Saturday, February 17
Ithaca, N.Y.
12:00 PM
Rutgers University
at
Cornell
Photo by: Rich Graessle
Tennis to Face Cornell, UConn in Weekend Road Trip
Feb 16 | Women's Tennis
ITHACA, N.Y. — The Rutgers women's tennis team (4-2, 0-0 B1G) is set to take a weekend trip up north to face Cornell (2-4) and UConn (4-2).
The Scarlet Knights will face the Big Red on Saturday, Feb. 17 (12 p.m.) at the Reis Tennis Center in Ithaca, N.Y., and the Huskies on Sunday, Feb. 18 (10:30 a.m.) at the Magic Lincer Tennis Academy in Manchester, Conn.
Last Time Out
RU swept in-state opponent Seton Hall, 7-0, on Saturday (Feb. 10) at Murray Hill Tennis & Fitness in New Providence, N.J.
Eight different Scarlet Knights took the court in the dual. The duos of Tara Chilton and Yana Gurevich, Naomi Karki and Arina Valitova, and Jackeline Lopez and Chloe Brown, picked up wins in doubles play. In singles competitions, Chilton, Gurevich, Lopez, Valitova, Mai Nguyen, and Daira Cardenas all secured victories to secure the sweep.
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 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 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 Cornell
RU holds a slight 3-2 advantage in the lifetime series with Cornell. The pair of teams have not faced off since the 2018 season, when the Big Red picked up a 5-2 win over the Scarlet Knights.
Rutgers last victory over Cornell came in 2014, when the Scarlet Knights beat the Big Red on the road, 4-3.
History Against UConn
Rutgers has fallen to UConn just once in the team's 13-match series, which occurred in 2018, when the Huskies beat the Scarlet Knights, 5-2. Prior to that loss, RU had downed Connecticut in 12-straight matchups.
Scouting the Big Red
Cornell got off to a hot start to its dual season, downing Fordham and Niagara in its first two matches of the campaign. The Big Red have since cooled off, dropping their last four competitions.
Freshman Michelle Ryndin has led the Big Red with her impressive start to her collegiate career. The Staten Island, N.Y., native is a perfect 5-0 in singles play, with all of her wins coming on courts No. 2 and No. 3.
Coming out of high school, Ryndin was tabbed a five-star recruit according to the Tennis Recruiting Network, the No. 3 recruit in New York State, No. 10 in Middle Atlantic, and No. 39 nationally.
Scouting the Huskies
Connecticut opened its dual slate with a three-match win streak over Merrimack, Fairfield, and St. Bonaventure. The Huskies then dropped their first competition of the spring to Army, and have since picked up a win over Quinnipiac and fell to Xavier.
Junior Olivia Wright has competed on court No. 1 in each of the team's six singles competitions, compiling a 3-3 record thus far. During the Huskies' fall slate, Wright amassed a winning record of 9-7, with most of her wins coming at the first singles position.
Looking Ahead
The Scarlet Knights will make their return to East Brunswick Racquet Club on Friday, Feb. 23 to host St. John's. First serve is slated for 12:00 p.m.
Follow Along
Follow Rutgers women's tennis on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
The Scarlet Knights will face the Big Red on Saturday, Feb. 17 (12 p.m.) at the Reis Tennis Center in Ithaca, N.Y., and the Huskies on Sunday, Feb. 18 (10:30 a.m.) at the Magic Lincer Tennis Academy in Manchester, Conn.
Last Time Out
RU swept in-state opponent Seton Hall, 7-0, on Saturday (Feb. 10) at Murray Hill Tennis & Fitness in New Providence, N.J.
Eight different Scarlet Knights took the court in the dual. The duos of Tara Chilton and Yana Gurevich, Naomi Karki and Arina Valitova, and Jackeline Lopez and Chloe Brown, picked up wins in doubles play. In singles competitions, Chilton, Gurevich, Lopez, Valitova, Mai Nguyen, and Daira Cardenas all secured victories to secure the sweep.
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 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 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 Cornell
RU holds a slight 3-2 advantage in the lifetime series with Cornell. The pair of teams have not faced off since the 2018 season, when the Big Red picked up a 5-2 win over the Scarlet Knights.
Rutgers last victory over Cornell came in 2014, when the Scarlet Knights beat the Big Red on the road, 4-3.
History Against UConn
Rutgers has fallen to UConn just once in the team's 13-match series, which occurred in 2018, when the Huskies beat the Scarlet Knights, 5-2. Prior to that loss, RU had downed Connecticut in 12-straight matchups.
Scouting the Big Red
Cornell got off to a hot start to its dual season, downing Fordham and Niagara in its first two matches of the campaign. The Big Red have since cooled off, dropping their last four competitions.
Freshman Michelle Ryndin has led the Big Red with her impressive start to her collegiate career. The Staten Island, N.Y., native is a perfect 5-0 in singles play, with all of her wins coming on courts No. 2 and No. 3.
Coming out of high school, Ryndin was tabbed a five-star recruit according to the Tennis Recruiting Network, the No. 3 recruit in New York State, No. 10 in Middle Atlantic, and No. 39 nationally.
Scouting the Huskies
Connecticut opened its dual slate with a three-match win streak over Merrimack, Fairfield, and St. Bonaventure. The Huskies then dropped their first competition of the spring to Army, and have since picked up a win over Quinnipiac and fell to Xavier.
Junior Olivia Wright has competed on court No. 1 in each of the team's six singles competitions, compiling a 3-3 record thus far. During the Huskies' fall slate, Wright amassed a winning record of 9-7, with most of her wins coming at the first singles position.
Looking Ahead
The Scarlet Knights will make their return to East Brunswick Racquet Club on Friday, Feb. 23 to host St. John's. First serve is slated for 12:00 p.m.
Follow Along
Follow Rutgers women's tennis on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
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