PHILADELPHIA - No. 12 Stanford dropped a hard-fought 6-3 decision to No. 9 Penn on Saturday afternoon in the semifinals of the CSA National Championships.
Seeded No. 4 in the Kurtz Cup (B Division) and fresh off its first win at Nationals since 2019, Stanford (6-6) again controlled the top of the lineup before Penn pulled away thanks to its depth.
Si Yi Ma, Miriam Cheng and Khushi Kukadia anchored a Cardinal sweep at the 1-2-3 spots. Ma improved to 11-1 at the No. 1 spot of the lineup, building off her momentum from 2022 in which she produced a team-best 14-1 record while becoming Stanford's first Holleran Cup champion since Madeleine Gill in 2013.
Saturday's contest was a rematch from back in November, when the Quakers edged the Cardinal 5-4. Stanford claimed the top four spots in that match, with Lucia Bicknell also contributing a victory.
Stanford will close out its season with a final match on Sunday. The Cardinal has been competitive all season despite featuring seven underclassmen and is two weeks removed from a third-place finish at the MASC Championships in its first year as a member school.
No. 9 Penn 6, No. 12 Stanford 3
1's: Si Yi Ma (STAN) d. Malak Taha (PENN) 11-5, 11-4, 11-1
2's: Miriam Cheng (STAN) d. Avni Anand (PENN) 11-7, 9-11, 11-1, 11-8
3's: Khushi Kukadia (STAN) d. Jana Dweek (PENN) 12-10, 11-8, 5-11, 11-5
4's: Ashley Manning (PENN) d. Lucia Bicknell (STAN) 11-9, 8-11, 11-8, 11-9
5's: Natasha Pensler (PENN) d. Mary Duffy (STAN) 11-6, 11-3, 11-7
6's: Eujung Park (PENN) d. Isabella Rolfe (STAN) 11-8, 9-11, 11-6, 11-5
7's: Grace Lavin (PENN) d. Leah McGillicuddy (STAN) 11-8, 11-5, 11-3
8's: Penelope Oh (PENN) d. Andrea Kitahata (STAN) 11-4, 11-0, 11-1
9's: Emma Carter (PENN) d. Abigail Alemayeho (STAN) 11-2, 11-3, 11-3