PHILADELPHIA — The women's tennis team set a program record with its 15th victory over the season on Friday, but more importantly the 5-2 victory Penn keeps the Big Red's chances for an Ivy League title alive heading into Sunday's Senior Day match against Princeton at Reis Tennis Center.
 
Cornell (15-7, 4-2 Ivy League), which entered the weekend ranked 63rd in the country by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, rolled to the first four points against #52 Penn for its third consecutive victory. After the Big Red secured the doubles point, junior Alexandra D'Ascenzo won her team-leading 16th singles match of the season in straight sets from the No. 2 spot.
 
Having already paired with sophomore Madison Stevens to win in doubles, freshman Mariko Iinuma made the score 3-0 with her win at #4 singles. Sophomore Priyanka Shah then clinched the match by outlasting her opponent at #5 in a second-set tiebreaker for her 11th consecutive singles victory.
 
The victory means the victor of a 10 a.m. Sunday match between Cornell and Princeton will win at least a share of the Ivy League title. It would be Cornell's first Ivy League if it were to win Sunday, and the Big Red would win the title outright and earn a berth in the NCAA tournament if the victory coincided with a Columbia loss to Penn on Sunday.
 
Friday's victory was just the sixth Cornell win in 36 all-time meetings with Penn. It also powered the Big Red to break the previous record of 14 victories in a season, which was set in 2013 — also under the guidance of Mike Stevens, the Carl H. Meinig '31 Head Coach of Women's Tennis. The Big Red will also finish the Ivy League slate with a winning record for the first time since 1996, which was the only time the program has ever reached the NCAA tournament after going 5-2 in the league, which was at the time the Eastern Intercollegiate Tennis Association.
 
Sunday's match against Princeton is free to attend and open to the public. It will be contested on the outdoor courts at Reis Tennis Center.
 
#63 CORNELL 5, #52 PENN 2
Singles
1. Kana Daniel (P) def. Marika Cusick, 6-3, 7-6
2. Alexandra D'Ascenzo (C) def. Sonya Latycheva, 6-1, 6-4
3. Ria Vaidya (P) def. Lizzie Stewart, 7-6, 6-3
4. Mariko Iinuma (C) def. Lina Qostal, 6-3, 6-4
5. Priyanka Shah (C) def. Marta Kowalska, 6-1, 7-6
6. Jane Stewart (C) def. Luba Vazhenina, 3-6, 6-4, (7-4)
Doubles
1. Cusick/D'Ascenzo (C) vs. Daniel/Latycheva, DNF
2. L. Stewart/Shah (C) def. Kowalska/Vaidya, 6-3
3. Iinuma/Madison Stevens (C) def. Qostal/Vazhenina, 6-3
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2), Singles (2,4,5,1,3,6)