W. Tennis Ends Season With Losses to Penn, Princeton

The women's tennis team ended its spring season this weekend against Ivy rivals, No. 58 Penn (14-5, 7-0) and Princeton (9-9, 4-3). Despite a strong effort by the Red (11-10 1-6), the team came up short with two 6-1 losses.

On Friday at Penn, the netwomen faced their toughest competition of the year. Penn opened the match by sweeping all three doubles contests to clinch the doubles point. Junior Piper Lucas came away with the only point of the match for the Red, netting a straight-set victory at the No. 5 singles position. Freshman Akane Kokubo was unable to defend her perfect Ivy record, taking Penn's Nicole Ptak to three sets before falling 6-1 in the final set. The team played strongly in the singles contests, but the Quakers proved to be too much for the Red in the end. With a sweep of the Red and Columbia this weekend, Penn went perfect in Ivy play to clinch its second-straight conference title.

Returning home yesterday to face Princeton, the Red came out strong in doubles play. Junior co-captain Suzanne Wright and Kokubo posted an 8-4 win at the No. 1 doubles contest. Junior Nicole Chiu and freshman Erika Takeuchi lost an extremely close match at the No. 3 position, 9-8 (3).

"They outplayed us," commented head coach Angela Rudert. "We had some chances that we didn't capitalize on."

Rudert, nonetheless, was very pleased with the team's improvement in the doubles contests.

In singles play, Lucas again came up with the only win for the Red, winning in straight sets at the number five position to earn her fourth Ivy victory of the year. Kokubo finished her freshman year with an impressive 5-2 record in conference after losing at the number three contest.

Losing no one to graduation, the netwomen look to improve on this season's strong play in the fall.

"We've got four or five freshmen coming in," remarked Rudert. "We only expect to be stronger [in the fall]. This will be my fourth recruiting class, so we'll have four really strong classes next season."

W. Tennis Finishes Ivy Season

The women's tennis team wraps up its spring season this weekend, with a match today versus defending Ivy champ No. 58 Penn (12-5, 5-0) in Philadelphia, followed by a Sunday match versus Princeton (6-8, 2-3) back in Ithaca. The Red (11-7, 1-4) will look to rebound after losing two close matches to Brown and Yale. In the fall, the netwomen faced the Tigers at the ECAC championship, with the Tigers coming out on top. Last spring, the Quakers bested the Red 6-1.

The Quakers are on the verge of winning their second straight Ivy League crown. Having swept Dartmouth and No. 59 Harvard, Penn is riding a lot of momentum coming into this match. The team is led by No. 20 Alice Pirsu, who is undefeated in Ivy play. Earlier this season, she knocked off Harvard's Courtney Bergman, currently ranked 29th in the country. In order to stay close with Penn, the Red will need to secure the doubles point, something it hasn't been able to do in its recent matches.

Returning home on Sunday, the Red looks to avenge its loss in the fall to the Tigers. The first singles contest will feature a rematch between junior co-captain Suzanne Wright and No. 51 Kavitha Krishnamurthy of Princeton. The two met at the ITA Eastern Regional Championships in October, with Krishnamurthy coming off with a win in the round of 32.

Wright and freshman Akane Kokubo have been very strong in Ivy play this season. Last weekend, they knocked off Yale's All-Ivy First Doubles team, and both boast impressive singles records. Wright has a 4-1 Ivy record, while Kokubo is undefeated in conference play.

Sunday's match against Princeton begins at noon at Reis Tennis Center.

W. Tennis Loses Two at Home to Yale, Brown

The women's tennis team (11-7, 1-4) lost two close 4-3 matches this past weekend to Brown (12-4, 2-2) and Yale (13-5, 3-2) on Friday and Saturday, respectively, at Reis Tennis Center. In each of the matches, the Red split the singles contests, but failed to secure the doubles point.

The team bested Brown in its last meeting at the ECAC championship in the fall, however the netwomen fell just short of the win. The Bears opened the match by winning each of the three doubles contests 8-5.

Junior co-captain Suzanne Wright put the Red on the board with a straight-set victory at the No. 1 singles position. Junior Piper Lucas also won her singles match at the fifth position in straight sets to put the Red up 2-1. The four remaining singles contests all went to three sets, but only freshman Akane Kokubo was able to pull a victory. She won at the third slot.

No. 2 singles, sophomore Laura Leigh Tallent, who was playing in the deciding match, won the second-set tiebreaker to force a third but could not eke out the victory.

"We are both pretty [evenly-matched] teams, but Brown was the tougher team that day," said head coach Angela Rudert. "We failed to win the majority of our three-set matches."

Yale opened the match on Saturday by winning two of three doubles contests. Wright and Kokubo, who were both undefeated on the day, won at the No. 1 position by a close score of 9-8. Wright was again a winner in straight sets at the No. 1 singles position. Kokubo also secured a straight-set win in the No. 3 match.

No. 4 singles freshman Erika Takeuchi came from behind to win her match in three sets. Unfortunately for the Red, the Elis took the rest of the singles contests and pulled off the win by one point.

"We're now extra hungry to win," commented Rudert on the two tight losses, adding, "the team is not feeling dejected at all."

Despite the two loses, Rudert was pleased all around with the team's performance. Wright and Kokubo defeated Yale's All-Ivy First Team Doubles players Andrea Goldberg and Elizabeth Kaufman. Kokubo remains perfect in Ivy play with a record of 5-0 and Wright also boasts an impressive 4-1 Ivy record.

The netwomen wrap up their season next weekend with a Friday contest at Penn. The team returns home on Sunday for its final match of the season against Princeton.

Red Unable to Handle Harvard, Dartmouth

The women's tennis team lost two close Ivy matches this weekend at Harvard (6-7, 2-0) and Dartmouth (11-4, 2-0), bringing the team's record to 11-5, 1-2.

After losing to Harvard in the fall 7-0, the Red came a lot closer, posting two impressive wins in singles in the 5-2 loss on Friday. In the doubles contests, junior co-captain Suzanne Wright and freshman Akane Kokubo lost a very close match at the first position, 9-7. Sophomores Kate Sternberg and Laura Leigh Tallent prevailed at the second position, winning 8-6. Harvard secured the doubles point by defeating junior Nicole Chiu and freshman Erika Takeuchi at the third position 8-3. In singles, Kokubo and Sternberg came up with straight-set wins at the No. 3 and No. 6 positions, respectively.

"Some of our players played their best tennis ever [this weekend], and it was exciting to see them on a hot streak," commented head coach Angela Rudert.

On Saturday, the Red lost a another close match at Hanover, 4-3. In doubles, the Red played very competitively at the second and third positions, losing both matches by a score of 9-7.

The singles play also exemplified close play, with three of the matches going to three sets. Last season, Wright accounted for Dartmouth's Sarita Yardi's only Ivy loss and was able to defeat her again in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3 at the No. 1 position.

Junior Piper Lucas was also a winner in straight sets at the No. 6 position. Kokubo was a winner in three sets at the No. 3 position, dispatching Jayme Ahmed 6-1, 6-7, 6-1. In the end, Dartmouth prevailed, as Takeuchi took Dartmouth's Arden Fredeking to three sets before falling 4-6, 6-0, 2-6.

"The match was down to the wire," Rudert commented. "The homecourt advantage [was a big factor]. Dartmouth had about 50 fans, who were all very loud."

Despite the losses, Rudert was very pleased with her team's performance.

"I think the matches taught all our players that just because a team or a player has a ranking doesn't mean that they are out of reach," said Rudert.

In what will be their first home matches since Spring Break, the netwomen return home to face No. 70 Brown on Friday and No. 75 Yale on Saturday at Reis Tennis Center.

W. Tennis Travels to Harvard, Dartmouth

Coming off a win against Columbia in its Ivy opener, the women's tennis team hits the road again for two more Ivy League matches. Today the women play at Harvard and tomorrow at Dartmouth. The Red (11-3, 1-0 Ivy) bested the Lions last week 4-3. Harvard (4-7, 0-0) and Dartmouth (9-4, 0-0) also edged out 4-3 wins last week against No. 42 Pepperdine and Boston University, respectively.

"We're geared up to play Harvard," said head coach Angela Rudert. "[The team] is not holding back. We're just going to go for it and put it out on the line."

Harvard's losing record is deceptive, as the Crimson's schedule is much harder than either Cornell or Dartmouth's, with matches against five top-25 programs, including No. 4 Stanford and No. 5 Duke. Its lineup boasts three nationally ranked freshmen. The Crimson's number one singles player, Courtney Bergman, is currently ranked 23rd in the country and captured the ITA Eastern Regional Championship back in October. Harvard will be one of the toughest opponents that the Red will face this spring.

"We're excited for the challenge. It's nice to be the underdog," commented Rudert.

While not as strong a team as Harvard, Dartmouth will also pose a challenge for the Red. The Big Green have faced some tough opponents this spring, dropping contests to No. 2 Georgia and No. 51 Maryland. Last spring, the Red handed Dartmouth a convincing 6-1 defeat.

"We're not underestimating Dartmouth. It's always a bit tougher on the road," Rudert said.

The netwomen return home next weekend to face No. 70 Brown on April 12 and No. 75 Yale on April 13 at Reis Tennis Center.

Netters Come Up With Victories Against Columbia

The women's tennis team (11-3, 1-0 Ivy) opened its Ivy League season with a 4-3 win at Columbia (8-5, 0-1) on Friday.

The netwomen started the match by winning the doubles point, with junior Suzanne Wright and freshman Akane Kokubo winning at the number one position, 8-2. Sophomores Kate Sternberg and Laura Leigh Tallent lost a close match at the number two position, 9-8 (5), while junior Nicole Chiu and freshman Erika Takeuchi took the win at the number three position 8-3 to clinch the doubles point.

Head coach Angela Rudert was pleased with the doubles performance.

"Having played tougher teams in Louisiana [during Spring Break] really helped us out," she said.

In singles play, the Red took three of the first four matches to clinch the win. Kokubo was a winner in straight sets at the number three position 6-0, 6-3. Takeuchi was also a winner in straight sets at the number four position 6-1, 7-6 (5). Wright was able to secure the fourth point at the number one position with a 6-3, 7-6 (3) win.

"There's always a lot of nerves for the first Ivy match and we were able to overcome those nerves more than Columbia," remarked Rudert.

Next week, the Red continues its Ivy play on the road with matches against Harvard and Dartmouth on Friday and Saturday, respectively.

Netters Hit the Road

The women's tennis team will be heading south this spring break, as it faces off against No. 61 Tulane, No. 65 New Orleans, Louisiana-Lafayette, and a recently added match against Xavier University of Louisiana. These matches will help prepare the team for the Ivy League season, which begins on March 29. The only other nationally-ranked team that the Red (8-1) has faced so far this season was No. 72 Penn State, which accounts for the team's only loss in the spring.

The Red's schedule starts with three straight matches. The team faces Xavier (7-1) tomorrow, Tulane (7-4) on Sunday, and New Orleans (13-1) on Monday. Next Wednesday, the netwomen will finish off the road trip against Louisiana-Lafayette (3-2). Head coach Angela Rudert is expecting some strong competition during the week.

"All our matches are winnable matches," remarked Rudert. "Tulane is the best team [out of the four] on paper."

Tulane knocked off No. 50 University of Iowa earlier in February, and should give the Red a tougher time than the other teams that the Red has faced earlier in the season. With a strong performance in Louisiana, the team will be ready to face the other schools of the Ancient Eight.

Coming off a sweep of Binghamton, UMBC, and UMASS, Rudert is looking to improve the doubles play. Even though the Red swept each of the three teams 7-0, it dropped one out of the three doubles contests. Rudert is trying some new pairings for doubles during the road trip, partnering junior co-captain Suzanne Wright with freshman Akane Kokubo.

"We've got a lot of talent [in doubles]," Rudert said. "We just have to get the right chemistry."

The netwomen return to Reis Tennis Center on April 12 for a weekend series against Brown and Yale.

She's Wright On Track

At age five, Suzanne Wright began banging a tennis ball against her garage wall in New Zealand. Fifteen years later, her opponents are the best collegiate women's tennis players in the country. Now in her junior year, Wright has risen to the forefront of the women's tennis team as its co-captain and first-singles player.

Tennis for Wright has always been a family affair. Her dad is a tennis coach, so naturally, Wright became interested in the sport at a young age. Her younger brother and sister also share her love of the game.

"I like how tennis is both an individual and a team sport. It combines skill and fitness," remarked Wright.

Wright entered her first tournament at age 10, and has since garnered many tennis titles. At 13, when most kids are worried about climbing the rope in gym, Wright was the 14-and-under and 16-and-under champion of New Zealand. While attending St. Cuthbert's College, Wright earned the distinction of being the No. 3 junior tennis player in New Zealand.

There are only five universities in New Zealand, and none of them offer intercollegiate athletics, so Wright looked abroad to further her tennis career. She wanted a school with not just a tennis focus, and she found what she was looking for at Cornell. Before coming to Ithaca, the longest time Wright had spent away from home was five weeks.

"It was a pretty big shock to the system," commented Wright about leaving home for a year. "It's a lot easier after you've found your niche."

Wright certainly found her niche on the tennis court her freshman season with a 22-9 singles record and a 6-1 record in Ivy play. She was named to the All-Ivy first team and voted the Red's MVP and Rookie of the Year. Playing first singles her sophomore year, Wright again earned All-Ivy first team honors with a 14-7 singles record and a 4-3 record in Ivy play.

Now in her third season, Wright has taken on a new role as co-captain of the team.

"If you asked me a couple of years ago, I don't think I would have seen myself [as captain]. You get used to it. Now I really enjoy it," said Wright.

Head coach Angela Rudert is very pleased with Wright's ability as a leader on and off the court.

"[She's] not one of those loud captains who yells a lot to pep up her teammates, but she is a captain who leads by example. If you watch her play on the court, she's got a nice manner, she's got incredible sportsmanship," praised Rudert.

"She always treats her teammates well and her opponents well, but she goes out there and does what she has to do to win, and so she's a great leader in that respect. She works very hard in practices, she works hard off the court too. Her teammates really look up to her," Rudert continued.

This spring, Wright is off to a terrific 8-1 start, her only loss coming after a three-set battle with a nationally-ranked player from Temple. She will face tougher competition from her Ivy opponents in upcoming matches.

"I am really looking forward to the Ivies. There is always something a bit different, a little bit more competitive about them. You want to do really well, and I think I will come across some of my toughest matchups during that time," finished Wright.

Tennis Sweeps Three

The women's tennis team improved to 8-1 after sweeping its matches against Binghamton, UMBC, and Massachusetts, all 7-0 this weekend at Reis Tennis Center. The netters took every point in all three matches, dropping only one of out three doubles contests in each match. Junior Suzanne Wright led the way for the Red, winning all of her first singles matches in straight sets.

"We had a really successful weekend. It was a good confidence booster for the team," said head coach Angela Rudert. "All of the teams [we played] could have taken a point from us, but we swept them."

The Red opened the weekend against Binghamton (2-4) on Saturday by taking the doubles point, with junior Nicole Chiu and freshman Erika Takeuchi taking the second contest, and freshman Melissa Tu and junior Saloni Kantaria winning at the No. 3 position. Wright, sophomore Laura Leigh Tallent, junior Piper Lucas, sophomore Kate Sternberg, Chiu, and Tu won all six singles matches to cap off the 7-0 victory.

Later that afternoon, the netters squared off against University of Maryland, Baltimore County (5-4) and again came away with the win. Fatigued from the previous match, the Red held out against the tougher UMBC squad. The Red took the doubles points by winning the No. 2 and No. 3 positions, and Wright, Tallent, Takeuchi, freshman Akane Kokubo, Lucas, and Sternberg were all winners in their respective singles contests.

"To pull out a 7-0 win when you're tired is a lot tougher, so it means a little more," remarked Rudert.

To finish up the weekend, the Red hosted University of Massachusetts, Amherst (2-11) yesterday afternoon. The netters took the doubles points with wins at the number 1 and number three positions, with Wright, Tallent, Kokubo, Lucas, Chiu, and Tu winning their singles matches in straight sets.

Facing weaker teams for much of the beginning of the season, the Red will face stiffer competition next week, when it travels to Louisiana to take on Tulane, New Orleans, and Louisiana-Lafayette.

"[The team] is up for some challenges in Louisiana. [They're] really excited. These matches will help us get ready for the Ivy season," Rudert said.

Easing Into the Spring Season

The women's tennis team's spring season actually began back in January, with the Red posting two impressive wins against Colgate and St. Bonaventure. The team has ridden this success to a 5-1 record, also capturing three singles titles and one doubles title at the Cornell Winter Indoor Classic.

"Our team is really strong throughout the lineup. The freshmen add a lot of depth, and our team cohesiveness is strong. The team has the potential to be at the top," said sophomore Laura Leigh Tallent.

The lady netters are led by junior Suzanne Wright at first singles, who is off to an impressive 8-1 start. At the Indoor Classic, Wright took the A-flight singles title as well as the A-flight doubles title with junior partner Daniela DelPrete. The Red has also seen strong play from freshmen Erika Takeuchi and Akane Kokubo. The freshman netters rose to the occasion at the Indoor Classic, with Takeuchi and Kokubo winning at the B and C-flight singles, respectively, and Melissa Tu reaching the finals at the D-flight singles.

"I think one thing that has been kind of nice about our team is that the upperclassmen take the freshmen under their wing to help them sort out things with their classes or issues they might have as being part of the team," head coach Angela Rudert said. "The upperclassmen have done that well, and not just our captains, we have a lot of juniors who have all been terrific with the freshmen."

The transition from junior tennis to college-level play can be difficult for freshmen, but the Red's rookies have adapted well.

"Junior tennis was very competitive and individual," remarked Takeuchi. "It's nice to be able to incorporate the team aspect."

The fall regular season, composed of only two tournaments, was especially short for the Red. Individual play was stressed more, as the only team matches came at the ECAC Championship.

At the ECACs, the netters faced three Ivy League opponents and pulled off a strong 6-1 win against Brown, which was enough to earn the Red a seventh-place finish. Wright and DelPrete went to the ITA Eastern Regional Championships in Philadelphia. Wright advanced to the third round before losing to Kavitha Krishnamurthy of Princeton, and DelPrete won her two qualifying matches to advance to the first round of the main draw. She ended up losing there to Grace Wu of Binghamton. Wright and DelPrete then teamed up to play against Old Dominion in doubles.

The Red's only loss this spring came to a nationally-ranked Penn State team. Wright came away with the only win for the netters.

"Basically, they outplayed us, they were just a better team on the day and probably a better team overall," said Wright. "We had a couple of close [matches]. We actually got a lot closer to them than last year."

The team will face its toughest competition of the spring season when it heads down to Louisiana during spring break to face No. 61 Tulane, No. 64 New Orleans, and Louisiana at Lafayette.

"[These matches] will be really good competition and practice for the Ivies," remarked sophomore Kate Sternberg. "They will make us match tough, and it will also be a good bonding experience for the team."

After the Louisiana road trip, the Red must battle the other Ivy League schools to finish out the season. The Ancient Eight boasts four nationally-ranked teams, including No. 34 Pennsylvania and No. 42 Harvard. The Crimson's team includes freshman Courtney Bergman, who is currently ranked No. 27 in the nation.

"Our Ivy matchups are going to be tough. Actually, we find more of the nationally-ranked teams in the Ivy League than our out-of-conference play. They're probably our toughest competition of all," said Rudert.

With a strong showing against UMBC, Massachusetts, and Binghamton, the netters will be able to gain momentum for their Louisiana road trip and the Ivy League season.

"We're building up our confidence by playing other teams, so we'll be more prepared for the Ivy matches [this time around]," said Kokubo.