By wpengine
Last weekend was full of wins for the men’s and women’s tennis teams, which beat Penn State and Colgate 5-2 and 7-0, respectively. Heading into this weekend’s matches, the netters hope for similar success, as they build on already strong showings indoors this winter. The men will take on Binghamton, Rutgers, Army and Buffalo in a four-day series while the women are set to face Army and Syracuse beginning tonight. Women “It’s our first dual of the season,” said freshman Kasia Preneta. “We’re really excited.” Cornell’s women have played in several matches already this season, but last weekend’s Valentine’s Day match was the first which counted towards the team’s record. The shutout was a positive way to start the season. “I’m not sure how well we’ve done against Colgate in the past,” recounted Preneta, “but we definitely played well against them this time.” As the team prepares to host Army tomorrow and head north to Syracuse on Sunday, the women know that they will have to play equally dominating tennis to get more wins. The Orangewomen currently stand 2-4 but are on a two-game winning streak. Similarly, Army’s squad also boasts a 2-4 record and will face Syracuse this weekend as well. But the Red isn’t worried. “We’ve been playing really well lately with some really intense practices,” concluded Preneta. “I think we’ll play well this weekend.” Men The men also think they have a good shot at bumping their record to 6-0. “We have a tougher schedule than we’ve ever had, but we’re also playing really well this year, and we have high expectations,” said junior Scott Spencer. After dismantling Penn State, which was ranked higher than Cornell and favored to win the match, the Red has been waiting to get back on the court. The team will have the chance four times over when it hosts four schools at Reis Tennis Center. Topping the list is an Army team which has a 4-1 mark and is coming off a weekend which saw the team defeat Princeton for the first time since 1945. Army also knocked off the University of Central Florida, and gave No. 27 ranked Clemson a scare. “Army will definitely be our toughest match,” continued Spencer, “but I have all expectations that we’ll win.” “We’ve started this season in a great way,” he added, “all we need now is to keep playing consistently to show what we can do.” Archived article by Everett Hullverson
By wpengine
Coming fresh off a win at its own invitational last weekend, the gymnastics team will face its biggest test to date as it hosts Penn and James Madison in a tri-meet tomorrow. While the Red has already faced a nationally-ranked team in West Virginia, this weekend will show just how good Cornell’s chances of winning the Ivy League are. The event can be seen as merely a warm-up for the following week’s Ivy Classic (which Cornell is hosting this year), but the team will use the meet to test the health of its injury-ridden lineup and to get a feel of what needs to be done before the Classic. “We’ve got to get our personnel back,” said head coach Paul Beckwith. “That would shift the scores incredibly.” Even if the significance of this weekend’s event is drowned out by what will happen the following week, fans should not underestimate the high-caliber of gymnastics that will take place. The skill level of the three teams is extremely close. With season-high scores of 192.725, 191.975, and 191.350, Penn, Cornell, and James Madison are ranked second, third, and fourth, respectively, in the ECAC. “It’s going to be totally neck-and-neck,” said Beckwith, “Whoever hits will win it.” Perhaps the most exciting aspect of this weekend is the possibility of junior Shellen Goltz’s return. After earning All-America honors last year, Goltz spent all summer recovering from a foot injury. Before the 2004 season began, she was again sidelined with a back injury and has spent the last few weeks working on a new routine for the uneven bars — her previous routine was not developed enough before she got injured. If all goes as planned, Goltz will return to competition tomorrow. “She was our top on bars last year,” said Beckwith. “[She] should be in the meet against Penn.” Goltz’s comeback arrives at the best possible time for the Red. Freshman Randi Bisbano, the team’s top all-around performer this season and owner of the top five scores in school history, sat out of last week’s Big Red Invitational due to a knee problem. Regardless of the results from an MRI taken Tuesday, she will most likely remain on the sidelines again tomorrow to prepare for next week. “Ivies is what we’re shooting for with her,” said Beckwith. After the meet against Penn and James Madison, the Red will spend two more weeks at home, including the Ivy Classic on Feb. 29. As the season heats up, the team becomes more and more confident it can continue to improve and set records. “I think we are going to pull it all together,” said junior Larissa Calka. “I think we are going to do really well.” Archived article by Dan Carroll