PISCATAWAY, N.J. – With the spring season right around the corner, the Rutgers women's tennis team is ready to build off recent success. With two straight years of Big Ten Tournament wins, head coach
Hilary Ritchie and her team want more.
Looking at the roster, the Scarlet Knights are balanced with veteran leadership and exciting newcomers including two transfers and two freshmen.
Seniors and co-captains
Jackeline Lopez and
Minchae Kim lead the way for RU, followed by fellow returners junior
Mai Nguyen and sophomore
Naomi Karki.
"Minch and Jackie have proven themselves to be strong leaders," Ritchie said. "Through their work ethic and character, I know they will do a terrific job this spring."
As for the new kids "On the Banks", transfers
Zuzanna Frankowska and Zhou "Cindy" Xintong enter the spring as sophomores, while
Zeynep Ilker and
Karina Jumazhanova prepare for their first collegiate spring season.
"We have a lot of new, talented players this year who have brought great energy and tenacity to the group," said Ritchie.
Frankowska was named to the Big Ten Women's Tennis Players to Watch List for the upcoming campaign, an honor bestowed to one representative of each program in the conference.
"(Frankowska) improved a great deal in one semester," said head coach
Hilary Ritchie. "We are excited to see the impact she is going to have on our singles and doubles lineup.
The Scarlet Knights are coming off a successful fall that consisted of a Brown Invite tournament victory as well as a quarterfinal appearance by Karki and Zhou in doubles play of the ITA Regionals.
Overall, the team amassed an impressive 55-33 record in singles. Frankowska paced the squad in singles play with 10 wins, while the duo of Karki-Zhou won five doubles matches to lead the team.
RU's spring schedule consists of 21 total matches, 11 at home and 10 on the road. All home indoor matches will be played at the East Brunswick Racquet Club in East Brunswick, N.J. Once the weather permits, the Scarlet Knights will move outdoors to the Livingston Tennis Center in Piscataway, N.J.
Rutgers will head down the road to Princeton on Sunday, Jan. 19 at 12 p.m. for its first match of the season. The team will then take on nine non-conference opponents before starting league play.
Within Big Ten competition, Rutgers' season is sandwiched between series against the conference newcomers. RU will open league play hosting Oregon (March 7) and Washington (March 9). The Scarlet Knights will cap off the spring campaign against USC (April 18) and UCLA (April 19).
"We have a very strong schedule this spring," said Ritchie. "We're looking forward to starting the season against in-state rival Princeton. It will be exciting to host Oregon and Washington on their first weekend of Big Ten conference play as new members. This schedule provides great opportunities for our team."
The Big Ten Tournament is scheduled for April 23-27 in Ojai, California. Ritchie and the Scarlet Knights will look to add on to their success in the playoffs that includes a tournament win against Michigan State in back-to-back years.
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