Rutgers
NJIT
Tennis Travels to NJIT
Jan 29 | Women's Tennis
NEWARK, N.J.Ā ā The Rutgers women's tennis teamĀ will open the 2026 spring seasonĀ at PrincetonĀ on Saturday, Jan. 24 at 12 p.m.Ā
Live streaming and live stats will be available for the match.Ā Ā
Last Time OutĀ Ā
RutgersĀ tennisĀ fell at Princeton in its season opener,Ā 5-2, on Saturday,Ā Jan. 24.Ā Ā Ā
The Scarlet Knights won the doubles point, with wins on the first two courts, before theĀ Tigers won four singles matches to clinch the win.Ā Ā Ā
Frankowska was the lone Scarlet Knight to come out on top inĀ singles play, defeating IsabellaĀ ChhivĀ on the second courtĀ in straight sets, 6-1, 7-5.Ā Ā Ā
Player to WatchĀ Ā
In early January,Ā Karina JumazhanovaĀ was named a Big Ten Player to Watch.Ā She will look to build off a solidĀ rookieĀ performance in her sophomore campaign.Ā Ā
Last spring,Ā wentĀ 5-7 in singles playing at the No. 3 and No. 4 spots. She accumulated a 4-1 record playing on the fourth court.Ā Ā
In addition,Ā JumazhanovaĀ recorded a 6-9 doubles record, including a 5-2 mark on the third court.Ā Ā
New Kids on the BanksĀ Ā
In the offseason, head coachĀ Hilary RitchieĀ welcomed three newcomers to the team, includingĀ freshmenĀ Miranda Case,Ā Savannah Cohen, andĀ Stella Schmitz.Ā Ā
Case hails from Haddonfield, New Jersey, and attended Haddonfield Memorial High School.Ā PreviousĀ 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.Ā Ā Ā
Cohen comes from Westfield, New Jersey, and attended Westfield High SchoolĀ where sheĀ earned a 40-10 record in her two years. 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.Ā 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.Ā Ā Ā
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 aĀ top-10Ā national German ranking. Her father, Frank, was a German professional tennis player on the ATP tour for 10 years.Ā Ā
The team is changing beyond new members, too. Assistant coachĀ Noah LilienthalĀ has taken on a bigger role this season, and he and Ritchie are already collaborating on some team-wide goals.Ā
The ReturnersĀ Ā Ā
Rutgers also brings back a strong core, including key returners such asĀ Zuzanna Frankowska,Ā Zeynep Ilker, andĀ Karina Jumazhanova.Ā Ā
Last season, Frankowska earned an overall singles record ofĀ 16-13, including a 6-10 mark in the fall at the No. 2 spot.Ā Ilker ended spring 2025 with an overall record of 13-8, picking up victories on the last three courts.Ā Ā JumazhanovaĀ finished last season with a 12-10 overall singles record.Ā
Naomi KarkiĀ will continue to be in the lineup for the Scarlet Knights after finishing her sophomore campaign withĀ an overall doublesĀ record of 16-14, along with 10-8 dual and 6-6 tour doubles records. Similarly,Ā Mai NguyenĀ will be returning after ending her junior campaign withĀ an overall doublesĀ record of 15-13 and a 10-8 dual doubles record.Ā Ā
LookingĀ AheadĀ
Rutgers will host Delaware in its official home opener on Friday, Feb. 6 at 12 p.m.Ā at the East Brunswick Racquet Club.Ā Ā
Follow AlongĀ Ā Ā
Follow Rutgers women's tennis onĀ Instagram,Ā Twitter, andĀ Facebook.Ā
