CSB tennis opens season with lone fall tournament

The St. Ben’s tennis team competed in their only fall tournament this past weekend, the ITA Regional Tournament in Whitewater, Wis.

The team will be led by head coach Jack Bowe, who began his second season on the CSB coaching staff.

In Whitewater, Tarrolly advanced to the fourth round of play, where she fell to Bethel in a super tiebreak.As a team, Jonas and Tarrolly came into Wisconsin with the No. 16 seed out of the double groups.

Tarrolly came individually into this weekend’s ITA Regional Championships seeded as second in all the Midwest schools competing in the championships.

Coach Bowe preached the team’s depth and leadership this season.

“We have six [first-years] and have two good captains (Bodensteiner and Kopel). Last season we graduated two impact players, but [now we] have a good mix of returners and new faces, which includes top [first-year] Kate Perbix,” Bowe said.

The team had tests early on through scrimmages at St. Cloud State. They also faced off against ranked opponents in the regional tournament last weekend.

“We looked really good early on and bounced back from our scrimmage last season. We couldn’t keep score with it being a scrimmage, but I thought we played really well from the jump,” Bowe said.

Kopel is looking forward to her final season of collegiate tennis at the CSB.

“Jane and I are the only two seniors. We have a big roster this year with 14 athletes. I am grateful for the connections I have made at the College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University,” Kopel said.

Peyton looks forward to the spring tennis team and feels like her teammates have become a family.

“We get along on and off the court. We are a close group and are always looking forward to practices and team trips. Our team has a lot of chemistry, and we bring in a lot of young blood who have a lot of energy to boost the team morale,” she said.

Both Bowe and Kopel have commented that Bethel has recently turned into a rivalry. They have produced top players and always play their best games when they travel to Collegeville and St. Joe’s.

The Bennies will look to accomplish the ultimate goal: to win a MIAC championship. Last season, CSB had six athletes compete in the championships.

“We fell to Bethel last year, and our conference is competitive. We will definitely be in the mix this season,” Bowe said.

He praised the play of Tarrolly this past weekend as she will look to play a key role in a conference championship run.

“It was an awesome weekend competing with seven of my teammates. . .sevenI was happy with our performance. I believe our preparation all comes down to our great coaches. They care about us so much as people on and off the court,” Tarrolly said on the weekend in Wisconsin.

The economics major with a finance focus is looking to embrace her final season of collegiate tennis.

“I’ve played competitive tennis my entire life,” Tarrolly said. “The sport at the collegiate level has been an outlet for me with rigorous academics. My focus has always been on being grateful by enjoying the process, whether it is through practices or competition. I have formed great relationships through this team and just want to soak it all in this season.”

CSB will open up the spring season on Feb. 24, as they open up the conference schedule with a home match against Hamline University at Sta-Fit at 1 p.m. in Sartell, Minn.