Flushing, NY – The Hunter College women's tennis team entered tonight's CUNY Athletic Conference Championship match trailing 3-1, yet would go on to win four of the five remaining singles matches and claim their tenth consecutive title with a 5-4 victory over the Baruch Bearcats at the indoor courts of the USTA Tennis Center Sunday night in Flushing, NY.

After rain forced the championship to be moved indoors, the two teams squared off for the ninth time in the finals match on Tuesday at Queens College. Baruch got an early lead, winning first and second doubles matches, but the Hawks were able to grab a point with a win at third doubles. Then with just two courts available, the two head coaches picked from a hat to see which singles matches would start. Second and fourth singles were chosen and the Bearcats would earn one more point with a second singles win. The fourth singles match would go to a third set, but without any remaining court time, the match was halted until Sunday.

On Sunday, senior Evgeniya Kim (Flushing, NY/Cardozo) didn't waste any time, winning her first singles match 6-0, 6-0 to cut the lead to 3-2. However, things began to look bleak for the Hawks when Baruch's Shalanda Graham came from behind to win the final set of the fourth singles match 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 and put her team just one win away from the upset.

The Hawks then took control as sophomore Ericka Jaramillo (Jamaica, NY/Townsend Harris) won sixth singles 6-3, 6-1, followed by senior Bomi Park (Astoria, NY/Younghoon) at fifth singles 6-1, 6-2 to tie the overall match score at 4-4. This left third singles as the deciding match and Hunter's Veronica Efimenko (Belarus/#181) was up a set and held a 5-2 lead in the second set. Baruch's Mariam Mkrtchyan then won two straight games, but Efimenko was able to grab the win and clinch the championship.

The Hawks now receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament which begins on May 14, 2010. In their last three tournament appearance, the Hawks have compiled a 2-3 record, with wins against Wilkes University in 2007 and 2008.