NEW YORK - The Columbia women's tennis team dropped a tough match to Ivy League foe Princeton, losing to the Tigers 7-0 in the first round of the ECAC Indoor Team Championships in Cambridge, Mass.

Princeton, who entered the tournament as the top seed fared well against the Lions, who were seeded eighth coming in. The Tigers won the doubles point, and five of the six singles matches in straight sets.

Doubles saw Princeton take an early lead, as Natalia Christenson and Eliza Matache lost in the No. 3 spot, 8-1. Next to fall were senior Carling Donovan and first-year Nicole Bartnik, who dropped the No. 1 match, 8-3. And despite a close match, Natasha Makarova and Chelsea Davis lost at No. 3, 8-5.

In singles, Davis had the closest of the matches for the Lions, as she won her first set 6-2. But in the second set, Princeton's Monica Chow came back to win it 6-3, and send it into a tiebreaker. There, Davis lost by a heartbreaking close score of 11-9. All of the other singles matches went to Princeton in straight sets.

With the loss, the Lions now enter the consolation bracket of the ECAC tournament. Columbia will take on the loser of the Dartmouth/Brown match, Saturday, February 13 at 11 a.m.

No. 46 Princeton 7, Columbia 0

Doubles
1. Bartlett/Marable (P) def. Bartnik/Donovan (COL), 8-3
2. R. Saiontz/Chow (P) def. Makarova/Davis (COL), 8-5
3. M. Saiontz/Hoffman (P) def. Christenson/Matache (COL), 8-1

Singles
1.  Hilary Bartlett (P) def. Nicole Bartnik (COL), 7-5, 6-3
2.  Melissa Saiontz (P) def. Natasha Makarova (COL), 6-1, 6-4
3. Monica Chow (P) def. Chelsea Davis (COL), 2-6, 6-3, (11-9)
4. Rachel Saiontz (P) def. Eliza Matache (COL), 6-0, 6-2
5. Taylor Marable (P) def. Carling Donovan (COL), 6-1, 6-3
6. Blakely Ashley (P) def Diana Shapoval (COL), 6-2, 6-2