Friday, February 23
East Brunswick, N.J.
12:00 PM
Rutgers University
vs
St. John's
Photo by: Rich Graessle
Tennis Returns Home to Host St. John’s
Feb 22 | Women's Tennis
EAST BRUNSWICK, N.J. — The Rutgers women's tennis team (6-2, 0-0 B1G) returns home to the East Brunswick Racquet Club to host St. John's (3-2) on Friday, Feb. 23 at 12:00 p.m.
Last Time Out
Rutgers took the court twice last weekend, earning comeback wins over Cornell (Feb. 17) and UConn (Feb. 18).
In their tight, 4-3, win over the Big Red, the Scarlet Knights fell down, 3-1, before locking in and claiming three-straight singles victories to take home the dual.
RU had a similar triumph in its win over the Huskies. The Scarlet Knights were down, 2-0, before winning five-straight singles matches to claim the dual, 5-2.
Ranked Scarlet Knights
Rutgers was named the No. 71 team in the country in the latest ITA poll, released on Feb. 20, marking the first time the Scarlet Knights have earned a team ranking in program history.
RU was one of nine Big Ten teams featured in the rankings. Along with Rutgers, Michigan (No. 2), Ohio State (No. 7), Wisconsin (No. 20), Illinois (No. 24), Northwestern (No. 50), Purdue (No. 55), Iowa (No. 60), and Michigan State (No. 70) also received national recognition.
The doubles pair of Amira Badawi and Mai Nguyen also made their second-straight appearance in the newest rankings. The duo moved up seven spots, from No. 58 to No. 51.
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.
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 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 off season, graduate student 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 St. John's
RU holds a 9-6 advantage in the all-time series with the Red Storm. The Scarlet Knights currently ride an eight-match winning streak over SJU, dating back to the 2009 season.
Most recently, the teams matched up in 2022, with Rutgers grabbing a 5-2 home win over SJU.
Scouting the Red Storm
St. John's opened the season with three-straight wins over Rider, Marist, and FDU. Since then, the Red Storm have dropped two matches in a row to William & Mary and Yale.
SJU is led by Mouna Bouzgarrou, a graduate student out of Monastir, Tunisia. She has competed at the first singles lineup spot in each of St. John's five competitions, picking up two wins.
Bouzgarrou played to a 28-8 overall record in the 2023 spring season, leading her to earn an All-BIG EAST second team selection.
Looking Ahead
Rutgers remains home for its next two matches, hosting No. 55 Purdue on Friday, March 1, and Army on Sunday, March 3. Both competitions are set to start at 12:00 p.m.
Follow Along
Follow Rutgers women's tennis on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
Last Time Out
Rutgers took the court twice last weekend, earning comeback wins over Cornell (Feb. 17) and UConn (Feb. 18).
In their tight, 4-3, win over the Big Red, the Scarlet Knights fell down, 3-1, before locking in and claiming three-straight singles victories to take home the dual.
RU had a similar triumph in its win over the Huskies. The Scarlet Knights were down, 2-0, before winning five-straight singles matches to claim the dual, 5-2.
Ranked Scarlet Knights
Rutgers was named the No. 71 team in the country in the latest ITA poll, released on Feb. 20, marking the first time the Scarlet Knights have earned a team ranking in program history.
RU was one of nine Big Ten teams featured in the rankings. Along with Rutgers, Michigan (No. 2), Ohio State (No. 7), Wisconsin (No. 20), Illinois (No. 24), Northwestern (No. 50), Purdue (No. 55), Iowa (No. 60), and Michigan State (No. 70) also received national recognition.
The doubles pair of Amira Badawi and Mai Nguyen also made their second-straight appearance in the newest rankings. The duo moved up seven spots, from No. 58 to No. 51.
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.
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 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 off season, graduate student 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 St. John's
RU holds a 9-6 advantage in the all-time series with the Red Storm. The Scarlet Knights currently ride an eight-match winning streak over SJU, dating back to the 2009 season.
Most recently, the teams matched up in 2022, with Rutgers grabbing a 5-2 home win over SJU.
Scouting the Red Storm
St. John's opened the season with three-straight wins over Rider, Marist, and FDU. Since then, the Red Storm have dropped two matches in a row to William & Mary and Yale.
SJU is led by Mouna Bouzgarrou, a graduate student out of Monastir, Tunisia. She has competed at the first singles lineup spot in each of St. John's five competitions, picking up two wins.
Bouzgarrou played to a 28-8 overall record in the 2023 spring season, leading her to earn an All-BIG EAST second team selection.
Looking Ahead
Rutgers remains home for its next two matches, hosting No. 55 Purdue on Friday, March 1, and Army on Sunday, March 3. Both competitions are set to start at 12:00 p.m.
Follow Along
Follow Rutgers women's tennis on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
Rutgers Athletics Launches the Athletic Excellence Fund
Monday, October 06
R Fund, Knights of the Raritan are YouKnighted | Million Dollar Match
Friday, February 28
Rutgers x Nike Apparel Partnership
Thursday, December 19
Tennis New Facilities Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
Wednesday, November 08
