ITHACA, N.Y. – The women's tennis team won its fifth consecutive match Wednesday, handing red-hot Army a 6-1 defeat at Reis Tennis Center in the Big Red's final tune-up before the start of Ivy League play.
 
The freshman doubles tandem of Marika Cusick and Alexandra D'Ascenzo got the Big Red started with an easy 8-2 victory at the No. 1 position. After the Black Knights won the No. 2 match, sophomores Dena Tanenbaum and Christy Kung clinched the doubles point for the home side with a win in a tiebreaker at No. 3.
 
After a hard-fought opening point, the Big Red made much quicker work of the singles portion of the competition. Cusick and D'Ascenzo won at Nos. 2 and 3, respectively, then Tanenbaum clinched the match for the Big Red with a 6-3, 6-4 victory at the No. 1 spot.
 
The Black Knights got on the board with a win at No. 6 in a third-set tiebreaker, but the Big Red closed out the contest on a winning note with junior Lauren Frazier's three-set win at No. 4 and Kung's win at No. 5 after a second-set tiebreaker.
 
With the victory, Cornell (7-3) snapped a nine-match winning streak for Army (16-2). The Big Red improved to 11-1 all-time against the Black Knights. Cornell opens its Ivy League schedule at noon Saturday at Columbia.
 
CORNELL 6, ARMY 1
Wednesday's results; at Reis Tennis Center; Ithaca, N.Y.
Doubles
1. Marika Cusick/Alexandra D'Ascenzo (C) def. Della Taylor/Elle Taylor, 8-2
2. Jamila Paul/Carolyn Pitman (A) def. Lauren Frazier/Kristin Quill, 8-4
3. Dena Tanenbaum/Christy Kung (C) def. Maya Parker/Nancy Porter, 8-7(5)
Singles
1. Tanenbaum (C) def. Paul, 6-3, 6-4
2. Cusick (C) def. Pitman, 6-2, 6-3
3. D'Ascenzo (C) def. Gabby Spindler, 6-0, 6-4
4. Frazier (C) def. D. Taylor, 6-4, 1-6, 6-3
5. Kung (C) def. E. Taylor, 6-3, 7-6(3)
6. Allyson Hayley (A) def. Quill, 4-6, 6-1, (10-5)
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3), Singles (2,3,1,6,4,5)
Records: Cornell 7-3, Army 16-2