Matache leads team to victory

Even under pressure, sophomore Eliza Matache is an inspiring tennis player.

Last weekend, Matache carried the women’s tennis team to a thrilling 4-3 victory against the previously undefeated Buffalo team. Matache clinched the winning point in the No. 5 singles spot by defeating Buffalo’s Tamara Markovic, 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-1. Highlighting Matache’s incredible skill was her performance during her tiebreaker against Markovic. With the overall score tied at 3-3, Matache played in a nail-biting third set, knowing the entire match rested on her shoulders. Despite the pressures of her responsibility to win, Matache crushed her opponent in the final set, 6-1, pushing the Lions to victory.

Matache’s confidence was the key reason for her win. Once she realized that the team depended on her, she firmly decided that she would not lose.

“After my second set, I went to my coach and asked ‘Am I playing a third?’ When she told me I would be, I knew it was up to me” Matache explained. “I told myself I would have to win somehow.”

Though Matache faced her opponent alone, she built off the energy from the home crowd to rack up points. Matache attributes much of her success to the support of her team, who gathered around the court to cheer her on during her match.

“I was so tired after the second set, but after I saw my whole team supporting me, I didn’t feel so tired,” Matache said. “I knew they would be supportive of me even if I lost, but I really didn’t want to disappoint them. So going into the match, I just refused to think about anything but winning.”

In particular, Matache is thankful for the support of her teammate, junior co-captain Natalia Christenson.

“Natalia was there the whole time watching me. She was so supportive and stayed so calm, even though being calm is something so hard to do when you’re watching tennis,” Matache said. “I tend to play better when people are watching, though, so Natalia being there really helped me.”

Christenson, who watched from the sidelines for the entirety of the match, applauded Matache’s performance with admiration.

“Eliza played so incredibly and fearlessly,” Christenson said. “She just went after it with so much confidence, and she destroyed the girl in the third set.”

It is not unusual for Matache to be poised and able to cope with intense pressure. In fact, Matache explains how she went into the stressful third set with a clear head, just as she goes into her other matches.

“I try not to think about anything before matches,” Matache said. “You can get too stressed out that way. I just like to take everything that’s happened in the past and put it aside. Really, I just try to live in the moment.”

Now a sophomore, Matache has been living in the moment since she got to New York two years ago. Hailing from Romania, Matache is thankful for the exciting opportunity to play tennis in the States.

“Tennis was one of the reasons I came to America,” Matache said. “In Romania, you have to choose between sports and academics when you go to college. I just wasn’t ready to make that choice. So I decided I wanted to come to America. I came to visit Columbia, which was my first choice. As soon as I got here, I knew I wanted to stay.”

Growing up in Romania, Matache began playing tennis at a young age. The limitations of her home country, however, held her back from getting the practice she needed year-round.

“I started playing tennis when I was seven years old, but I wasn’t that serious,” Matache said. “I mostly only practiced in the spring. We didn’t have very many winter courts available in Romania, so it was really hard to practice other than in the spring.”

Despite the restrictions, Matache continued to play tennis, and soon was granted the opportunity to play on a team outside of her country. In high school, at German College Goethe, Matache played tennis where she was ranked in the top 20 for Romania Girls 18s. She explained this as the real kickoff to her tennis career.

“In high school, I became more serious,” Matache explained. “I actually started playing for a team in Germany through high school. I started after the coach saw me playing and asked me if I would for them ... I played for them through high school and commuted from Romania to Germany on weekends to play, which was really exciting.”

Sharing her athletic gifts with another country, Matache is overjoyed to be living in America. After taking time to adjust to living in a new country, Matache is ready for what’s to come.

“After getting used to living here in America, I think now I am more prepared to cope with everything in general—managing the long practices in the spring with my schoolwork and everything else,” she said.

This year, Matache is excited to spend more time with her teammates during the rest of the spring season. She is especially pleased by how close the team has become during her time as a Lion.

“Tennis is such an individual sport that sometimes it’s hard to get to know people,” she said. “But this year, I learned how to make the team like a group of friends.”

Thinking about a major in political science or economics, Matache is still unsure what the future holds. Either way, she knows she will continue to play tennis.

“I cannot live without playing” she said.

Eliza will be back in action this Saturday, Feb. 27, at the Dick Savitt Tennis Center where Columbia will host local rival Long Island at 12 p.m.