PISCATAWAY, N.J. — The Rutgers women's tennis team (10-10, 1-8 B1G) welcomes No. 29 Wisconsin (16-7, 7-2 B1G) and Minnesota (11-10, 4-5 B1G) to the Livingston Tennis Center this weekend for its final pair of regular season duals.
The Scarlet Knights host the Badgers on Saturday, April 20 at 12 p.m. for their first dual at the program's new facility. A Letterwinner Celebration will also take place at the competition.
The match on Sunday, April 21, against the Gophers will celebrate Senior Day. First serve is set for 12 p.m. and a ceremony honoring the program's five seniors will occur before the dual.
Parking at the new facility is free, and you can register your car at the link above.
Last Time Out
RU dropped a 4-1 decision at No. 52 Maryland on Saturday, April 13 at the Junior Tennis Champion Center.
Jackeline Lopez her first conference singles victory of the season in the loss. The junior defeated Francesca Feodorov in straight sets, 6-1, 6-4.
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 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 Wisconsin
RU is 1-7 in the lifetime series against Wisconsin. The Scarlet Knights only win over the Badgers came in 2017, a 4-3 triumph at home.
History Against Minnesota
The Gophers hold a 9-1 advantage in the all-time series between programs. Minnesota has only dropped the most recent dual that was scheduled for 2023, due to a forfeit.
Scouting the Badgers
Wisconsin has had a strong season as a mainstay in the ITA rankings. The Badgers are 16-4, and came in at No. 29 in the most recent team poll after splitting a pair of duals with Michigan and Michigan State.
Sophomore Maria Sholokova is the 80th-ranked singles player in the country for her 16 wins on the spring. The Sochi, Russia native has not lost a match since Feb. 3, 2024 at Texas.
Scouting the Gophers
Minnesota is 11-10 on the season heading into the final weekend of the regular season. Most recently, the Gophers hosted and split a pair of duals against Michigan State and Michigan.
The team is led by sophomore Aiva Schmitz, who has a team-high 15 singles wins on the season. She earned Big Ten Player of the Week on Mar. 13 for her performances against Indiana and Purdue, and has clinched the winning point in all three of Minnesota's conference victories.
Looking Ahead
The Scarlet Knights will await their fate ahead of the 2024 Big Ten Tournament in Ann Arbor, Mich. Play begins on Wednesday, April 24 and runs through Sunday, April 28.
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