Women’s tennis to host upstate challengers in weekend competition

Learning from losses is key to victory in any sport. This is exactly what the women’s tennis team has been doing this week in preparation for this weekend’s competitions against Syracuse and Buffalo.

Last weekend, the Lions trekked to Cambridge to play in the Eastern College Athletic Conference Championships hosted by Harvard. The weekend was quite a disappointment as the girls finished last in the championships, falling to Ivy foes Princeton, Brown, and Cornell. The bitter loss gave the team a lot to think about.

“Last weekend was kind of a wake-up call for the girls,” head coach Ilene Weintraub said.

Fallen spirits would not get in the way of their practices this week though. The girls have been working harder than ever in practice to bounce back from the loss. Weintraub is pleased with the progress the team has made in just one short week.

“We’ve been really focusing on our endurance and our transitions,” Weintraub said. “We’re also working on short balls—taking them and putting them away.”

Despite losing the championships, the Lions had some incredible moments of play. The girls were particularly strong in doubles, and have proved it since the opening of the season.

“We’ve had really strong doubles so far this season,” said Weintraub. “If our doubles are losing, it’s because we’re being outplayed, not because we’re not performing.”

Showcasing just how strong Columbia’s doubles play can be, its No. 1 doubles team freshman Nicole Bartnik and senior Carling Donovan had tremendous success last weekend. Bartnik and Donovan shut out the No. 29 ranked doubles team—Cassandra Herzberg and Bianca Aboubakare—in their consolidation match against Brown, 6-4, 7-5. This particular doubles win proved that Bartnik and Donovan can compete with the higher-ranked teams out there. Weintraub is particularly impressed by their performance this season.

“They make a great team. Nikki sets Carling up from the baseline where Carling is able to put the ball away,” Weintraub explained. “It’s a great matchup, and I’m excited to see how well they can do.”

Donovan’s success in doubles has been particularly exciting to see. Now a senior, Donovan has never been ranked before, but after defeating high-rank doubles teams this weekend she might get her chance to shine. Weintraub has alluded to Donovan’s potential to make the ranks.

“This is why I coach,” Weintraub explained sincerely. “I love to see girls improve every season and make it in their senior year.”

Because their doubles play has been so strong, the Lions have been devoting a lot of attention to singles play recently.

“Aggressive singles has been a huge focus of practice this week,” Weintraub said.

The Lions’ number three singles player, freshman Chelsea Davis, has spent this week really pushing her singles play forward. Davis went unnoticed during the championships, as she fell short in hard-fought matches. In her match against Brown, Davis worked to comeback from a second set loss, battling her way through the third set, only to lose 11-9. In practice, Davis works to increase her endurance so she can prevail in her long matches.

“Chelsea is the one who is going to outlast her opponent,” Weintraub said, “She has been working on her focus so she can keep up during her very long matches.”

This weekend, Columbia faces Syracuse and Buffalo, two teams the Light Blue hasn’t played in many seasons. The new opponents won’t be a setback, though, as the Lions prepare for this match with a steady state of mind.

“We work on the things we need to work on no matter who we’re playing,” Weintraub said.

Bartnik in particular will see close competition this weekend. Both opponents are close in ranking to Bartnik on the national level. She is matched against Emily Harman from Syracuse and Denise Harijanto from Buffalo. Though Bartnik anticipates tougher competition this weekend, she is more than ready. Coach Weintraub has applauded Bartnik’s improvements since the opening of the season.

“Nikki has improved her serve,” Weintraub noted. “She hasn’t ever allowed her serve to be a liability, but it’s definitely something she’s been improving on.”

The Lions expect tough competition from both teams. Both teams have often bested Columbia in the past, but the Lions face these two powerhouses for a reason.

“When putting together the program for this season, I tried to put high caliber schools on the schedule,” Weintraub explained. “Tougher matches help us prepare for the Ivies and can only help us. If we can steal the wins, it keeps us motivated. We’re ready for the challenge.”

Today’s matchup against Syracuse is set to begin at 5 p.m. At the same time tomorrow, Columbia welcomes Buffalo to the Dick Savitt Tennis Center.