened their season with eleven consecutive wins, as they sit 15-2 overall and 7-1 in MIAC play.

Series Notes – CSB vs Bethel
In the last matchup on April 9, 2022, The College of St. Benedict fell to Bethel, 6-3. CSB owns a 21-9 overall record against the Royals with a 9-4 home record and a 10-4 away record. In the first ever matchup on April 29, 1983, the Bennies won 8-1 in St. Joseph, Minn. Bennies have won three of the last 10 matchups between the two teams.  
 
Breaking Down Carleton 
Carleton is coached by Luciano Battaglini took over as Carleton's head women's tennis coach prior to the 2007-08 season. He has led the team to nine MIAC titles since 2012 and a trip back to the NCAA Championships in 2022 where Carleton advanced to the second round of the tournament. Carleton sits 16-0 overall and at the top of the MIAC at 8-0.
 
Series Notes – CSB vs Carleton 
In the last matchup on April 3, 2022, The College of Saint Benedict fell to the Knights, 6-3. Carleton leads the all-time series, 29-6. CSB has lost 11-of-13 home matches and 10-of-13 road record. In the first ever matchup on April 22, 1983, the Bennies lost, 5-4, in St. Joseph, Minn.  
 
By the Numbers
Through 12 matches, the Bennies sit 53-31 overall in singles play and have a 33-15 mark in conference play. In doubles, CSB is 27-15 and owns a 14-10 mark in league play. At No. 3 doubles, the Bennies sit 11-3 with a 9-5 record at No. 1 and 7-7 at No. 2.

The Bennies started the spring campaign with a 9-0 MIAC decision over St. Scholastica (3-10, 1-4 MIAC) on Feb. 18 at Sta-Fit in Sartell, Minn. On a spring break road trip, CSB finished 2-2 as they earned a 6-3 win over Misericordia on March 6 and a 7-2 decision against Covenant College (Ga.) to move to 3-0. Then, they took a 7-2 loss to Piedmont on March 9 and a 4-3 setback to NCAA DII Cedarville on March 10. Coming back into MIAC play the Bennies had a successful 2-1 weekend that started with a 5-4 win over St. Kate's on Friday, March 17, in St. Paul, Minn.

The Bennies hosted St. Olaf at Sta-Fit in Sartell, Minn. on Sat., March 18, dropping a 5-4 decision after losing three tiebreakers. Then, on Sunday, March 19, the Bennies took an 8-1 win over St. Mary's at Sta -Fit in Sartell, Minn. On Tuesday, March 21, CSB earned a 9-0 decision against Northwestern at Sta -Fit in Sartell, Minn. The Bennies won its third straight match after defeating Concordia 8-1 on March 25 on the road. The Bennies extended their win streak to four with a 9-0 decision over Hamline on April 1.

CSB faced a competitive non-conference matchup against the St. Cloud State University, falling 4-3. The Bennies won two-of-three matches to win the doubles points but lost four of the six singles matches. The Bennies dropped a 6-3 decision to Macalester on April 15. Then on Sunday, April 16 at the Swanson Tennis Center the College of Saint Benedict lost 8-1 to regionally No. 9 ranked Gustavus Adolphus.  
 
Ashley Tarrolly and Peyton Kopel regionally ranked in NCAA DIII 
Ashley Tarrolly and Peyton Kopel of the College of Saint Benedict tennis team have been individually ranked (singles/doubles) in Region VII in the rankings released by NCAA DIII for April 9. Tarrolly, a sophomore from St. Cloud, Minn., is 5-2 at No. 1 singles with wins in four straight matches. In MIAC play, she has a 3-2 mark. In addition, Tarrolly is ranked in doubles with junior Peyton Kopel. At No. 1 doubles, Kopel and Tarrolly have teamed to go 5-2 overall and 3-2 in the MIAC.  

Bedford earns 2nd MIAC Athlete of the Week on April 10
For the second time this year and in her career, senior Maria Bedford of the College of Saint Benedict Tennis Team has been named the MIAC Tennis Athlete of the Week. Bedford, who was also honored on March 13, is the 10th Bennie named MIAC Athlete of the Week. She joins Anne Bowe (Feb. 25, 2020), Karsen Aune (Feb. 5, 2019), Mackenzie Schurhamer (Feb. 20, 2018 and March 20, 2018), Tessa Rahrick (Feb. 7, 2017), Laura Finn (April 29, 2014), Megan Siepel (April 3, 2012) and Alicia Vargas (March 13, 2012). She is just the second tennis player in school history to earn MIAC honors twice (Mackenzie Schurhamer, 2018). Bedford, a mathematics major from St. Paul, Minn., picked up her 12th straight win in a tiebreaker against DII St. Cloud State on Wednesday, April 5. As a result, she is now 12-0 on the season and 7-0 at No. 6 singles. Against SCSU, she recorded a 6-3, 3-6, 1-0 (10-5) decision over Maria Molitor. With 12 straight wins, Bedford has the most consecutive victories since Megan Tiegs won 15 straight matches at No. 1 singles in 2005-06 in a 22-2 overall season. However, Bedford's winning streak opened the season and Tiegs occurred midway through that campaign 17 years ago. It is the most consecutive wins to open a season in CSB school history as Heidi Halverson was 11-0 in 1994-95 before falling at No. 5 in her 12th match.

Greta Nesbit earns CSB Athlete of the Week on April 3
After winning her sixth straight singles match on Saturday (April 1), sophomore Greta Nesbit of has been named the CSB Athlete of the Week today (Monday, April 3). Nesbit, who is a mathematics major from Le Sueur, Minn., is off to her best start of her career in 2022-23. She is 8-3 in singles, including 6-0 in MIAC play. In doubles, she has combined with three other Bennies for a 4-2 record and 2-1 in league play. She has recorded six straight wins in singles play with five by straight set verdicts. With a 6-1, 6-2 win over Lynn Ngyyen at No. 3 singles, she helped lead the Bennies to 9-0 decision over Hamline and a fourth straight win.

Player Notes
Ashley Tarrolly, a sophomore from St. Cloud, Minn., is regionally ranked in singles and doubles at No. 1 in NCAA DIII. With six straight wins, Tarrolly is 7-2 at No. 1 singles. In league play, she has a 5-2 mark. At No. 1 doubles, she has teamed with Peyton Kopel to go 6-3 and at No. 3 with Brooke Tonnessen with a 1-0 record.

Greta Nesbit, a sophomore from Le Sueur, Minn., has a 8-6 overall record, including 6-2 in MIAC play. She is 2-3 at No. 2 singles with a 6-3 mark at No. 3 as. In doubles play, she has a 5-3 record with five different teammates. At No. 3 doubles, she teamed with Tonnessen to go 1-1. At No. 2 doubles, she has a 1-0 record with Anne Bowe and is 1-0 with Peyton Kopel at No. 1. Nesbit has a 1-1 record with sophomore Sophia Jonas along with a 1-0 record with senior Maria Bedford.

This season, junior Peyton Kopel has a 7-7 record, including 2-3 at No. 1 and 5-4 at No. 2 singles. In doubles, she is 6-3 overall with a 5-2 record with Tarrolly at No. 1. With Anne Bowe, she is 2-2 at No. 1 doubles and she has a 1-0 record at No. 1 doubles with Nesbit.

A senior from St. Cloud, Minn., Anne Bowe is 5-5 overall with a 2-1 mark at No. 4 singles with a 3-1 mark at No. 5 singles. She has recorded wins in three straight matches. In doubles, she has a 5-6 overall record with a couple of different teammates. Bowe, who is 3-3 in doubles in the MIAC, teamed with Kopel for a 2-2 record at No. 1 and is 2-4 with Sophia Jonas at No.2 . She is also 1-0 with Nesbit at No. 2.

Jane Bodensteiner, a junior from Palatine, Ill., is 10-3 overall. She is 7-2 at No. 4 singles and 2-0 at No. 5 singles with a MIAC mark of 6-2. Bodensteiner is 9-3 in doubles, including 5-2 in conference, with Maria Bedford. She has also been named CSB Athlete of the Week.

Maria Bedford of St. Paul, Minn., who earned her first-ever MIAC Player of the Week honor on March 13, has opened the 2023 season with 12 straight wins and is now 12-2. She is 5-0 at No. 5 and 7-2 at No. 6. In doubles, Bedford and Bodensteiner stand overall 9-3. At No. 2, they are 4-2 and 5-1 at No. 3.

Brooke Beier, a first year from Foley, Minn., is 2-2 in singles. First-year Hannah Helms is 1-0 in singles play. Kira Young is 2-0 in doubles play and Brooke Tonnessen is 3-1 in doubles.

Sophomore Sophia Jonas did not play in the opening five matches. A year ago, she was 7-5 overall with a 6-2 MIAC mark in playing primarily at No. 5. She is 1-2 this season after recording a win in singles against Concordia College (Minn.) by a straight set margin. She is also 4-3 in doubles and 2-3 in MIAC play.

Of note, Kopel and Jonas advanced to the finals at the ITA Regional Championships hosted by Gustavus Adolphus College last fall. The duo made an incredible run in the tournament, marking the highest CSB finish in recent memory. The unranked Saint Ben's doubles team of Kopel and Jonas started their tournament run with an 8-1 win over Elise Bierbaum and Annika Hillstrom of Bethel. Kopel and Jonas advanced to face Giana Apostoli and Xingchen Liu of Carthage College, where they posted an 8-5 win over the No. 9 seed. The Bennies advanced to take on third seeded UW-Whitewater where CSB advanced due to an injury default by Whitewater. Kopel and Jonas then battled fifth seed Allison Szalay and Halle Rosentreter of Gustavus where the Bennie duo posted an 8-7(5) victory to advance to the final. The magical run ended falling 8-1 to top-seeded Amelia Asfaw and Mariam Nechiporuk of Carleton.

Bowe leads Saint Benedict Tennis
Early this year, Jack Bowe was named head coach of Saint Benedict Tennis. Bowe served as the Bennies' head coach for seven years in the mid-1990s, and guided CSB to top-five MIAC finishes in five of those seven seasons. CSB took third with a 9-2 conference mark and a 16-5 overall record in 1994-95 and finished fourth in his final season in 1996-97. Bowe, who compiled a 73-55 overall record, including 47-32 in the MIAC, earned MIAC Coach of the Year honors in 1993. Before his return to CSB, he led the Bennies to five straight win seasons. After leaving CSB in 1997, Bowe took over the Saint John's tennis program, and he has remained there ever since.