The Cornell women’s tennis team faced a mixed bag of results this weekend as it continued its Ivy League season.
The women hosted Harvard and Dartmouth at the Reis Tennis Center. The Red played a close match against the Crimson on Friday, losing by only a one-point margin. The following day, the Women rebounded from the loss by dominating Dartmouth 6-1.
On Friday, the Crimson took the lead by sweeping all the doubles matches. In the singles category, the Red was more successful. Sophomore Suzanne Wright, senior Ngozi Amobi and freshman Kate Sternberg all claimed the No.1, 2, and 5 spots, respectively. Sophomore Piper Lucas, in the third spot, had to retire because she was up a set due to illness.
The women have suffered some obstacles when it comes to team health.
“We have had a couple of setbacks.” Wright explained. “Our No. 2 and 3 singles players haven’t been able to play.”
Head coach Rudert concurred, “Future success is a matter of keeping the team fired up and healthy.”
Despite these health concerns, the Red was able to maintain close footing against Harvard, producing a narrower gap than was the case last year.
“It is disappointing that we lost to Harvard, but it was much closer than last year,” Wright stated. “It came down to one point this year, which is encouraging.”
The following day, the Cornell women took to the same courts against the Big Green, another team which beat the Red last year. It was time for the women to reverse history.
The Red almost had a clean sweep, winning five out of six singles matches and two out of three doubles matches. Wright, again in her No. 1 position, and Sternberg, in the No. 4 match, both maintained their undefeated record in the Ivy League.
After this weekend, the Red is now 2-1 in the Ivy League standings.
“I’ve been really pleased with our Ivy start,” said. “The team has really come together and become cohesive. They have come in ready to play.”
The Red will continue to pursue its goal of finishing in the top three of the Ivy League this weekend. Cornell first travels to Providence, R.I., to face the Brown Bears and then is off to New Haven, Conn., to battle the Yale Bulldogs
Archived article by Meryl Conant