As you may know, Benilde-St. Margaret’s School is located in St. Louis Park, so oftentimes there is some tension between the BSM Red Knights and SLP Orioles amongst the sports teams. Given the rivalry, the BSM girls’ varsity tennis team was excited to beat the Orioles twice in one week this season.

Going into the first few games of the season, the team had two goals: winning and team bonding. “The first match was exciting because it was our first match of the whole season so everyone was happy to play but also a little nervous. I think the new people were especially nervous,” senior captain Grace Bauer said.

The nerves did not stop the tennis team. They came in with a bang and beat the Orioles 7-0 on August 26. “[It] felt good [to beat SLP]. My freshman year in tennis we beat them 4-3 and so it got better every year, so I kind of know the background of it all. There is somewhat of a rivalry so it’s always nice to beat them,” Bauer said.

After their first match, the BSM tennis team took a close loss to Blake on September 1 with the score being 2-5. Bouncing back from this they faced off against the Orioles for the second time this season on September 15 for a second win of 7-0. “The second match against them, everyone definitely had more confidence since we had already beaten them,” Bauer said.