Alexandra D'Ascenzo Steve Stein I Contributing Writer T 6881 Orchard Lake Rd. • on the Boardwalk • (248) 851-5030 JARED 111 , : • ELRICO STEVE J7 248.356.6000 JoeCornell.com ENTERTAINMENT 11 AMONDWZ BRANDON TENDER Love Fashion?? Looking for an energetic stylist with selling experience to join our boutique. amanda@tenderbirmingham.com 64 May 28 • 2015 40v- here was no sophomore jinx this season for Alexandra D'Ascenzo. In fact, just the opposite. The 20-year-old from West Bloomfield was named the Most Improved Player on the Cornell University women's tennis team, and she earned an All-Ivy League Second Team berth with doubles partner Dena Tanenbaum. D'Ascenzo went 10-6 in singles and 10-6 in doubles. She was 7-4 at No. 2 singles and 7-3 at No. 1 doubles. The seven doubles wins were the most of any Cornell doubles player. D'Ascenzo and Tanenbaum played No. 1 doubles in all seven of Cornell's Ivy League matches and went 3-3 with one incomplete match. It's taken a while, DAscenzo said, but she feels she's finally adjusted to the mindset of a college tennis player. "I started playing tennis when I was 10. Until I came to Cornell, the focus was on me individually" she said. "Now it's all about the team and not yourself' Speaking of the Cornell team, the Big Red rebounded this spring from a forget- table 2014 season. They were 9-9 overall and 3-4 in the Ivy League this season even though there were no seniors and just two juniors on the roster. Cornell was winless in the Ivy League last year. This was only the third time since 1997 that Cornell won at least three Ivy League matches, and the three-win improvement in league play was the largest from one season to the next since 1994. Two of Cornell's Ivy League victories this season came against nationally ranked Columbia and Harvard. D'Ascenzo attributed the team's improvement to a better attitude that translated into outstanding camarade- rie — "the best of any team on the East Coast" — and the players' improved fit- ness. Academics are a challenge at any Ivy League school, and D'Ascenzo has met the challenge of being a student-athlete. She's majoring in human biology, health and society in her quest to become a physical therapist, and she has a 3.6 grade-point average. "You've got to prioritize and have good time management:' she said. "No matter how hard you try, though, you occasion- ally have trouble balancing everything:' D'Ascenzo was the 2012 winner of the Southeast Michigan Tennis Association's Jean and Jerry Hoxie Memorial Award, presented annually to female and male players who have made contributions to tennis through good sportsmanship and achievements on and off the court. She's the daughter of Larry DAscenzo and Leslye Sklar D'Ascenzo. Barry Good Again It's springtime at Marian High School in Bloomfield Hills, which means the bull's-eye is squarely on the back of Coach Barry Brodsky's girls soccer team once again. The Mustangs were undefeated (14- 0-3) last week headed into their final regular-season game and gearing up for what they hope will be another deep run in the Michigan High School Athletic Association Division 2 state tournament. This is Brodsky's 14th year as coach at Marian. His teams have won five state championships (2003, 2004, 2009, 2010 and 2012) and been runner-up three times (2002, 2013 and 2014). Back-to-back losses to Richland Gull Lake in the 2013 and 2014 state title games still sting. Marian fell 1-0 in double-overtime in 2013 and 2-1 last year. The Mustangs and Gull Lake played to a 1-1 tie March 21. "We want to get back to the state cham- pionship game, especially the girls who were there the last two years," Brodsky said. "But we need to stay focused because the road to the state title game is never easy. It seems like we always have at least one game where we almost lose. Thankfully, each scare serves as a motiva- tor and hardens the team. "I know it's a boring thing to say, but you can't look ahead. You have to focus on your next game:' Marian is in a district tournament this week at Auburn Hills Avondale. This year's Division 2 state championship game will be at 4 p.m. June 12 at Michigan State University. Diamond Gem Kalamazoo College sophomore out- fielder Ian Kobernick from Huntington Woods was named to the All-Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Second Team in baseball. The Berkley High School graduate hit .383 in regular-season conference play. Kalamazoo went 15-13 in the MIAA and tied for third place, its best finish in 25 years. ❑ Please send sports news to stevestein502004@yahoo.com.