This weekend, the Yale women's tennis team traveled to Philadelphia for the 2025 Eastern College Athletic Conference Indoor Championships hosted by the University of Pennsylvania, where they clinched the championship title.
The Bulldogs entered the tournament as underdogs, the fifth seed out of eight, with three strong Ivy teams blocking their path to the championship. They matched up with fourth-seeded Penn, top-ranked Princeton and third-seeded Columbia, all of which the Bulldogs conquered on their way to winning the championship on Sunday.
"As a senior, this win is incredibly special," Mirabelle Brettkelly '25 told the News. "It's the first time in 13 years that Yale women's tennis has claimed the tournament title, and it feels like a moment that's been four years in the making."
On the opening day of the tournament, Yale took on Penn to kick things off. After a slow start in doubles, which saw the Bulldogs get swept, the team came up clutch when they needed to the most.
Orly Ogilvy '27 got the first point on the board when she defeated Sabine Rutlauka 7-5, 6-4. Julia Werdiger '28 followed her up by quickly dismantling Gavriella Smith 6-1, 6-3. Erin Ha '27 kept up the momentum by beating Sasha Motlagh 6-3, 6-3, and Angela Huang '28 slammed the door on Penn's title dreams with a tremendous comeback against Maya Urata, eventually winning 4-6, 6-4, 6-1.
Winning four of the six singles matches, Yale was able to sneak past the Quakers 4-3 to move on to the second round of the tournament.
"The emotions of watching the clinching matches each day of ECACs and running onto the court in celebration will be ones that I will never forget," Werdiger, who went 3-0 in singles this past weekend, told the News. "The whole team has worked so hard for this championship, and we will always remember this victorious feeling. We are more motivated than ever for the Ivy season, and I cannot wait to see what else this team can accomplish."
In the second round on Saturday, the Bulldogs built on their success from the previous day to face top-seeded Princeton. The Tigers, who were favored to win heading into the tournament, saw their luck run out early as they faced off against the Bulldogs.
In doubles, Yale dominated, winning all three matches. Ogilvy and Ha won 6-3, Brettkelly and Shyla Aggarwal '27 won 6-3, and Werdiger and Huang were up 5-3 but ultimately did not need to finish their match given Yale's strong lead.
In singles, the Bulldogs continued their dominant play, proceeding to win every match. Werdiger battled hard to defeat Eva Elbaz 6-3, 2-6, 6-1. Ha kept up her strong play and pummeled Anna Nguyen 6-2, 6-0. Huang clinched the match for Yale when she took down Pearlie Zhang 6-3, 6-1. Ogilvy, Brettkelly, and Aggarwal all had their matches ended early after Yale claimed a 4-0 victory over Princeton. This gave them time to rest and recover before the tournament's final day.
After two victories in as many days, the Bulldogs came into the third and final day of the event hungry for a win. Not only was Yale matched up with an Ivy foe in the championship round, but they were facing a Columbia team that had not beaten on the championship court since 2019.
In doubles, the Bulldogs found themselves falling into a hole early. Brettkelly and Aggarwal fell to Sophia Strugnell and Gayathri Krishnan 6-2, and Werdiger and Huang lost to Emily Baek and Amber Yin 6-3.
To come back and win the championship, Yale needed a strong singles showing.
The first point of the day was put on the board by Ogilvy, who was able to overpower Columbia's No. 1 El Allami 6-3, 6-4. Werdiger, building on her already excellent record for the weekend, trounced Amber Yin 6-3, 6-2. Ha overwhelmed Winta Tewolde 6-2, 6-3, and the Bulldogs were now in the lead with their third point on the board. Yale needed just one more victory to win. Huang was able to deliver, crushing Columbia's Baek 6-1, 6-4.
Beating the Lions 4-2, the Bulldogs were named 2025 Eastern College Athletic Conference Indoor Champions. To make the victory even sweeter, Yale earned their first win in six years against Columbia after narrowly losing to them in the finals last year, adding to their list of accomplishments from the weekend.
"I've believed in this team's potential to achieve something like this since the day I stepped on campus, and now that it's becoming a reality, I'm excited for what's ahead," Brettkelly said. "We're just getting started, and we're ready to show everyone what Yale women's tennis is truly made of."
This is the first time the Bulldogs have won the Eastern College Athletic Conference Championship in 13 years, since 2012.