Women's Tennis Heads to Princeton Invitational
10/1/2014 4:46:00 PM | Women's Tennis
NEW YORK – The Columbia women's tennis team heads to Princeton, New Jersey, for the Princeton Invitational at the Tiger's Lenz Tennis Center this weekend.
Stay Social
Stay up-to-date with all the latest news and notes on Columbia Athletics by connecting with the Lions on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Be sure to use hashtags #TurnItBlue or #RoarLionRoar for an insider's look at Columbia's teams and student-athletes.
#LionsGiveBack
Columbia Giving Day 2014 is coming! On Wednesday, Oct. 29, support Columbia Athletics in the university-wide, 24-hour online fundraising initiative by making your gift to the program at www.givingday.columbia.edu. Follow along on social media with #LionsGiveBack for the latest updates on how we're doing!
Scene Setter
The invitational will see players from six teams compete in a hidden draw format. Columbia will take the court against Boston College, Duke, Penn, Princeton and South Carolina.
At All-Americans
For the first time since 2011, four Lions traveled to Pacific Palisades, California, to compete the 2014 Riviera/ITA All-American Championships. Senior Crystal Leung and sophomore Tina Jiang are set to take the court in the doubles main draw, while junior Kanika Vaidya is still alive in the singles qualifying draw after besting top-50 opponents in her first two matches. Vaidya paired up with first-year Rima Asatrian in the doubles qualifying draw, but the duo fell to the racquets of Rachel Pierson and Saska Gavrilovska Gavriloska of ninth-ranked Texas A&M, 6-4, 3-6, 10-3.
To follow the Lions' journey at the championships visit the tournament central page, here.
Rank and File
Columbia received national recognition by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) in the preseason rankings as four Lions were recognized. Kanika Vaidya is the highest ranked player in the Ivy League coming in at No. 85, while Tina Jiang sits No. 102. On the doubles court, two Columbia tandems made the 60-pair list. Jiang and Crystal Leung were picked No. 19 and Vaidya and Rima Asatrian land at No. 41.
More Reading: Women's Tennis Receives ITA Rankings, All-America Championships Selections
Last Time Out
Columbia completed its opening weekend of competition Sunday, Sept. 21 at the Mizzou Invite at The Plaza Tennis Center with a number of strong performances.
In singles, Kanika Vaidya and Alexandra Solovyev and Laura MacMullin registered 2-1 records, respectively. Rima Asatrian and Adi Milstein also made their collegiate debut, while a combination of Columbia tandems competed in doubles action.
More Reading: Women's Tennis Competes at Mizzou Invite
Hall of Famer
Columbia women's tennis will see its former standout Milena Koachar '07CC inducted into the Columbia University Athletics Hall of Fame this October. The four-time All-Ivy League honoree remains the only Lion to be named the Ivy League Rookie of the Year, earning the accolade in 2004 after going 5-2 against the Ancient Eight with a 13-5 overall record.
More Reading: Hall of Fame Series: Women's Tennis' Milena Kachar '07CC
What's Next
The Lions will take a week off from competition before traveling to New Haven, Connecticut, for the ITA Northeast Regional Championships Friday, Oct. 17 through Tuesday, Oct. 21.
