The women’s tennis team was dominant on its home court this past weekend, capturing both the singles and doubles titles in the Red’s Winter Invitational. Against a competitive field that included Army, Binghamton, Bucknell, Colgate, Columbia, and UMBC, Cornell opened the tournament with a show of strength in the first round on Friday afternoon. Eight singles players and three doubles teams advanced to Sunday’s final round.
In the singles bracket, senior Mollie Edinson, junior Kasia Preneta, freshman Catherine Duboc, junior Nisha Suda, senior Kara Maloy, senior Liying Wang, freshman Shayna Miller and sophomore Dana Cruite all won their matches.
However, it wasn’t a successful day for everyone on the Red squad.
Freshman Tamara John was eliminated from title contention in the singles draw with a 7-5, 6-1 loss to Bucknell’s Lya Kushnirovich in the fist round of singles play.
Columbia’s Kara Worseley also knocked sophomore Ashley Ebbert out of contention, handing her a 6-2, 6-1 defeat.
On the doubles side of the draw, it was the tandems of Edinson and Miller, Maloy and junior Kasia Preneta, and Wang and freshman Catherine Duboc who proceeded to Sunday’s final round.
Freshman Elizabeth Googe paired with John to win an opening match over Colgate, but the pair was handed an 8-5 defeat by its Bucknell counterpart. Cruite and sophomore Weatherly Schwab dropped two matches for the Red, one to Bucknell and another to Columbia.
In Sunday’s tournament championship round, the Red was able to claim two titles as its own.
The Red doubles team of Edison and Miller found itself in a showdown with the Bucknell squad for the title, and emerged with an 8-5 victory.
The singles draw matched up a pair of siblings, as the Red’s Nisha Suda played host to her sister Nina of Columbia in the semifinals.
Nisha brought home the victory for the Red in straight sets (6-3, 6-3), and then advanced to the finals, emerging victorious over Molly Condit of Columbia (6-3, 6-2).
Archived article by Lance Polivy
Sun Staff Writer