Columbia University
UMBC
Women's Tennis Celebrates Return Home with 5-2 Win over UMBC
2/9/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
The Columbia women have been on a schedule worthy of the NBA. But even NBA teams get to come home some time, and the Lions marked their first home match of the winter season Saturday with their first victory.
Fighting for every point throughout the four-hour contest, Columbia defeated the University of Maryland Baltimore County, 5-2. The win improved Columbia's record to 1-2, while UMBC fell to 0-2.
“It felt good to be back on our own surface,” junior Angela Hendry said of the Dick Savitt Tennis Center's hardcourts. “We are more familiar with it than our opponents.”
Nevertheless, as head coach Rob Kresberg noted, “It was a hard-fought match. UMBC played very tough. They have more depth than they've had in the past.”
Columbia's doubles corps set the tone for the Lions, sweeping all three doubles matches to gain the all-important point. Both second doubles, senior Milena Kachar and first-year Carling Donovan, and the third doubles combo of sophomores Sydney Murray and Lauren Shearer won by 8-3 scores. The No. 1 doubles was a nail-biter, though, as Hendry and sophomore Nina Suda were forced into a tiebreaker to pull out an 8-7 (9-7) win.
“I was very proud of our doubles,” Kresberg said, “the way they bounced back from last weekend in Boston. They didn't have a very good time of it last week.”
Kresberg also was pleased with several of his singles players against UMBC, especially the the three that were forced into playing a third set.
“All three hung in there,” he said. “They could have been discouraged, but they weren't. That's a good sign.”
Columbia's top player, Milena Kachar, lost her first set to UMBC's Alice Chen, 6-4, but came back to take the next two, 6-4, 6-3. Sydney Murray also lost a 6-4 opener to Pascaline “Frenchy” Cette, then won the next two, 6-2, 7-5.
Suda was on the winning side of a 6-4 first set, then dropped the second to Cornella Carapcea, 6-3. Suda took the early lead in the 10-point tiebreaker, only to see Carapcea rally for a 10-7 win.
Columbia's players found UMBC's style hard to deal with.
“They play a different style,” Hendry explained. “They're retrievers. They retrieve every ball and send it back. They're not aggressive; they don't look to score, just to keep returning the ball.” In order to overcome that style of play, Hendry said, “You always have to attack. It wears you down.”
Hendry worked her game to perfection, defeating Joy Adewumi at No. 2 singles, 6-1, 6-1. “Angela played a great match,” Kresberg said. “She didn't let her opponent in the match at all!”
The coach also praised senior captain Anna Varnay, who defeated Barbara Couto at sixth singles, 7-5, 6-2.
“After the first few games,” he said, “Anna was very good.”
Columbia plays at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst tomorrow (Sunday, February 11). The match begins at noon, and is the Lions' last for three weeks.
COLUMBIA 5, UMBC 2
Friday, February 9, 2007, Dick Savitt Tennis Center, New York, N.Y.
Doubles
1. Angela Hendry-Nina Suda, Columbia, def. Alice Chen-Pascaline Cette, 8-7 (9-7)
2. Carling Donovan-Milena Kachar, Columbia, def. Ariana Fonseca-Elizabeth Anderson, 8-3
3. Lauren Shearer-Sydney Murray, Columbia, def. Joy Adewumi-Cornella Carapcea, 8-3
Columbia wins the doubles point
Singles
1. Kachar, Columbia, def. Alice Chen, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3
2. Hendry, Columbia, def. Adewumi, 6-1, 6-1
3. Murray, Columbia, def. Cette, 4-6, 6-2, 7-5
4. Carapcea, UMBC, def. Suda, 6-4. 3-6, 1-0 (10-7)
5. Fonseca, UMBC, def. Shearer, 7-5, 6-4
6. Anna Varnay, Columbia, def. Barbara Couto, 7-5, 6-2
Players Mentioned
