Columbia Defeats Dartmouth in Down-to-the-Wire Match, 4-3
Saturday, 04/07/2012
NEW YORK – The Columbia women’s tennis team rallied from a deficit to take a thrilling win over Dartmouth Friday, in Hanover, N.H., beating the Big Green, 4-3. The Lions dropped the doubles point, but were able to take four singles matches to clinch the win and improve to 11-3 overall, 2-0 in the Ivy League.
Dartmouth swept the doubles matches, in three bouts that were as close as two teams can be. In the No.1 doubles spot, sophomores Bianca Sanon and Tiana Takenaga fell in the tiebreaker to Sarah Leonard and Akiko Okuda, 9-8 (11-9). The No.3 doubles matchup was just as close, as Crystal Leung and Katarina Kovacevic fell to Jeri Reichel and Theresa Smith, 9-8(6). And sophomore Iani Alecisu and junior Nicole Bartnik lost in the No.2 spot to Janet Liu and Rachel Decker-Sadowski, 9-7.
The Big Green had the 1-0 lead heading into the singles matches, so the Lions were fighting back from a deficit for the remainder of the match. And fight they did. Dartmouth got a quick win in the No.5 spot, where Theresa Smith beat Kovacevic, 6-1, 6-3, but Columbia answer with wins at Nos.1 and 6. Bartnik beat Sarah Leonard at No.1, 6-4, 6-4, while Takenaga beat Decker-Sadowski by an identical score at No.6, 6-4, 6-4. With the two wins, the teams were tied up, 3-3. Sanon gave the Lions the edge with a 6-2, 7-5 win over Okuda at No.2 singles, but Liu tied it up once more, as she beat Leung at No.4, 3-6, 7-6(6), 6-1.
The match came down to the No.3 spot, where sophomore Iani Alecsiu was battling Melissa Matsuoka. Matsuoka won the first set, 6-3, but Alecsiu was able to rally back and win two straight sets to clinch the win, and the match for the Lions, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.
Up next for Columbia is a match in Cambridge, Mass., against strong Harvard squad, Saturday, April 7 at 12 p.m.
Columbia 4, Dartmouth 3
Doubles
1. Sarah Leonard/Akiko Okuda (DART) def. Bianca Sanon/Tiana Takenaga (COL) 9-8 (11-9)
2. Janet Liu/Rachel Decker-Sadowski (DART) def. Iani Alecsiu/Nicole Bartnik (COL) 9-7
3. Jeri Reichel/Theresa Smith (DART) def. Crystal Leung/Katarina Kovacevic (COL) 9-8 (6)
Singles
1. Nicole Bartnik (COL) def. Sarah Leonard (DART) 6-4, 6-4
2. Bianca Sanon (COL) def. Akiko Okuda (DART) 6-2, 7-5
3. Iani Alecsiu (COL) def. Melissa Matsuoka (DART) 3-6, 6-4, 6-3
4. Janet Liu (DART) def. Crystal Leung (COL) 3-6, 7-6 (6), 6-1
5. Theresa Smith (DART) def. Katarina Kovacevic (COL) 6-1, 6-3
6. Tiana Takenaga (COL) def. Rachel Decker-Sadowski (DART) 6-4, 6-4
