Women's tennis snaps three-year Ivy losing streak

They finally did it. Breaking a five-match losing streak and a three-year-long dry spell in Ivy competition, the women’s tennis team crushed Ivy rival Penn this weekend, 5-2. After the match, the girls indulged in a well-deserved celebration, emotionally congratulating senior co-captain Carling Donovan, who closed out her final home match as a Lion with a roar, dominating both of the matches she played that day. A win for the record books, Friday’s victory was the first Ivy win under head coach Ilene Weintraub. The victory was particularly satisfying for assistant coach Sara Schiffman, a 2006 graduate of Penn and former Quaker coach, who watched her new team crush her alma mater. The Light Blue women earned their stripes on Friday as they closed their 2010 home season with a bang.

After ending their home season, the Lions still had one more match to go. Following the match against Penn was one against their highest-ranked Ivy competitor, No. 32 Princeton, which was fighting to capture the Ivy title on its home court. The Lions, confident after their long-awaited victory against Penn, faced Princeton fearlessly, but were swept by the powerhouse 7-0. Sunday’s loss crowned the Tigers this year’s Ivy champions and left Columbia second to last in the Ancient Eight. The Lions closed their season 10-13 overall and 1-6 in the Ivy League.

This weekend, the women showcased their best tennis. On Friday, knowing the Quakers would be their best chance at an Ivy win, the Lions entered the match hungrily from the start. Taking the 1-0 lead, the Lions stole the doubles point, as junior co-captain Natasha Makarova and freshman Katarina Kovacevic were the first off the court with an 8-5 win at No. 3. Not even five minutes later, freshman Nicole Bartnik and Donovan bested Penn’s No. 1 pair with an 8-4 win, clinching the doubles point for Columbia. The No. 2 pair of Eliza Matache and Chelsea Davis, despite falling behind 6-1, rallied back to win six straight games and take a 7-6 lead. But Davis and Matache couldn’t finish it out, and with the score tied up at 8-8, a tie-break was called. There, Penn pushed ahead to win 11-9, taking the match 9-8. But the loss came well after the Lions secured themselves the 1-0 lead.

From there, the Lions stayed on top all the way through until claiming their victory. The Lions stole four out of the six singles matches handily, defeating the Penn teams in straight sets. Columbia knew it had won before lone senior Carling Donovan finished her very last match on Columbia’s home court. So with Donovan’s sound 6-2, 6-1 win over Emma Whitfield in the No. 6 spot, the Lions stormed the court to celebrate her win. Columbia’s two losses that day came from Kovacevic, who lost at the No. 4 spot 6-2, 6-4, and No. 1 superstar Bartnik, who was coming off an injury and fell in a grueling 1-6, 7-5, 7-5 match. The losses, however, weren’t enough to stop Columbia from claiming its win.

The next day required a lot more out of the Lions, as they stood up against Ivy-undefeated and No. 32 Princeton. Despite their inspired tennis from the day before, the Lions could not maintain their momentum, and were swept 7-0 by the mighty Tigers. With the absence of Bartnik and Donovan from singles play, Columbia was at a disadvantage from the start. The team could not take a single set, and was swept in doubles and singles. Princeton’s win entitled them to their second consecutive Ivy championship and marked the first time the Tigers have finished 7-0 in the Ivy League in 10 years.

With another season gone, the women’s tennis team has a lot to be proud of. Overcoming a frustrating slew of injuries, the Light Blue women fought hard until the end. As the season closes, the Lions say goodbye to only one graduating teammate, Donovan, and prepare to welcome the next season’s newcomers to the squad. As a young and motivated team, the 2011 season can only be better.