Bethany Women's Tennis Upended by La Roche

Oct. 14 – BETHANY, W. Va. – The Bethany College women's tennis team was defeated, 8-1, by La Roche College on Wednesday evening at the Mary Ewing Tennis Center.

The highlight of the day for the Bison was the play of freshman Pia Hager (Stuttgart, Germany) as she defeated the Redhawks' Sarah Brunner in straight sets at No. 1 singles. Hager took the first set by a 6-1 score, before capturing the second set, 6-0.

The victory marked the tenth of the season for Hager, who has now posted the most wins by any Bison player since the 2012 season, when Maria Vallone also tallied 10.Hager now holds a staggering 20-2 advantage in sets, having not dropped a single set in a victory this season.

Hager has now posted a .909 winning percentage in singles play, sitting at 10-1 on the year. Her percentage is tied for the second-highest in the PAC this season, and leads all athletes at No. 1 singles in the conference.

The other top performance in singles action came from junior Sarah Thrall (Pittsburgh, Pa./Penn Hills). Thrall competed hard against La Roche's Kylie Bannister, but fell in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3.

In doubles action, Hager and partner Anna Heizler (Stegen, Germany) played well, but dropped an 8-4 decision to Brunner and Kristen King.

Bethany will close out the home portion of their 2015 schedule on Thursday, September 15 when they host Saint Vincent College. The matchup is slated for a 4 p.m. start.