NEW HAVEN, Conn. — The Rutgers women's tennis team is set to compete at Yale's Bulldog Invitational from Friday, Sept. 19 to Sunday, Sept. 21. 

The Scarlet Knights will face off against three opponents over the weekend, Yale on Friday, Brown on Saturday, and finally Boston University on Sunday. 

Kicking Off the 2025 Fall Season 

Head coach Hilary Ritchie has high spirits ahead of taking the team to Yale.  

"It's always fun and exciting as we start to try doubles," Ritchie said. "To see the chemistry and who strategically complements each other." With three newcomers joining the team, the dynamics will begin to reveal themselves this weekend. 

As far as singles, Ritchie is expecting a good challenge. She noted that the Northeast competition will provide a strong early test and a chance to gauge the team's progress. 

Overall, Ritchie remains positive heading into the weekend, saying, "As long as they focus efforts on Competing hard, [the team] will do well." 

While the rest of the team plays in New Haven, Mai Nguyen will head to ITA All-Americans in Cary, North Carolina. Ritchie expressed excitement about Nguyen's chance to compete, noting the progress she has made since her freshman year and the opportunity to test herself against top players. 

Recapping the 2025 Spring Season 

The Scarlet Knights finished the 2025 spring campaign with a 7-14 record under Ritchie.  

RU finished the season with three regional ITA rankings. The team earned a No. 5 ranking while Nguyen was ranked No. 8 in singles. She and her doubles partner, Naomi Karki, also ended the season No. 3 in the Northeast. 

Rutgers recorded seven dual wins in the spring, including a 4-3 victory at Oregon to kick off Big Ten play. The team also recorded four sweeps last spring. Nguyen, playing at the No. 1 singles spot in all 21 duals, tallied up eight singles wins and 10 doubles wins.  

Regional Recognition 

On top of the three regional rankings, the ITA also honored Mai Nguyen as the "Most Improved Player" in the Northeast.  

Ahead of the spring 2025 season, transfer student Zuzanna Frankowska was named to the Big Ten Women's Tennis Players to Watch list. This honor is limited to one representative of each program in the conference. 

New Kids on the Banks 

As for roster changes, the Scarlet Knights welcome three newcomers to the team. Incoming freshmen Miranda Case, Savannah Cohen, and Stella Schmitz prepare for their first collegiate fall season. 

Ahead of this weekend's invitational, Ritchie said, "Our freshmen are learning their game styles. I'm excited to coach them on the court and see how they do against strong regional opponents." 

Case hails from Haddonfield, New Jersey, and attended Haddonfield Memorial High School. Previous career highlights include 2022 L5 Open G16s doubles Champion and 2022 L4 Closed G16s doubles Finalist. Her history with Rutgers goes back to 1997, as her mother, Kristin, played tennis for the Knights till 2001.  

Cohen comes from Westfield, New Jersey, and attended Westfield High School. She earned a 40-10 record in her two years of high school tennis. She won the Union County singles tournament as a sophomore and was named to the NJSIAA All Group-IV First Team and All-State Third Team. Last spring, Cohen finished second at a Level 2 National USTA tournament, garnering a 5-star status from Tennis Recruiting, as well as a national rank of 47 in the class of 2025.  

Schmitz calls Kaiserslautern, Germany, home and attended Kaiserslautern High School. She is a four-time state champion and has earned multiple high finishes in ITF singles and doubles competition, along with a top-10 national German ranking. Her father, Frank, was a German professional tennis player on the ATP tour for 10 years. 

The team is changing beyond new members, too. Assistant coach Noah Lilienthal has taken on a bigger role this season, and he and Ritchie are already collaborating on some team-wide goals.  

"We're talking a lot about getting to the next level," Ritchie said. "We're focusing on higher standards in practice: strong footwork and fast recovery on court."  
The coaching duo is also looking for doubles to be more aggressive at the net, going into the fall. 

The Returners 

Rutgers also brings back a strong core, including key returners such as Zuzanna Frankowska, Zeynep Ilker, and Karina Jumazhanova. 

Last season, Frankowska earned an overall singles record of 16-13 and a tournament record of 10-3. She also achieved a doubles record of 6-4 in the fall. Ilker ended spring 2025 with an overall record of 13-8 and an 8-3 fall record.  Jumazhanova finished last season with a 12-10 overall singles record and a 5-7 singles dual record.  

Naomi Karki will continue to be in the lineup for the Scarlet Knights after finishing her sophomore campaign with an overall doubles record of 16-14, along with 10-8 dual and 6-6 tour doubles records. Similarly, Mai Nguyen will be returning after ending her junior campaign with an overall doubles record of 15-13 and a 10-8 dual doubles record.  

"Our upperclassmen returned strong and with good leadership," said Ritchie. "The freshmen have been able to jump right into practice, and I'm impressed with the baseline skill level so far." 

Looking Ahead 

The Scarlet Knights will continue to the UNC Charlotte Invite from Oct. 3-5 before moving on to ITA Regionals from Oct. 9-14. 

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