Rain was the biggest opponent for the Yale Women’s Tennis squad as they earned a first round victory over Dartmouth in the Eastern College Athletic Conference Team Championships in Flushing, New York Saturday.

The Elis dominated their Big Green counterparts at the USTA National Tennis Center before rain halted play for later rounds of competition. The No. 3-seeded Bulldogs notched four consecutive victories against Dartmouth to win the best-of-seven dual match. Susie Hiniker ’03 and Stephanie White ’05 led the Bulldogs, cruising to straight-set victories at No. 1 singles and No. 3 singles, respectively.

“We played well,” head coach Chad Skorupka said. “Dartmouth’s down this year.”

Captain Biffy Kaufman ’03 and White teamed up for an 8-0 pro-set win at No. 1 doubles while Hiniker and Ashley Martin ’04 posted a shut-out of their own at No. 2 doubles.

The Elis faced Boston University Sunday night, but at press time the results were unavailable. After the ECAC Championships, the Bulldogs travel to the Indoor Tennis Association Championships Oct. 25 at Harvard.

–Alex Hetherington