EAST BRUNSWICK, N.J. — Yana Gurevich, Mai Nguyen, and Naomi Karki each recorded singles victories to lift the Rutgers women's tennis team (10-5, 1-3 B1G) over Michigan State (9-8, 0-3 B1G), 4-0, for its first Big Ten victory of the dual campaign.
 
"This was a strong team victory," said head coach Hilary Ritchie. "The players did a good job when they had leads and opportunities. Moving forward, we need to continue to be aggressive, and look to finish inside the court. We are excited for the opportunity to take on Michigan on Sunday."
 
Doubles
 
Rutgers picked up wins on the second and third courts to clinch the doubles point and an early lead in the dual.
 
Jackeline Lopez and Minchae Kim earned a 6-3 win over the Spartans to start the round, before Amira Badawi and Karki battled to a 7-5 victory to clinch the point.
 
Gurevich and Nguyen held a 6-5 edge in an intense tiebreaker with No. 37 Ayshe Can and Nicole Conrad when play was suspended.
 
Singles
 
Gurevich doubled the Scarlet Knights' lead early in singles play, defeating MSU's Matilde Morais, 6-0, 6-2.
 
Nguyen added her first conference victory of the season, 6-2, 6-2, over her opponent to put RU on the verge of clinching the dual.
 
Karki then secured the match with the first Big Ten victory of her career. The freshman took down Natalie Stasny, 6-2, 6-4, to give Rutgers its win.
 
At the conclusion of the dual, Badawi held a 6-0, 5-4 advantage on the second singles court.
 
Results
 
Doubles

1. Yana Gurevich/Mai Nguyen (RUTGERS) vs. #37 Ayshe Can/Nicole Conrad (MSUW) 6-6 (6-5), unfinished
2. Minchae Kim/Jackeline Lopez (RUTGERS) def. Matilde Morais/Ria Bhakta (MSUW) 6-3
3. Amira Badawi/Naomi Karki (RUTGERS) def. Liisa Vehvilainen/Issey Purser (MSUW) 7-5

Order of finish: 2, 3
 
Singles

1. Yana Gurevich (RUTGERS) def. Matilde Morais (MSUW) 6-0, 6-2
2. Amira Badawi (RUTGERS) vs. Liisa Vehvilainen (MSUW) 6-0, 5-4, unfinished
3. Jackeline Lopez (RUTGERS) vs. Ria Bhakta (MSUW) 1-6, 2-5, unfinished
4. Mai Nguyen (RUTGERS) def. Ayshe Can (MSUW) 6-2, 6-2
5. Minchae Kim (RUTGERS) vs. Issey Purser (MSUW) 3-6, 6-3, 0-0, unfinished
6. Naomi Karki (RUTGERS) def. Natalie Stasny (MSUW) 6-2, 6-4

Order of finish: 1, 4, 6
 
Knights Notes

• Gurevich's singles win moves her to 8-2 this spring, including a perfect 3-0 at the No. 1 lineup spot. The graduate student is currently riding a four-match win streak.
• Nguyen's singles victory was her first conference win of the campaign. The sophomore's win also put her back into a tie for the team-high nine singles wins.
• Karki earned her first-career Big Ten singles win.
• Rutgers has now recorded three-straight victories over Michigan State.
• The victory is RU's second-ever shut out over a Big Ten opponent, with the first coming on April 2, 2021 over Maryland.
• The Scarlet Knights have now recorded at least 10 victories two seasons in a row.

Next Up
 
Rutgers continues its two-match weekend on Sunday, March 24 against No. 2 Michigan. First serve is set for 1 p.m.
 
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