The Cornell women’s tennis team is on a winning streak — the team won three matches over spring break against Coastal Carolina, College of Charleston and The New Jersey Institute of Technology. With the best record in Division I, 11-0, the women’s tennis team is off to the best start it has ever had in program history.
Coastal Carolina was defeated on its home courts, 5-2 by the Red, with losses in the No. 1 and No. 2 doubles matches and a loss in the No. 1 singles match.
The match against the College of Charleston proved to be particularly tough, as the Cornell team won by a close margin of 4-3. The team lost all of its doubles matches and the No. 1 and No. 2 position matches in singles.
“Charleston had an advantage as we were playing them in outdoor courts and we have been practicing in indoor courts,” freshman Laila Judeh said. “It was definitely one of our tougher matches.”
Cornell then proceeded to beat the New Jersey Institute of Technology with only one loss at No. 1: a close match between N.J.I.T.’s Ksenia Kuzmenko and Cornell senior Christine Ordway, 7-6, 6-4. The women’s team won all of its other matches with junior Ryann Young at No. 2 winning her match 6-2, 6-2, No. 3 freshman Dena Tanenbaum winning 6-2, 7-6, a 6-4, 6-0 win for Judeh at No. 4, No. 5 sophomore Lauren Frazier winning her match against Natalis Melibeu (NJIT) 1-6, 6-4, (11-9), and freshman Christy Kung defeating Carolina Zanotta 6-3, 6-3 at No. 6. The team also won all of its doubles matches with Ordway and Tanenbaum winning No. 1, 8-3, Kung and Young defeating their opponents, 8-2, at No. 2 and at No. 3 Frazier and Judeh winning, 5-2.
“Coach is very happy with the team’s wins, but does not want us to be satisfied. The wins won’t mean anything unless we do well in the Ivy’s,” Judeh said.
The team is heading to its first Ivy League opener against Columbia this Saturday at noon at the Reis Tennis Center.
“We are confident, excited and ready to go into Ivy season this weekend against Columbia- this is what we have been working towards all year, it is the most competitive part of the season,” Judeh said. “Being a freshman this will be my first time playing an Ivy League level duel match and I am looking forward to it.”
Original Author: Deeya Bajaj