Dartmouth (14-8, 6-1 Ivy) got off to a shaky start in the match, with Molly Scott '11 and Christina Danosi '13 losing 8-2 in first doubles and Ryan Reichel '11 and co-captain Georgiana Smyser '11 falling 8-5 in second doubles. Despite the 8-5 third-doubles victory by Jeri Reichel '13 and Melissa Matsuoka '14, the Big Green lost the doubles point to Harvard (9-9, 4-3 Ivy).
The Big Green also struggled in first and second singles matches, as both Scott and Sarah Leonard '13 lost in two sets. Matsuoka, Ryan Reichel, Smyser and Danosi then rallied in third, fourth, fifth and sixth singles, respectively, earning four points for Dartmouth and sealing the win.
Only Smyser's match went to three sets. She lost the first set, 3-6, but put together a strong comeback and dominated the rest of the match, beating her opponent 6-3 in both of the following sets. In third singles, Matsuoka outscored sophomore Kristin Norton, 6-4, 6-4, while Ryan Reichel defeated freshman Natalie Blosser, 6-4, 6-3, in fourth singles. In sixth singles, Danosi beat junior Samantha Gridley, 6-2, 6-2.
Dartmouth and Yale (21-4, 6-1 Ivy) both beat their opponents by a single point, with the Bulldogs defeating Brown University, 4-3.
The Big Green saw its undefeated League run broken last weekend against Yale in New Haven, Conn. The Bulldogs fell to Princeton University for their only loss of the season earlier this month.
Although the two teams have identical conference records, Yale will advance to the NCAA Division I Women's Championship as a result of its victory over Dartmouth in the matchup. The Championships will be held May 19-30 at the Taube Tennis Center in Stanford, Calif.
Head Coach Bob Dallis said the League title bears great significance for both the current team members and the future of the Dartmouth tennis program.
"I think it will continue to help move the program forward," he said. "I think it's even more beneficial for the people who are here that that's something that they can accomplish and they now know what it takes to accomplish it."
Smyser said Dartmouth's win has important historical significance for the team.
"We won our first ever Ivy League Championship since our program began in 1973," she said. "Honestly, it couldn't have been a better moment. I can't even express how happy we are and how big this is for us."
Scott said the Big Green's unprecedented conference championship will positively impact upcoming recruits.
"I think for any of the classes to come, this is more motivation that Dartmouth can win an Ivy League Championship," she said. "It's really exciting for everyone in the Dartmouth tennis community."
This weekend also marked the final match for Dartmouth's three senior players Ryan Reichel, Scott and Smyser. Ryan Reichel ended her final season with League records of 3-4 in singles matches and 1-6 in doubles matches, Scott finished with a 3-4 record in singles and 2-5 in doubles and Smyser ended the season 6-1 in singles and 2-5 in doubles.
Scott said the three seniors were thrilled with the results of their final season.
"It's unreal," Scott said. "It's always our number one goal [to win the League Championship], but to actually achieve it is really great. I think everyone is ecstatic."
Reichel said the team's victory was supplemented by the personal support many players received from family members and friends.
"My sister is on the team, so to win the title with her, with my parents there, I couldn't have imagined it any better," Reichel said.
Smyser said that the entire team from the four freshmen to the senior captains gave a tremendous effort this season.
"We really just gave it our all, from the top of the lineup all the way through the bottom," she said. "This team really just believed in the talent it had. Our coaches have set an incredible tone from the beginning of the year."
Dallis attributed the team's success to the players themselves, who committed to practices and upped the intensity in matches.
"It was something that was well-deserved for the team," he said. "They worked really hard."
The women's team win was also marked by Dallis' birthday.
"To have the women win the Ivy League Champs and beat Harvard on my birthday, it made it doubly special," he said.
The women's tennis team will hold its end-of-season banquet on May 11, where coaches will distribute individual awards and players will have the chance to formally bid the three captains farewell.
