ITHACA, N.Y. — For a split second, the women's tennis was in dire straits in a match at 54th-ranked Harvard on Friday. It was match point for the Crimson in the No. 2 singles match, and Cornell junior Alexandra D'Ascenzo hit a charging backhand down the line which was called out and seemingly gave Harvard a three-point lead while already up a set in one of the other remaining singles matches.
 
But D'Ascenzo appealed to the chair umpire, who deemed the ball hit the line and the call was overturned — and the whole match started to turn in favor of the Big Red. Cornell would go on to beat Harvard, 4-3, at Murr Tennis Center for the squad's first Ivy League victory of the season.
 
Already down a set, the overrule tied D'Ascenzo's second set at 5-all. She went on to win the next two games, breaking her opponent to force a third set. Meanwhile, freshman Mariko Iinuma recorded her first Ivy singles victory at the No. 4 position, winning 7-6, 6-2, to pull the Big Red back to within a point. Junior Marika Cusick also won in straight sets at the No. 1 position, and Cornell was back even with all three remaining matches headed for a third set.
 
Having already lost to her opponent in a non-league match earlier this year at Harvard in another three-set match, D'Ascenzo capped off her comeback with a 6-3 win in the third to pull the Big Red ahead. Sophomore Priyanka Shah then clinched the match at No. 6, rallying from a set down to break Amy He at love in the third set for a 5-7, 6-3, 6-2 win. It was just He's third loss in 16 dual matches this season.
 
The victory is just the Big Red's fourth in 40 all-time meetings with Harvard, with Cornell now winning each of the last three clashes. The Big Red returns to action tomorrow at Dartmouth.
 
CORNELL 4, #54 HARVARD 3
Singles
1. Marika Cusick (C) def. June Lee, 6-3, 6-4
2. Alexandra D'Ascenzo (C) def. Nikki Kallenberg, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3
3. Erica Oosterhout (H) def. Lizzie Stewart, 6-3, 6-1
4. Mariko Iinuma (C) def. Annika Ringblom, 7-6, 6-2
5. Sabrina Xiong def. Jane Stewart, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2
6. Priyanka Shah (C) def. Amy He, 5-7, 6-3, 6-2
Doubles
1. Ringblom/Xiong (H) def. Cusick/L. Stewart, 6-4
2. Lee/Oosterhout (H) def. D'Ascenzo/Shah, 6-1
3. Iinuma/Madison Stevens (C) vs. He/Kallenberg, DNF
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1), Singles (3,4,1,2,6,5)
Records: Cornell 12-6, 1-1 Ivy; Harvard 10-7, 0-1 Ivy