Four Bison Earn Entry Into PAC Women’s Tennis Championships

Oct. 21 – GREENVILLE, Pa. – The Presidents' Athletic Conference released the final flight seeds and tournament pairings for the upcoming PAC Championships in which the Bethany College women's tennis team will compete on October 23-24.

Four Bison will travel to Pennbriar Athletic Club in Erie, Pa. to take part in singles and doubles action. Freshman Pia Hager (Stuttgart, Germany), junior Sarah Thrall (Pittsburgh, Pa./Penn Hills), freshman Anna Heizler (Stegen, Germany), and sophomore Alyssa Smydo (Bentleyville, W. Va./Bentworth) will compete in the two-day event.

In doubles action, Thrall and Smydo will team up at No. 3 doubles as the duo earned the eighth seed in the upcoming tournament. Thrall and Smydo will take on Westminster's Christijana Vucenovic and Mariah Turiano in the opening round. The winner of the match will move on to play the winner of St. Vincent's Lucy Bujdos and Autumn Miller and Geneva's Sara Stoll and Megan Hinds in the semifinals.

In singles action, Hager will represent the Bison as the three seed in the No. 1 flight. Hager finished the 2015 campaign with a final record of 10-3, including 5-3 in the PAC. She recorded the most wins for a Bison player since Maria Vallone in 2012. She will take on Washington & Jefferson's Courtney Brennan in the first round. Hager defeated Brennan fairly easily in their first match (6-3, 6-1). The winner will advance to play the victor of Westminster's Gabby Eaborn and Geneva's Sarah Stoll.

At No. 3 singles, Heizler captured an eight seed and will be facing the top seed in Westminster's Vucenovic. Heizler fell in their first meeting on October 17. 

Smydo will represent the Bison in No. 4 singles. The sophomore will face the number one seed, Turiano, from Westminster. The two squared off on October 17, as well.

The Bison will open play in the PAC Championships on Friday morning at 8:30 a.m.