Senior captain Maisie Silverman and the Bates women's tennis team improved to 6-1 on the season with a 9-0 win over Hamilton on Saturday, March 10, 2018. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/Bates College)

LEWISTON, Maine -- The Bates women's tennis team set the pace during doubles play and kept things going strong through singles in a 9-0 victory over Hamilton College Saturday at Merrill Gymnasium. 

The Bobcats (6-1, 1-0 NESCAC) are off to their best start since 2014.

Senior captain Maisie Silverman (Brunswick, Maine) and junior Bella Stone (Concord, Mass.) teamed up at No. 1 doubles to win 8-0 over Hamilton's Jane Haffer and Sophia Aulicino. Meanwhile, sophomore Lauren Hernandez (Chester, N.J.) and first-year Hannah Sweeney (Franklin, Mass.) continued their strong to the season with an 8-1 victory over Audrey Chor and Ajla Karabegovic at No. 2 doubles. Sophomore Suzanne Elfman (Longmeadow, Mass.) and first-year Haley Washington (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) gave the Bobcats a 3-0 lead heading into singles play with an 8-1 victory at No. 3 doubles of the Continentals' combination of Ndanu Mutisya and Katherine McNally.

In singles play, Silverman rallied to beat Haffer at the No. 1 position by a count of 1-6, 6-2, 6-2. The other Bobcat victories came in straight sets except at No. 2 singles where Sweeney won the first set 6-0 before her opponent retired.

Hernandez took on Chor at No. 3 singles and won the first set 7-5 before winning 6-2 in set two to seal the victory. Washington turned in a dominating performance at No. 4 singles, winning 6-0, 6-1 over Karabegovic.

Juniors Hannah Londoner (Westport, Conn.) and Morgan Woods (Sarasota, Fla.) took care of business at No. 5 and 6 singles respectively. They both won their matches by a count of 6-2, 6-2.

The Bobcats are back in action this Friday when they take on Case Western Reserve in Fredericksburg, Virginia at 3:00 p.m.