EAST BRUNSWICK, N.J. — No. 68 Rutgers women's tennis team (7-2, 0-0 B1G) continues its homestand this weekend, opening Big Ten play against No. 56 Purdue (6-3, 0-0 B1G) on Friday, March 1 (12:00 p.m.), before welcoming Army (10-5) on Sunday, March 3 (2:00 p.m.)
 
Last Time Out
 
Minchae Kim and Yana Gurevich picked up singles victories as the RU.defeated St. John's, 4-0, on Friday, Feb. 23 at East Brunswick Racquet Club.
 
"I was really impressed with the effort given by St. John's," said head coach Hilary Ritchie. "I was proud of our team for how they performed, and I am looking forward to getting Big Ten play underway next weekend against Purdue."
 
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 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 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 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 Purdue

Rutgers has never beaten Purdue, falling in each of the seven duals between the two teams.

History Against Army

The Scarlet Knights hold a 15-5 advantage in the lifetime series with the Black Knights. The teams have faced off each of the last two spring campaigns, with RU picking up wins in both contests.

Scouting the Boilermakers

Purdue has played to a 6-3 record through nine matches heading into the start of the conference season. The Boilermakers started off the season hot with three-straight wins, before cooling off and going 3-3 in their last six competitions.

Carmen Guevara leads Purdue with a perfect 8-0 singles record in dual competitions at the first and second lineup spots. A season ago, the Madrid, Spain, native competed in 27 singles matches and 26 double matches, picking up a combined 25 wins.

Scouting the Black Knights

Army has competed in 15 duals so far this season, playing to a 10-5 record. The Black Knights have yet to pick up a win on the road, falling in both its away matches to Syracuse and Dartmouth.

Junior Cooper Jackson has had a strong first two years at Army. Following the 2023 dual season, the Tampa, Fla., native was named Patriot League Doubles Team of the Year alongside partner Paige Herremans, as well as a First Team All-Patriot League selection.

Looking Ahead

The Scarlet Knights are set to hit the road for a three-match road trip to Illinois. RU will face UIC (March 14), Northwestern (March 16), and Illinois (March 17).

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