BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University women's tennis team has been picked to finish in fourth place in the Little East Conference (LEC) standings as the 2025 Little East Women's Tennis Preseason Coaches Poll was released by LEC Associate Commissioner, Daryl Konicki.

The Bears received 44 points in the poll. UMass Boston is the preseason favorite to capture the Little East title as the two-time defending champion Beacons recorded 62 points including six first-place votes. Rhode Island College is second in the poll with 59 points and three first-place vote while UMass Dartmouth is third with 47 points.

Under the guidance of head coach Dave Purpura (10th Year), the Bridgewater State women's tennis team will open the season on Saturday, August 30th as the Bears entertain the University of Saint Joseph Blue Jays at noon.

The Little East schedule gets underway on Thursday, September 11th when the Bears host VTSU Castleton at 3:30.

Returning to the roster from a year ago are Ava Alves (So., Taunton, Mass.), Samantha Bettencourt (Jr., Tiverton, R.I.), Grace Binegar (So., Norton, Mass.), Fiona Clancy (Jr., Middleboro, Mass.), Hannah Higgins (Sr., Rockland, Mass.), Aislyn Kelliher (So., Plymouth, Mass.), Sarah Pothier (So., Rochester, Mass.) and Morgan Smith (So., Taunton, Mass.).

They are joined by newcomer Emma Gibney (So., New Bedford, Mass.).

The Bears finished in third place in the 2024 Little East standings with a 6-2 conference mark (10-4 overall). Seeded third in the LEC Tournament, the Bears posted a 5-0 win over #6 UMass Dartmouth before dropping a 5-0 decision to #2 Rhode Island College in the tournament semifinals.