Team Effort Topples Tigers

The defending Ivy League champion women's tennis took the first step in re-asserting itself atop the Ancient Eight on Saturday.

The No. 72 Quakers used a complete team effort - each woman who played won at least one match, either in singles or doubles - to knock off No. 64 Princeton, 5-2.

Despite the score, senior tri-captain Julia Koulbitskaya said the match was very close.

"It was one of the toughest I've been a part of in my four years here," she said.

Koulbitskaya was the only member of the Quakers to lose a singles match, falling 6-3, 6-4.

"My opponent was just on," she said. "She played a very smart match against me."

Koulbitskaya and doubles partner Ekaterina Kosminskaya - the No. 24 duo in the nation - were the only victorious Red and Blue tandem.

"We go into every match expecting to play well and expecting to come out on top," Koulbitskaya said. "So far it has worked out pretty well for us."

Fellow tri-captains Michelle Mitchell and Yulia Rivelis were unable to close out the No. 2 doubles match, losing 9-8.

"We had a lot of chances to win, but we didn't play our best on the big points," Mitchell said.

After Maria Anisimova and Charlotte Tansill dropped the final doubles match, the Quakers found themselves in a hole. Several women were losing in their first set in singles.

Then came a 15-minute period when Koulbitskaya says the Quakers were able to "sink their teeth into the match."

"We just wanted it more then they did," she added.

Three Quakers (Anisimova, Mitchell and Rivelis) needed all three sets to get their singles victories.

"It was an intense battle, but Yulia [Rivelis] clinched [the overall match] while I was tied 3-3 in the third set," Mitchell said. "That took the pressure off me."

Without that pressure, Mitchell said that she relaxed, helping her to get the win.

Koulbitskaya attributed the slow start to nerves from the buildup to the season opener.

Mitchell agreed, but also added, "To play our best we are going to have to play without fear. Princeton is considered to be one of the toughest opponents, so we have a big weight off our shoulders now."

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