Saturday, January 20
Princeton, N.J.
11:00 AM
Rutgers University
at
Princeton
Tennis to Open 2024 Spring Slate Against Princeton and Howard
Jan 19 | Women's Tennis
EAST BRUNSWICK, N.J. — The Rutgers tennis team is set to open the 2024 spring season with a doubleheader on Saturday, Jan. 20 against Princeton and Howard. The Scarlet Knights will travel to the Tigers in the morning for an 11 a.m. dual, before returning to East Brunswick Racquet Club to host the Bison at 5 p.m.
Recapping the 2023 Fall
The Scarlet Knights are coming off a successful fall schedule, where they posted a team record of 78-59 in singles and doubles competitions through seven total events.
Leading the way in singles play was Minchae Kim, who claimed 17 total victories, nine singles and eight doubles.
Mai Nguyen also had a strong showing, recording an 8-2 record in singles competitions. The sophomore finished the campaign on a five-match win streak which included two straight-set victories and three comeback wins.
In doubles, the pair of Nguyen and Amira Badawi won five matches together, the most out of RU's 18 different duos.
Recapping the 2023 Spring
RU finished its 2023 spring season with an 11-13 record. The campaign was highlighted by a 9-2 nonconference record, earning wins in the first four matches of the year.
Following a challenging conference slate that consisted of nine ranked opponents, Rutgers earned the No. 13 seed in the 14-team bracket in the 2023 Big Ten Women's Tennis Tournament.
The Scarlet Knights opened the tournament with a match against No. 12-seeded Michigan State, earning a 5-1 victory. The first round win marked the first Big Ten Tournament win for head coach Hilary Ritchie since she was elevated to the position in 2016.
The team's spring campaign ended in the tournament with a 4-1 loss to No. 5-seeded Northwestern.
New Kids 'On The Banks'
RU welcomed two new additions to the squad this offseason, graduate student Yana Gurevich and freshman Naomi Karki.
Gurevich spent four years at UC Davis before coming to join the Scarlet Knights. The Los Gatos, Calif. native announced her decision to finish her collegiate career 'On the Banks' in November 2022.
During her successful four-year career with her former team, Gurevich recorded a 44-30 singles record helping her to be named the Big West Player of the Week three times. She was also named to the All-Big West Conference Second Team Singles as a sophomore and junior.
Following a strong senior season where she finished with a 10-8 singles record playing exclusively at the top lineup spot, Gurevish was named to the All-Big West Conference First Team Singles and Doubles.
Karki began her Rutgers career after finding success at East Brunswick High School where she led her squad to the 2019 NJSIAA State Championship as well as GMC and Red Division titles.
As an individual, Karki recorded an impressive 24-2 during that season and was named the Heather O'Reilly Freshman of the Year as well as the GMC Fall Athlete of the Year by MyCentralJersey.com.
In 2021, Karki led her team to repeat as both GMC and Red Division champions. She also advanced to semifinals in doubles of G18 National Winter Championships.
Karki spent the 2022 summer training at the Juan Carlos Ferrero Academy in Villena, Spain.
Aye, Aye Captain(s)
Heading into the upcoming campaign, Ritchie has named Chloe Brown and Jackeline Lopez as the team's co-captains for the spring. Brown, a senior out of Johns Creek, Ga., will enter the season as captain for the second-straight year, while Lopez, a junior from Dunwoody, Ga., earned the distinction for the first time in her career.
Entering her fourth spring season with the Scarlet Knights, Brown has appeared in 39 total matches over the last three years. The senior competed in a career-high 18 matches in 2023, recording 10 total wins, six singles and four doubles. Following the campaign, Brown was named a 2023 ITA All-Academic Team Member and ITA Scholar Athlete.
Lopez has been a mainstay at the top of Rutgers' lineups throughout her first two seasons with the program. During the 2023 spring slate, the junior took the court in 23 matches, recording 16 wins, eight singles and eight doubles. All of her singles victories came at the No. 1 spot.
History Against Princeton
Saturday morning's dual match will be the first between the Scarlet Knights and the Tigers since 2019, when Rutgers fell on the road to Princeton, 6-1. PU has won each of the 17 all-time meetings between the two programs in a series that dates back to 2003.
History Against Howard
The evening match will be the first-ever dual between the Scarlet Knights and the Bisons.
Scouting the Tigers
Princeton is coming off a 2023 spring season where it went 17-7 and a perfect 7-0 in Ivy League play. The Tigers have claimed four-consecutive Ivy League Championships and three-straight NCAA Tournament second round appearances.
The Tigers are led by the doubles duo of Maia Sung and Bella Chhiv, who were ranked at No. 40 in the final Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) rankings of 2023. Madeleine Jessup leads the charge in singles competitions, ranking at No. 93 entering the spring campaign.
Scouting the Bison
In 2023, the Bison went 8-11 throughout the spring season, including a 4-2 record in MEAC competitions. Howard advanced to the semifinal round of the MEAC Championships after defeating Morgan State, 4-1, in the first round.
Howard was led by Sifa Butcher, who went 12-5 in singles competition. The Pembroke Pines, Fla. native also went 9-4 in doubles competitions.
Looking Ahead
The Scarlet Knights will travel to Newark, N.J. to take on NJIT on Saturday, Jan. 27 (12 p.m.).
Follow Along
Follow Rutgers women's tennis on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
Recapping the 2023 Fall
The Scarlet Knights are coming off a successful fall schedule, where they posted a team record of 78-59 in singles and doubles competitions through seven total events.
Leading the way in singles play was Minchae Kim, who claimed 17 total victories, nine singles and eight doubles.
Mai Nguyen also had a strong showing, recording an 8-2 record in singles competitions. The sophomore finished the campaign on a five-match win streak which included two straight-set victories and three comeback wins.
In doubles, the pair of Nguyen and Amira Badawi won five matches together, the most out of RU's 18 different duos.
Recapping the 2023 Spring
RU finished its 2023 spring season with an 11-13 record. The campaign was highlighted by a 9-2 nonconference record, earning wins in the first four matches of the year.
Following a challenging conference slate that consisted of nine ranked opponents, Rutgers earned the No. 13 seed in the 14-team bracket in the 2023 Big Ten Women's Tennis Tournament.
The Scarlet Knights opened the tournament with a match against No. 12-seeded Michigan State, earning a 5-1 victory. The first round win marked the first Big Ten Tournament win for head coach Hilary Ritchie since she was elevated to the position in 2016.
The team's spring campaign ended in the tournament with a 4-1 loss to No. 5-seeded Northwestern.
New Kids 'On The Banks'
RU welcomed two new additions to the squad this offseason, graduate student Yana Gurevich and freshman Naomi Karki.
Gurevich spent four years at UC Davis before coming to join the Scarlet Knights. The Los Gatos, Calif. native announced her decision to finish her collegiate career 'On the Banks' in November 2022.
During her successful four-year career with her former team, Gurevich recorded a 44-30 singles record helping her to be named the Big West Player of the Week three times. She was also named to the All-Big West Conference Second Team Singles as a sophomore and junior.
Following a strong senior season where she finished with a 10-8 singles record playing exclusively at the top lineup spot, Gurevish was named to the All-Big West Conference First Team Singles and Doubles.
Karki began her Rutgers career after finding success at East Brunswick High School where she led her squad to the 2019 NJSIAA State Championship as well as GMC and Red Division titles.
As an individual, Karki recorded an impressive 24-2 during that season and was named the Heather O'Reilly Freshman of the Year as well as the GMC Fall Athlete of the Year by MyCentralJersey.com.
In 2021, Karki led her team to repeat as both GMC and Red Division champions. She also advanced to semifinals in doubles of G18 National Winter Championships.
Karki spent the 2022 summer training at the Juan Carlos Ferrero Academy in Villena, Spain.
Aye, Aye Captain(s)
Heading into the upcoming campaign, Ritchie has named Chloe Brown and Jackeline Lopez as the team's co-captains for the spring. Brown, a senior out of Johns Creek, Ga., will enter the season as captain for the second-straight year, while Lopez, a junior from Dunwoody, Ga., earned the distinction for the first time in her career.
Entering her fourth spring season with the Scarlet Knights, Brown has appeared in 39 total matches over the last three years. The senior competed in a career-high 18 matches in 2023, recording 10 total wins, six singles and four doubles. Following the campaign, Brown was named a 2023 ITA All-Academic Team Member and ITA Scholar Athlete.
Lopez has been a mainstay at the top of Rutgers' lineups throughout her first two seasons with the program. During the 2023 spring slate, the junior took the court in 23 matches, recording 16 wins, eight singles and eight doubles. All of her singles victories came at the No. 1 spot.
History Against Princeton
Saturday morning's dual match will be the first between the Scarlet Knights and the Tigers since 2019, when Rutgers fell on the road to Princeton, 6-1. PU has won each of the 17 all-time meetings between the two programs in a series that dates back to 2003.
History Against Howard
The evening match will be the first-ever dual between the Scarlet Knights and the Bisons.
Scouting the Tigers
Princeton is coming off a 2023 spring season where it went 17-7 and a perfect 7-0 in Ivy League play. The Tigers have claimed four-consecutive Ivy League Championships and three-straight NCAA Tournament second round appearances.
The Tigers are led by the doubles duo of Maia Sung and Bella Chhiv, who were ranked at No. 40 in the final Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) rankings of 2023. Madeleine Jessup leads the charge in singles competitions, ranking at No. 93 entering the spring campaign.
Scouting the Bison
In 2023, the Bison went 8-11 throughout the spring season, including a 4-2 record in MEAC competitions. Howard advanced to the semifinal round of the MEAC Championships after defeating Morgan State, 4-1, in the first round.
Howard was led by Sifa Butcher, who went 12-5 in singles competition. The Pembroke Pines, Fla. native also went 9-4 in doubles competitions.
Looking Ahead
The Scarlet Knights will travel to Newark, N.J. to take on NJIT on Saturday, Jan. 27 (12 p.m.).
Follow Along
Follow Rutgers women's tennis on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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