Friday, February 22
New York, N.Y./Dick Savitt Tennis Center
4:00 PM
Columbia University
vs
Sacred Heart
Photo by: Columbia University Athletics/Mike McLaughlin
No. 38 Women's Tennis to Host Sacred Heart, Maryland
2/19/2019 3:29:00 PM | Women's Tennis
Follow Match LIveSacred Heart Match Program (PDF)Maryland Match Program (PDF)2018-19 Statistics (PDF)
Lions host Sacred Heart on Friday at 4 p.m., Maryland on Saturday at 1 p.m.; Lions enter weekend with 5-1 record and on five-match win streak.
NEW YORK—Riding a five-match win streak, the No. 38 ranked Columbia women's tennis team hosts both Sacred Heart (Friday) and Maryland (Saturday) this weekend at Dick Savitt Tennis Center. Friday's match vs. Sacred Heart begins at 4 p.m. ET, while Saturday's match vs. Maryland begins at 1 p.m. ET.
Both matches will be streamed live on ESPN3. Here is the breakdown where fans can watch each match:
COLUMBIA VS. SACRED HEART (ESPN3)
COLUMBIA VS. MARYLAND (ESPN3)
Columbia enters its weekend with a 5-1 overall dual match record. The Lions' only loss came in their season-opener at No. 24 ranked Syracuse. Since then, the Lions have won five straight. The five-match win streak is Columbia's longest since it won 11 straight in 2014.
For the first time this season, Columbia was ranked in the ITA women's tennis rankings at No. 38 nationally. The Lions are one of two Ivy League teams to garner a national ranking.
On Feb. 8-10, Columbia claimed its third all-time ECAC Indoor Championship as the Lions defeated host Yale (4-2), Penn (4-2) and Princeton (4-1) in the final. Columbia has now won ECAC titles in 2014, 2016 and now 2019 and head coach Ilene Weintraub won her third ECAC title.
SCOUTING SACRED HEART
Columbia takes on Sacred Heart for the first time in program history. The visiting Pioneers enter the weekend with a 3-5 overall record and have won two of their last three matches. Brianne Lauria (4-7) is the Pioneers' No. 1 singles player, while Olivia Podsiebierski (4-4) is their No. 2 singles player.
SCOUTING MARYLAND
Columbia is 3-5 all-time vs. Maryland. Maryland is 2-4 on the year after defeating Delaware 4-2 on Feb. 17. In singles, the Terrapins are led by No. 1 singles player Eva Alexandrova, who has a 2-4 overall record and Millie Stretton, who is 3-1. The doubles team of Zoe Kulkarni and Amber Policare is 3-2 overall.
GAME NOTES
*Columbia (5-1 as of Friday's match vs. Sacred Heart) gets back into action this weekend following two weeks off. The Lions enter the weekend on a five-match win streak after claiming the 2019 ECAC Indoor Championship Feb. 8-10 in New Haven, Conn. Columbia won its third ECAC championship since 2014. The Lions defeated host Yale (4-2), Penn (4-2) and Princeton (4-1) in the final.
*Entering the weekend, six Lions have won 10 or more singles matches: Akanksha Bhan (14-3), Christie Wan (12-4), Jennifer Kerr (11-8), Melissa Sakar (11-5), Yekaterina Alferova (10-7) and Sarah Hu (10-5). In doubles, Bhan and Paulina Ferrari are 11-3, Wan and Andrea Kevakian are 9-6 and Kerr and Hu have an 8-3 record.
*According to tennisrecruiting.net, Columbia welcomed the nation's No. 12 ranked incoming 2018 recruiting class in September. The four newcomers include first-years Melissa Sakar, Akanksha Bhan, Yekaterina Alferova and Caitie Sullivan. All four were ranked among the nation's top-100 players in the 2018 tennisrecruiting.net class: Sakar (No. 18), Bhan (No. 28), Alferova (No. 35) and Sullivan (No. 75).
*Head Coach Ilene Weintraub, CC '02 is in her 12th season at the helm of the Columbia women's tennis program. The winningest coach in school history with 115 dual match victories, Weintraub guided the Lions to their first Ivy League Championship in 2013, led the program to a top-40 national ranking in 2016, captured three ECAC Championships (2014, 2016, 2019) and has recruited three national top-15 recruiting classes (No. 6 in 2015, No. 10 in 2017 and No. 12 in 2018) and four national top-20 recruiting classes in the last five years to Columbia. She was named the ITA Northeast Region Coach of the Year in both 2014 and 2016. Weintraub is joined by first-year assistant coach AJ Nelson and volunteer assistant coach Carlos Carrera.
Both matches will be streamed live on ESPN3. Here is the breakdown where fans can watch each match:
COLUMBIA VS. SACRED HEART (ESPN3)
| Court | Match(es) | Link |
| 1 | 5 singles | Watch Live |
| 2 | 3 singles | Watch Live |
| 3 | 1 doubles, 1 singles | Watch Live |
| 4 | 2 doubles, 2 singles | Watch Live |
| 5 | 3 doubles, 4 singles | Watch Live |
| 6 | 6 singles | Watch Live |
COLUMBIA VS. MARYLAND (ESPN3)
| Court | Match(es) | Link |
| 1 | 5 singles | Watch Live |
| 2 | 3 singles | Watch Live |
| 3 | 1 doubles, 1 singles | Watch Live |
| 4 | 2 doubles, 2 singles | Watch Live |
| 5 | 3 doubles, 4 singles | Watch Live |
| 6 | 6 singles | Watch Live |
Columbia enters its weekend with a 5-1 overall dual match record. The Lions' only loss came in their season-opener at No. 24 ranked Syracuse. Since then, the Lions have won five straight. The five-match win streak is Columbia's longest since it won 11 straight in 2014.
For the first time this season, Columbia was ranked in the ITA women's tennis rankings at No. 38 nationally. The Lions are one of two Ivy League teams to garner a national ranking.
On Feb. 8-10, Columbia claimed its third all-time ECAC Indoor Championship as the Lions defeated host Yale (4-2), Penn (4-2) and Princeton (4-1) in the final. Columbia has now won ECAC titles in 2014, 2016 and now 2019 and head coach Ilene Weintraub won her third ECAC title.
SCOUTING SACRED HEART
Columbia takes on Sacred Heart for the first time in program history. The visiting Pioneers enter the weekend with a 3-5 overall record and have won two of their last three matches. Brianne Lauria (4-7) is the Pioneers' No. 1 singles player, while Olivia Podsiebierski (4-4) is their No. 2 singles player.
SCOUTING MARYLAND
Columbia is 3-5 all-time vs. Maryland. Maryland is 2-4 on the year after defeating Delaware 4-2 on Feb. 17. In singles, the Terrapins are led by No. 1 singles player Eva Alexandrova, who has a 2-4 overall record and Millie Stretton, who is 3-1. The doubles team of Zoe Kulkarni and Amber Policare is 3-2 overall.
GAME NOTES
*Columbia (5-1 as of Friday's match vs. Sacred Heart) gets back into action this weekend following two weeks off. The Lions enter the weekend on a five-match win streak after claiming the 2019 ECAC Indoor Championship Feb. 8-10 in New Haven, Conn. Columbia won its third ECAC championship since 2014. The Lions defeated host Yale (4-2), Penn (4-2) and Princeton (4-1) in the final.
*Entering the weekend, six Lions have won 10 or more singles matches: Akanksha Bhan (14-3), Christie Wan (12-4), Jennifer Kerr (11-8), Melissa Sakar (11-5), Yekaterina Alferova (10-7) and Sarah Hu (10-5). In doubles, Bhan and Paulina Ferrari are 11-3, Wan and Andrea Kevakian are 9-6 and Kerr and Hu have an 8-3 record.
*According to tennisrecruiting.net, Columbia welcomed the nation's No. 12 ranked incoming 2018 recruiting class in September. The four newcomers include first-years Melissa Sakar, Akanksha Bhan, Yekaterina Alferova and Caitie Sullivan. All four were ranked among the nation's top-100 players in the 2018 tennisrecruiting.net class: Sakar (No. 18), Bhan (No. 28), Alferova (No. 35) and Sullivan (No. 75).
*Head Coach Ilene Weintraub, CC '02 is in her 12th season at the helm of the Columbia women's tennis program. The winningest coach in school history with 115 dual match victories, Weintraub guided the Lions to their first Ivy League Championship in 2013, led the program to a top-40 national ranking in 2016, captured three ECAC Championships (2014, 2016, 2019) and has recruited three national top-15 recruiting classes (No. 6 in 2015, No. 10 in 2017 and No. 12 in 2018) and four national top-20 recruiting classes in the last five years to Columbia. She was named the ITA Northeast Region Coach of the Year in both 2014 and 2016. Weintraub is joined by first-year assistant coach AJ Nelson and volunteer assistant coach Carlos Carrera.
🎾#GAMEDAY🎾
— Columbia W. Tennis (@CU_WT) February 21, 2019
🔴Sacred Heart at 🦁@CU_WT
⏰Friday, 4 p.m.
🏟️Dick Savitt Tennis Center
📺#ESPN3
🐢Maryland at 🦁@CU_WT
⏰Saturday, 1 p.m.
🏟️Dick Savitt Tennis Center
📺#ESPN3
Preview/watch links: https://t.co/kTtVZWHy8V …#RoarLionRoar #GoColumbiaLions pic.twitter.com/x2QTeXosol
Players Mentioned
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