Women's Tennis Completes Unbeaten Regular Season With 9-0 Win Over Salem

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – The Bridgewater State University women's tennis team finished the regular season unbeaten and captured the Little East Conference title outright as the Bears downed visiting Salem State University, 9-0, on Friday afternoon at the Rosen Memorial Tennis Courts.

The Bears improve to 12-0 overall and sit atop the Little East Conference standings at 8-0. Bridgewater is now 31-1 in LEC regular season play dating back to 2010.  The defending champion Bears will have a first round bye in next week's Little East Tournament and will host a semifinal match on Thursday against an opponent to be determined.  The visiting Vikings fall to 3-9 overall and 2-6 in the LEC and will await word on a possible conference tournament berth.

Prior to the match, the Bears honored seniors Lauren Hopp (Dartmouth, Mass.), Jackie McGuirk (Raynham, Mass.) and Jenna Williamson (Ludlow, Mass.) who were playing in their final regular season home match.  The BSU student-athletes also wore pink in honor of breast cancer awareness month.

Bridgewater swept all three doubles flights and all six singles matches to post the shutout victory.

Sophomore Alison Vautrin (Somerset, Mass.) and junior Rachael Eramo (Rowley, Mass.) registered an 8-1 win at third doubles to open the scoring, while Williamson and Hopp teamed up for an 8-1 decision at the top flight.  McGuirk and junior Melissa Flynn (Stoneham, Mass.) rounded out doubles play with an 8-4 victory at the second spot.

The Bears would record straight set wins in each of the six singles matches with Williamson winning at number one (6-0, 6-1), McGuirk at the second flight (6-1, 6-0), Hopp at number three (6-2, 6-2), Flynn at number five (6-1, 6-2) and Eramo at the sixth flight (6-3, 6-0).

Williamson is 11-1 in singles play on the year and an impressive 50-5 (.909) in her four-year career.  She has never lost to a Little East opponent in 37 career matches. Hopp and McGuirk also finished the regular season with 11-1 singles marks.  Hopp is 28-3 (.903) all-time in singles play with an undefeated 19-0 record against LEC opponents.