COLLEGE PARK, Md. — The Rutgers women's tennis (10-9, 1-7 B1G) will travel to No. 52 Maryland (12-9, 3-5 B1G) for an 11 a.m. dual on Saturday, April 11. The contest will be the final road matchup of the 2024 spring campaign for the Scarlet Knights.
 
Last Time Out
 
RU earned the doubles point before falling at No. 73 Iowa, 5-2, on Saturday, April 6 at the Hawkeye Tennis & Recreational Complex.
 
Rutgers recorded wins on the first and second doubles courts to secure an early lead in the dual.
 
Tara Chilton and Minchae Kim earned their first win as a duo, defeating the Hawkeye's No. 2 pair, 6-4. Yana Gurevich and Mai Nguyen then clinched the point for the Scarlet Knights, battling to a 7-5 victory on court No. 1.
 
In singles play, Kim picked up her second victory of the afternoon, beating Nikita Vishwase in straight sets on court No. 6.
 
 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.
 
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 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 Maryland

The Terrapins hold a 9-3 advantage in the lifetime series against the Scarlet Knights. RU has not beaten UMD since 2021, when it edged Maryland, 4-3, on the road.

Scouting the Terrapins

Maryland has played to a 12-9 record overall, highlighted by victories over Princeton and Memphis. The Terrapins have also collected three Big Ten wins against Nebraska, Michigan State, and Indiana.

Two pairs of Terrapins hold spots in the recent ITA doubles rankings released on April 9. Minorka Miranda and Maria Budin are the 60th-ranked duo in the country with their overall record of 14-5, all on court No. 1. Selma Cadar and Mary Brumfield also hold a spot in the rankings, coming in at No. 79.

Looking Ahead

RU will close out its regular season with a pair of home duals against Wisconsin on Saturday, April 20 and Minnesota on April 21. Both matches are set to begin at 12 p.m.

Follow Along

Follow Rutgers women's tennis on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.