ITHACA, N.Y. — The women's tennis team will play its final matches of the season when it hosts Yale and Brown this weekend at Reis Tennis Center, where it was also hold its Senior Day fesitivities to commemorate the final collegiate matches for seniors
Priyanka Shah and
Madison Stevens.
Cornell (6-12, 0-5 Ivy League) is coming off a pair of losses on the road last weekend, first dropping a 5-2 decision Saturday at Dartmouth before trekking southeast for a Sunday match at Harvard that ended in favor of the host, 6-1. Junior
Michelle Wang won both of her matches at No. 6 singles for the Big Red, improving to 7-8 on the season from the bottom two spots in the order. Sophomore
Ananya Dua also defeated her opponent from the Big Green at No. 2 singles on Saturday, giving her a 3-1 record from that position since moving up from primarily competing at No. 3.
Yale (6-16, 0-5) is also looking for its first Ivy League victory after suffering a pair of 6-1 losses at home last weekend to Princeton and Penn. Samantha Martinelli accounted for both of the Bulldogs points on the weekend with a pair of victories at No. 1 singles to break a four-match losing streak. Martinelli is 11-8 in dual matches from the top spot, while Valierie Shklover and Amy Yang typically compete behind her. Martinelli typically pairs with Elizabeth Zordani at No. 1 singles, where the tandem has a 3-0 record in Ivy League matches.
The Bulldogs own a 31-6 advantage in the all-time series between the programs, but Cornell has won the last two matches and three of the last four to break a 17-match Yale winning streak. The Big Red swept all six singles matches in a 6-1 victory last year in New Haven, including victories from Shah (No. 3), junior
Mariko Iinuma (No. 5) and Stevens (No. 6).
Brown (10-11, 3-2) split its matches last weekend, staying alive in the Ivy League chase thanks to a 5-2 victory Saturday against visiting Penn. The Bears then put a scare into league-leading Princeton on Sunday, but the Tigers pulled out a third-set tiebreaker victory at No. 6 to prevail, 4-3. Alyzza Benotto and Maddie Stearns typically shuffle between the top two positions in singles, where they both have 2-3 records in Ivy League play. Devon Jack won her first four Ivy League matches at No. 3 before a loss on Sunday. Stearns and Courtney Kowalsky are a perfect 5-0 in doubles against Ivy competition, primarily at the No. 1 position.
The Bears hold a 29-11 lead all-time against the Big Red, though Cornell has won the last two Ivy League tilts. Last year's 4-1 victory for the Big Red helped the squad clinch a share of its first-ever Ivy League title. The teams have already met once this season, with Brown recording a 4-0 victory on Feb. 11 in the ECAC Indoor Championships.
