Bridgewater, Va.-  The Bridgewater College women’s tennis team earned a crucial 8-1 victory against Hollins on Monday night to bring their win total to five on the year.

The Eagles took all three points in the doubles matchups to start the night. 

In the first pairing, sophomore Grace Knighton and senior Malena Hoover took an 8-0 win to get things started for BC. 

Up next for the Eagles, fifth year senior Emily Daigneault and junior Emily Wylie scored the second point for Bridgewater, winning 8-0 as well. Finally, senior Emma Nesselrodt and junior Ryan Roeber took an 8-4 victory to give the Eagles a 3-0 lead heading into singles. 

“It felt really good to start strong in doubles play tonight, and it gave us confidence heading into the singles matchups,” said Nesselrodt.

The Eagles swept Hollins 3-0 in doubles play to start the night. This marks the fourth time this season that BC has taken the win in all the doubles action. 

Hoover opened singles and won in two sets with 6-0 victories. At the number four spot, Knighton followed Hoover, turning in another 6-0, 6-0 win. 

Wylie would follow suit in the six spot for the Eagles, earning yet another 6-0, 6-0 win. 

Up next in singles for Bridgewater, Roeber cruised to a 6-1, 6-0 win on court five to give the Eagles another point. 

To cap off the big night for the Eagles, Daigneault picked up the win in an up-and-down thriller. She took the first set 6-0, and would then fall behind 3-6 in the second set. 

Daigneault battled back in the third set for a 10-7 win and got Bridgewater another point. 

“It was amazing to get the win tonight, and having everyone contributing to it is huge for us moving forward as we get closer and closer to postseason play,” said Knighton. 

The Eagles would go on to secure the victory over Hollins 8-1, adding to the season win total. 

The Bridgewater women’s tennis team sits at 5-7 on the year and 3-3 in the ODAC. 

With the win, the lady Eagles have now won three home matches on the season. BC will look to continue the current momentum and finish strong in the regular season with four straight ODAC matches. 

The Lady Eagles will be back in action on Wednesday, April 5 against Averett, and a week later against Lynchburg. The Averett Cougars are 8-1 on the year, with their lone loss coming at the hands of Washington and Lee University.

The Eagles will then look to finish out the regular season with matchups against Roanoke and Shenandoah before heading into post-season play in the ODAC.