Preview: Women's Tennis Opens LEC Tournament With Bridgewater State

THE MATCHUP:

Third-seeded Bridgewater State hosts #6 Worcester State on Saturay at 12 PM in a match that will be played at the Rosen Tennis Courts in Bridgewater. The winner will play second-seeded Rhode Island College on Thursday at 2 PM on Tuesday, October 28.

The meeting marks the second straight season that the Blue and Gold will play the Bears in the Little East Conference Tournament as BSU earned a 5-0 victory in the semifinals. In 2013, WSU won their first-ever LEC playoff game in a 5-2 home triumph over Southern Maine.

Worcester State looks for their first win against Bridgewater State since 2001. This season WSU suffered a 7-2 road loss on September 27. Sophomore Shelby Jankins (W. Brookfield, MA) earned the top-seeded singles win and freshman Faina Volf (Sharon, MA) needed a tie-breaker for the point at fourth singles in the setback.

THE LANCERS:

Worcester State (7-5) makes their third consecutive Little East Conference Tournament appearance as the Lancers went 3-5 in the nine-team loop.

Junior Megan Shepard (Middletown, CT) has gone 10-2 overall, 4-0 at fourth singles and 6-2 at the fifth flight. At third singles, freshman Natalie Paul (Worcester, MA/Worcester Academy) has impressed with a 7-2 slate while also putting up a trio of wins in LEC play. Classmate Faina Volf (Sharon, MA) went 9-1 overall and 7-0 as the fourth seed.

The formidable duo of Shepard and Jankins has posted a 9-3 overall record and an 8-1 campaign at second doubles.

Over the course of her career Shepard has earned a 25-18 record in pairs play competition for the fourth-most victories at doubles play in program history and she is tied for sixth on the all-time scoring list with 43 points.

THE BEARS:

Bridgewater State enters the match-up with a 8-3 record and 6-2 mark against Little East Conference competition. 

The strenghth of the squad lies in the lower seeded competition as freshman Alisha Silva is 8-2 at third singles, senior Rachel Eramo has posted a 7-1 mark at fifth singles (6-1 LEC) and first-year Bojana Roman went 7-0 at sixth singles (6-1 LEC, with loss at fifth flight).

On the campaign at pairs play, the Bears are 20-4 overall with identical 10-1 slates at second and third doubles. Junior Alison Vautrin has teamed for the most wins at second doubles (8). Freshman Alison Scagnelli has posted 10 victories at third doubles while Scagnelli and Vautrin went 5-0 in conference play.

THE LITTLE EAST WOMEN'S TENNIS TOURNAMENT:

Bracket

On other side of the bracket, #5 UMass Dartmouth upset fourth-seeded Salem State, 5-4. The Corsairs will head to top-seeded Plymouth State on Tuesday for a 2 PM matchup with the winner heading to next Saturday's championship.

Last season Bridgewater State captured their fourth overall LEC Tournament crown and their second straight title in a 5-0 victory over RIC.

The winner of the Little East tournament earns the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Women's Tennis Tournament, which starts in the beginning of May. The National Quarterfinals will be held on May 18-23 at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio.