W. tennis continues on league losing streak

The women’s tennis team (4-13, 0-5 Ivy) dropped two matches this weekend to Ivy powerhouses Brown and Yale by scores of 6-1 and 7-0, respectively. Columbia will finish off its spring schedule next weekend when it takes on Penn and Yale. This weekend’s losses left Columbia tied with Penn for last place in the Ivy standings.

The Lions opened their road trip against No. 61-ranked Brown, which entered the weekend tied for second in the standings with a record of 2-1 in conference play. The Lions were devastated in the doubles point, with their best performance coming at No. 2 doubles, in which senior Marlena Hall and freshman Eliza Matache lost 8-4. At No. 1 doubles, senior co-captain Nina Suda and sophomore Natasha Makarova were beaten 8-2, while at No. 3 junior Carling Donovan and sophomore Natalia Christenson were overtaken by the same score.

Singles play did not go any better for Columbia, as the Lions lost five out of the six singles matches, all in straight sets. At No. 1 singles, Makarova kept pace with her opponent for the first set, dropping it 6-4. In the second set, however, Bianca Aboubakare of Brown ran away from Makarova, winning 6-1 to put Brown up 2-0. Freshman Nicole Stanziola played at No. 2 for Columbia, but she was beaten 6-3, 6-2 by Cassandra Herzberg from Brown. Matache, playing at No. 3, has been playing well lately, notching a win against Harvard last weekend, but she could not trouble her Brown opponent, losing 6-1, 6-3. No. 4 singles was the lone bright spot for the Lions—Donovan won her match, but only after her opponent was forced to retire after leading 6-2, 2-1. Suda, last year’s No. 1 singles player, was beaten handily, 6-0, 6-3, at No. 5 singles, and senior Linnae Goswami was beaten 6-1, 6-0 at No. 6.

The Saturday afternoon match against No. 44-ranked Yale did not go any better for Columbia, as the Lions fell 7-0. Once again the Lions struggled in the doubles point, losing all three matches. For the second straight day, the Lions No. 2 team put up the best fight, losing 8-5. Columbia was routed at No. 1 doubles, losing to Vicky Brook and Lindsay Clark, 8-1. The No. 3 doubles team did not fare much better, dropping 8-3.

Yale was equally tough in the singles, not allowing Columbia to gain momentum in any of the matches. The Lions lost all six matches in straight sets. At No. 1 singles, Makarova was beaten by the nationally ranked No. 124 Janet Kim, 6-3, 6-3. At No. 2 singles, Stanziola was beaten by Jessica Rhee, 6-3, 6-4. Matache struggled for the second consecutive afternoon, winning only three games in a 6-1, 6-2 defeat. Donovan, the Lions’ only winner the previous day, was taken down 6-2, 6-0. Suda and Christenson, playing at No. 5 and 6, respectively, each managed only three games, and both fell 6-0, 6-3.

The Lions will next be in action on April 17 when they travel to Philadelphia to take on Penn at 2 p.m.