ITHACA, N.Y. - Resiliency was the name of the game for the University of Pennsylvania women's tennis team on Sunday, with the Quakers proving resilient enough to earn a tight 4-3 victory over a team previously unbeaten in the Ivy League: Cornell. With the win, Penn improves its overall record back to .500 at 8-8, while earning its first triumph in Ancient Eight action.
The doubles point played a vital role for the Red and Blue, as the Quakers jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead on the road. After dropping a 6-3 match on court three,
Kana Daniel and
OJ Singh teamed up for their first win together on court win, winning by a similar score of 6-3. All eyes were on
Ria Vaidya and
Lina Qostal, facing the Big Red's Iinuma and Shah, and the duo from Penn edged out the victory, defeating Cornell 7-5.
In singles, both sides took first sets on three courts each, but it was freshman
Ashley Zhu who would grab the second point of the afternoon for Penn, winning her second match of the Ivy League season, this time in straight sets, defeating Cornell's Shah 7-5, 6-3. The Big Red would quickly answer back however, as Qostal fell in a close three-set match after winning the first frame. The home squad would build on that momentum with its second-straight point, as freshman
Sarah Dreyfuss dropped two sets by the slimmest of margins, 7-6(5), 7-5.
With the match even at 2-2, Penn would grab control and refuse to let go, as the final three matches all went into three sets. Sophomore Kowalska got back to her winning ways, taking her first set 6-1, and rebounding after dropping her second to win 7-5 in the third for the third point of the day for the Quakers. With one point left to win, Vaidya captured it in style, capping off a come-from-behind effort over Alexandra D'Ascenzo to take the final two frames 6-2, 6-3 and clinch the match for Penn. Senior Daniel dropped a back-and-forth three setter on court win, making the final score 4-3 in favor of the Red and Blue.
The Quakers will look to build on the momentum of their first Ivy League win with two matches in the next week, both at home, first against Brown on Friday, April 14 followed by Yale visiting Philadelphia on Saturday, April 15 for Senior Day. Both matches start at 1 p.m.
Penn 4, Cornell 3
Doubles
Singles
1. Marika Cusick (Cornell) def.
#89 Kana Daniel (Penn), 7-5, 4-6, 6-4
2.
Ria Vaidya (Penn) def. Alexandra D'Ascenzo (Cornell), 5-7, 6-2, 6-3
3.
Ashley Zhu (Penn) def. Priyanka Shah (Cornell), 7-5, 6-3
4. Lizzie Stewart (Cornell) def.
Lina Qostal (Penn), 3-6, 6-1, 6-2
6.
Marta Kowalska (Penn) def. Madison Stevens (Cornell), 6-1, 5-7, 7-5
Order of Finish: Doubles (3,1,2), Singles (3,4,5,6,2,1)
Records: Penn (8-8, 1-2 Ivy), Cornell (12-5, 2-1 Ivy)
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