"Much-heralded Star Deli slow-cooks
its own tender temptations"
— Danny Raskin
Star
Steve Stein
I Contributing Writer
T
here's been no stopping
Alexandra D'Ascenzo during the
allegedly lazy, hazy days of sum-
mer.
The Cornell University junior wom-
en's tennis team standout from West
Bloomfield won both the singles and
doubles championships in a 2015 Summer
Intercollegiate Tennis Association
Northeast tournament held last month at
Cornell's Reis Tennis Center.
She beat Cornell teammates for both
titles. D'Ascenzo beat her doubles partner
Dena Tanenbaum 7-6 (5), 6-0 for the
singles championship. D'Ascenzo and
Tanenbaum beat Nicole Johnson and
Lizzie Stewart 8-2 in the doubles final.
"That was awkward:' D'Ascenzo admit-
ted. "I'm naturally competitive, so I want-
ed to win, but it was weird trying to beat
my teammates. I know it made our coach
happy to see our team do so well:'
D'Ascenzo was the tournament's No. 1
seed in singles, and she was dominant.
She won four matches in straight
sets, losing only 12 games, to reach the
championship match. She beat Samantha
Tutelman 6-2, 6-4 in the semifinals in her
closest match before facing Tanenbaum.
D'Ascenzo and Tanenbaum rolled to
the doubles championship, winning four
straight matches by a combined 32-6.
They faced Cornell teammates in the
semifinals, rolling past Madison Stevens
and Priyanka Shah 8-1, before beating
teammates Johnson and Stewart in the
final.
After spending a month at home earlier
this summer, D'Ascenzo went back to
Cornell to take a six-week organic chem-
istry class that's required for her degree in
human biology, health and society as she
pursues a career as a physical therapist.
The class is on an accelerated schedule
because it's being held during the summer.
"I'm getting a lot of information in a
short period of time D'Ascenzo said. "But
that's OK. It's the only class I'm taking and
I'm not involved in tennis fulltime."
D'Ascenzo has a 3.6 grade-point aver-
age.
She was named the Most Improved
Player on the Cornell women's tennis team
last season and she earned an All-Ivy
League Second Team spot in doubles with
Tanenbaum.
She went 10-6 in singles and 10-6 in
ELI
lexandra D'Ascenzo
doubles, including 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. Cornell was 3-4 in the
Ivy League, beating nationally ranked
Columbia and Harvard.
Stars of Tomorrow
Application deadline is Aug. 31 for the
Michigan Jewish Sports Foundation's new
Stars of Tomorrow Scholarship program,
an expansion of the Bill Hertz Memorial
Scholarship program.
Recently graduated Jewish high school
seniors who plan to participate in sports
in college can earn money toward tuition.
Applicants will be judged on athletic and
academic achievement, financial need,
extracurricular activities and community
service. Tuition will be paid for any col-
lege, not just schools in Michigan.
The foundation plans to present five
$1,000 scholarships at its 31st annual
Michigan Jewish Sports Hall of Fame
induction banquet Oct 20.
The key to the Stars of Tomorrow's
growth is fundraising, said foundation
executive director David Blatt. With the
application deadline looming and the first
recipients being named this year, Blatt is
hoping the publicity will aid the fundrais-
ing effort.
For an application or answers to ques-
tions, go to www.michiganjewishsports.
org or call (248) 592-9323.
Tough Loss
Players in the InterCongregational Men's
Club Summer Softball League have heavy
hearts these days.
Longtime league umpire Denny
Brenner of Waterford died July 24 at age
82. Brenner was honored by the league
in 2011 when he retired from umpiring
league games. He'd been an umpire since
the league's inception in 1996, and he
umpired in Detroit-area leagues for more
than 40 years.
"Softball in the summer without
Denny is like a hot-fudge sundae without
ice cream:' InterCongregational league
spokesman Chuck Freedman said after
the 2011 ceremony honoring Brenner.
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JN
August 6 • 2015
47