Rutgers Women's Tennis Announces 2012 Spring Schedule
Nov 16 | Women's Tennis
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (November 16, 2011) - Under the leadership of head coach Ben Bucca, now in his ninth season at the helm of the program, the Rutgers University women's tennis team released its 2012 schedule Wednesday, highlighted by 10 BIG EAST matches and five nonconference contests against teams that qualified for the 2011 NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Championships.
"We have a very demanding schedule this year," said Bucca. "We are playing a strong BIG EAST and nonconference schedule. It is going to be a great challenge for us and we are looking forward to competing against the best."
The slate features 20 regular season matches, including 10 at home, eight on the road and two at a neutral court. Breaking it down further, there will be three conference away matches, six league home matches and one neutral BIG EAST contest. The season will culminate with the BIG EAST Championships hosted by USF in Tampa, Fla. from April 20-22.
RU is coming off a 16-7 season, including a 7-3 mark in the BIG EAST in 2011. The team will look for leadership from seniors Jennifer Holzberg (Easton, Conn.), Morgan Ivey (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.), Leonora Slatnick (Austin, Texas). Also returning will be sophomores Vanessa Petrini (Stamford, Conn.) and Stefania Balasa (East Brunswick, N.J.).
Petrini had a breakout fall, highlighted by a semifinal appearance at the 2011 USTA/ITA Division I Women's Northeast Regional Championship in October. On the way, she won four matches at the tournament hosted by Yale, including three wins over higher-seeded players.
Newcomers to the team include freshmen Lindsay Balsamo (Wall, N.J.), Noor Judeh (Potomac, Md.) and Satreethai Sasinin (New Brunswick, N.J.).
The season will begin with a match at Lehigh (Feb. 2). The Scarlet Knights will then open their home schedule against Fairleigh Dickinson (Feb. 5) and Quinnipiac (Feb. 10) at the RU Tennis Complex. The Bobcats are the six-time defending Northeast Conference champions.
Rutgers will then head a few miles down the road to take on local rival Princeton (Feb. 12), before returning home to take on Army (Feb. 17). The Black Knights won the Patriot League last season.
The Scarlet Knights open BIG EAST play on the road at Syracuse (Feb. 19) and will open home conference play against Georgetown (Feb. 24).
After a week off, RU heads to Milwaukee, Wis. and Charleston, S.C. for a five-match road trip. The Scarlet Knights will take on Marquette (March 2) and DePaul (March 3) in Milwaukee, with the match against the Blue Demons being deemed a neutral site contest. Spring break will be in Charleston, S.C. for a match at the College of Charleston (March 11), a neutral match versus Boston University (March 12) and a road contest at Charleston Southern (March 14). The Cougars won the Southern Conference and the Terriers claimed the America East a season ago.
Rutgers will then come home for a pair of league matches against Villanova (March 22) and St. Johns (March 25) before heading to Yale (March 30) to finish off March. The Bulldogs won the Ivy League last season.
April will begin when Rutgers hosts Denver (April 1) and Connecticut (April 4) before taking on Seton Hall (April 12) on the road.
RU will finish the regular season at home against Pittsburgh (April 14) and West Virginia (April 15). The match versus the Mountaineers will serve as "Senior Day." The BIG EAST tournament will take place the following week in Tampa, Fla. (April 19-22).
Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersAthletics) and Twitter (@RUAthletics) for all of the latest news and updates. For specific updates regarding women's tennis, follow the program on Twitter @RUwtennis. Fans can receive timely information, including special offers and giveaways throughout the year on our social media outlets along with www.ScarletKnights.com.
