NEW HAVEN, Conn.—No. 2 seed Columbia won the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Indoor Championship title with a 4-1 victory over No. 1 seed, defending Ivy League and ECAC champion Princeton Sunday evening at Yale's Cullman-Heyman Tennis Center. A complete and updated tournament bracket is located at this link.
 
The victory over Princeton gave Columbia its third all-time ECAC Tournament title and first championship since 2016 when it defeated Yale, Dartmouth, Harvard in succession. The Lions have now captured ECAC Championships in 2014, 2016 and now 2019. Here is coverage of the 2016 ECAC title and here is coverage of 2014 ECAC title. It marks head coach Ilene Weintraub's third ECAC title.
 
Columbia, which improves to 5-1 on the year, won its fifth consecutive dual match.
 
Sunday's title match did not start the way Lions had hoped. Princeton took a 1-0 lead and claimed the doubles point with victories at No. 2 and No. 3 doubles. Princeton's Grace Joyce and Clare McKee defeated Columbia senior Andrea Kevakian and sophomore Christie Wan 6-3 at No. 2, then Stephanie Schrage and Nathalie Rodilosso registered a 6-4 win over Columbia sophomore Jennifer Kerr and senior Sarah Hu at No. 3.
 
But the Lions won four consecutive singles matches and drove back to New York City in possession of the ECAC championship trophy.
 
Wan started the Lions off with a 6-4, 6-2 No. 3 singles victory over Princeton's Nicole Kalhorn. First-year Akanksha Bhan put Columbia up 2-1 when she battled back from dropping the first set 2-6, then recovered with a 6-0, 6-3 sets to defeat Princeton's Brianna Shvets at No. 2 singles. Senior Sarah Hu won a come-from-behind 6-1, 2-6, 6-4 victory over Princeton's Nathalie Rodilosso at No. 6 singles. First-year Melissa Sakar clinched the team victory with a 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 win at No. 4 over Princeton's Clare McKee.
 
The Lions won three straight matches in three consecutive days to claim the championship. Columbia began tournament play on Friday by winning four straight singles matches en route to a 4-2 first round win over host and No. 7 seed Yale. On Saturday, Columbia advanced to the championship match with a 4-2 win over No. 6 seed Penn as the Lions battled back in several matches to claim victory.
 
Then came today's win over Princeton, a program that Columbia owns a 5-27 all-time record against. Columbia's victory also snaps a four-match losing streak to the Tigers.
 
"The atmosphere on the courts today was unreal," sophomore Sarah Rahman said. "It was amazing to witness unparalleled intensity and fight from all our players as they rose in unison to the occasion of defeating the defending ECAC champions."
 
The ECAC Tournament bracket featured all eight Ivy League teams in an unofficial Ivy League tournament. All matches were played at Yale's Cullman-Heyman Tennis Center.
 
ECAC INDOOR WOMEN'S TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS
Feb. 8-10, 2019 | New Haven, Conn. | Cullman-Heyman Tennis Center
 
Friday's Results
No. 4 Brown 4, No. 5 Dartmouth 3
No. 1 Princeton 5, No. 8 Cornell 0
No. 6 Penn 4, No. 3 Harvard 1
No. 2 Columbia 4, No. 7 Yale 2
 
Saturday's Results
No. 5 Dartmouth 4, No. 8 Cornell 1
No. 7 Yale 4, No. 3 Harvard 3
No. 1 Princeton 4, No. 4 Brown 1
No. 2 Columbia 4, No. 6 Penn 2
 
Sunday's Matchups
No. 3 Harvard 4, No. 8 Cornell 1
No. 7 Yale 4, No. 5 Dartmouth 1
No. 6 Penn 4, No. 4 Brown 0
Championship Match: No. 2 Columbia 4, No. 1 Princeton 1
 
Columbia is Tournament Champion!