Zhang Selected to All-BIG EAST Women’s Tennis Team
April 24, 2009
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Rutgers women’s tennis sophomore Amy Zhang (Plano, Texas) was named to the 2009 All-BIG EAST Team, the league announced today.
“I’m really honored by my selection,” said Zhang. “I honestly didn’t think I was going to be chosen because I’m only a sophomore. I’m thrilled with how our season turned and I can only see our team getting better and better. This season is a great indicator of how much we’ve improved and I’m really excited for the future of this team.” Zhang posted a record of 16-5 at No. 1 singles for Rutgers this season and led the squad to a fourth-place finish at the 2009 BIG EAST Championships. The sophomore led the team to an overall 16-5 record, which included a nine-match conference winning streak.
“Throughout the entire year Amy played great tennis and clearly demonstrated that she was one of the top players in the BIG EAST,” said head coach Ben Bucca. “She had a fantastic record playing at the top position the entire year. As she is only a sophomore, she has a bright future here at Rutgers.”
Rutgers Athletics Receives Public Recognition From NCAA For Continued Academic Success
April 22, 2009
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Three Rutgers teams received public recognition from the NCAA for top academic performance for their multi-year Academic Progress Rate scores, the NCAA announced Wednesday. It marked the second-consecutive year that the Scarlet Knights football, women’s tennis and men’s cross country programs were cited by the NCAA.
The Rutgers football program was the lone state university on the list to be ranked in the top 10 percent nationally in APR.
“We are extremely proud of the continued academic growth and success of our student-athletes at Rutgers,” said Tim Pernetti, Director of Intercollegiate Athletics. “These achievements are just another example of our commitment to excellence in academics and athletics, and the hard work of our coaches and academic support staff.”
These awards are given each year to teams scoring in the top 10 percent in each sport with their APRs.
Rutgers Football was one of only six Football Bowl Subdivision programs to be ranked in the top 10 percent in the APR scores. RU was the only institution in the nation to have its football team ranked in the top 10 percent of the APR and win a bowl game in each of the last two seasons. Rutgers defeated NC State in the PapaJohns.com Bowl for its third consecutive postseason victory last December.
Among the FBS teams joining the Scarlet Knights on the list were Duke, Rice, Stanford, Air Force and Navy.
The Rutgers women’s tennis team recently completed one of the best seasons in program history, compiling a 16-5 overall record and an 8-2 mark in BIG EAST play. The Scarlet Knights placed fourth at the 2009 BIG EAST Championships, winning their first two matches of the tournament before falling to No. 1 seed and eventual winner Notre Dame in the semifinals.
The women’s tennis program was recently recognized for its academic excellence as several members took home Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) All-Academic honors.
The Rutgers men’s cross country team completed a stellar season last fall with third-place showings at both the IC4A University Championships and Metropolitan Championships. The squad also continued its excellence in the classroom with a selection to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division I XC Scholar Team, for the third-straight year.
The APR provides a real-time look at a team’s academic success each semester or quarter by tracking the academic progress of each student-athlete. The APR includes eligibility, retention, and graduation in the calculation and provides a clear picture of the academic culture in each sport. High-performing teams receiving public recognition awards this year posted APR scores ranging from 976 to a perfect 1,000.
The 767 teams publicly recognized this year for high achievement represent 11.9 percent of the approximately 6,484 Division I teams. The list includes 448 women’s teams and 319 men’s or mixed squads.
By conference, the Ivy Group had the most number of teams honored (144), followed by the Patriot League (85) and the BIG EAST Conference (60). Last year, a total of 712 teams were recognized. The number of teams in some sports may exceed 10 percent depending on how many achieved perfect 1,000 APR scores.
Multi-year APR scores for all Division I sports teams, including the teams receiving public recognition awards, will be announced May 6.
Rutgers Women’s Tennis Finishes Fourth at BIG EAST Championships
April 19, 2009
TAMPA, Fla. – The Rutgers women’s tennis team placed fourth at the 2009 BIG EAST Championships after posting a 4-0 loss to sixth-seeded Louisville on Sunday afternoon.
Rutgers, seeded fifth entering the tournament, ends the season with a 16-5 overall mark.
“This brings an end to a remarkable season for Rutgers tennis,” said head coach Ben Bucca. “This year brought a new level of play and with it a new level of expectation. We are motivated and excited for the future of Rutgers women’s tennis.”
All three of the doubles matches were closely contested, but Louisville grabbed the point after Amelia Harris and Sarah Miller topped the RU duo of Amy Zhang (Plano, Texas) and Leonora Slatnick (Austin, Texas), 8-6 at No. 3.
U of L would carry momentum from the doubles into singles play. The Cardinals captured straight set victories at both No. 2 and No. 4 singles to take a 3-0 lead. The Scarlet Knights battled back though, pushing each of the remaining four matches into third sets.
Rutgers would be unable to extend the match though as Zhang fell at No. 1 singles. The sophomore concluded her remarkable year with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 defeat against Lindsey Jones.
The Scarlet Knights posted a 2-2 record at this year’s conference tournament with their losses coming to champions Notre Dame and third-place finisher Louisville.
No. 6 Louisville 4, No. 5 Rutgers 0
Doubles
1. Jones/Van Aerde (Lou) def. Arlak/Slatnick (RU), 8-5
2. Holzberg/Ivey (RU) vs. Baez/Gorbea (Lou),DNF (5-4)
3. Harris/Miller (Lou) def. Baker/Zhang (RU), 8-6*
Singles
1. Lindsey Jones (Lou) def. Amy Zhang (RU), 3-6, 6-4, 6-1*
2. Bianca Gorbea (Lou) def. Katherine Arlak (RU), 6-2, 6-2
3. Jennifer Holzberg (RU) vs. Natalia Baez (Lou), DNF (6-3, 2-6, 6-1)
4. Sarah Miller (Lou) def. Maryana Milchutskey (RU), 6-2, 6-1
5. Morgan Ivey (RU) vs. Amelia Harris (Lou), DNF (6-1, 1-6, 3-3)
Rutgers Women’s Tennis Falls to Top-Seeded Notre Dame in BIG EAST Championship Semifinals
April 18, 2009
TAMPA, Fla. – The Rutgers women’s tennis team fell in the semifinal round of the BIG EAST Championships Saturday afternoon, losing to top-seeded and fourth-ranked Notre Dame. The fifth-seeded Scarlet Knights lost the doubles point and the first three completed singles matches to fall 4-0.
Rutgers (15-5), which had won 11 of its last 12 matches, had its nine-match BIG EAST winning streak snapped.
The Irish, which have won five straight matches, took an early 1-0 advantage, winning all three doubles matches by an identical 8-2 score.
Sophomore Amy Zhang (Plano, Texas), who had won 13 of her last 14 matches at No. 1 singles, fell 6-0, 6-0 to the 35th ranked player in the nation, Kelcy Tefft. Junior Katherine Arlak (Leonia, N.J.) also lost in straight sets at No. 2 singles, dropping a 6-1, 6-1 decision to Kristy Frilling. The match concluded when freshman Leonora Slatnick (Austin, Texas) was defeated by Kali Krisik at No. 5 singles 6-2, 6-0.
“We played hard and we played as well as we could today, but we lost to a team that was better than us,” said head coach Ben Bucca. “We faced a Notre Dame team that is ranked No. 4 in the country and they demonstrated why they are nationally-ranked. We look forward to our third place match tomorrow against Louisville.”
That match against the Cardinals will get under way at 9 a.m.
No. 1 seed Notre Dame, 4 vs. No. 5 seed Rutgers, 0
Doubles
1. Frilling/Tefft (ND) def. Zaretser/Zhang (RU), 8-2
2. Ciobanu/Krisik (ND) def. Arlak/Tran (RU), 8-2*
3. Matthews/Colleen Rielley (ND) def. Holzberg/Ivey (RU), 8-2
Singles
1. Kelcy Tefft (ND) def. Amy Zhang (RU), 6-0, 6-0
2. Kristy Frilling (ND) def. Katherine Arlak (RU), 6-1, 6-1
3. Cosmina Ciobanu (ND) vs. Jennifer Holzberg (RU), DNF (6-2, 3-4)
4. Shannon Matthews (ND) vs. Maryana Milchutskey (RU), DNF (6-0, 5-5)
5. Kali Krisik (ND) def. Leonora Slatnick (RU), 6-2, 6-0*
6. Kristen Rafael (ND) vs. Caitlin Baker (RU), DNF (6-1, 5-2)
Rutgers Women’s Tennis Defeats Marquette 4-1 to Advance to BIG EAST Championship Semifinals
April 17, 2009
TAMPA, Fla. – A remarkable season for the Rutgers women’s tennis team continued with a 4-1 victory over fourth-seeded Marquette Friday afternoon. The Scarlet Knights have now won 12 of their last 13 matches and nine straight against BIG EAST opponents.
The fifth-seeded Scarlet Knights (16-4) captured the doubles point in thrilling fashion and sealed the win by claiming three of the first four singles matches.
Rutgers avenged a pair of 4-3 losses to Marquette, both in last year’s BIG EAST Championships and in a home defeat earlier this season.
“This team has been the Cinderella story of the year,” said head coach Ben Bucca. “This was an incredible match, tightly contested throughout. We were able to prevail at the very end in both the doubles and singles. Our girls have shown great spirit and determination and that has allowed us to really play some great tennis.”
After splitting the first two doubles matches, the freshmen duo of Morgan Ivey (Mt. Pleasant, N.J.) and Jennifer Holzberg (Easton, Conn.) pulled out an extremely close 9-7 victory at No. 3 doubles.
The Scarlet Knights would then get singles victories from freshman Maryana Milchutskey (Holmdel, N.J.), Holzberg and senior Polina Zaretser (Brooklyn, N.Y.) to wrap up the win. Zaretser, who has been battling injuries all season, fought back after dropping the opening set to win in three.
Rutgers will now face No. 1 seed and forth ranked Notre Dame in the semifinals. The Irish breezed past ninth-seeded Pittsburgh today, 4-0. The match will begin at 12 noon.
No. 5 Rutgers 4, No. 4 Marquette 1
Doubles
1. Zaretser/Zhang (RU) def. Calderon/Moore (MU), 8-0
2. Ruiz/Metzler (MU) def. Arlak/Tran (RU), 8-4
3. Holzberg/Ivey (RU) def. R. Hush/G. Hush (MU), 9-7
Singles
1. Paola Calderon (MU) vs. Amy Zhang (RU), DNF (6-1, 1-6, 1-4)
2. Olga Fischer (MU) vs. Katherine Arlak (RU), DNF (6-4, 5-3)
3. Polina Zaretser (RU) def. Christina Ruiz (MU), 2-6, 6-3, 6-0*
4. Jennifer Holzberg (RU) def. Kylie Moore (MU), 7-5, 6-1
5. Maryana Milchutskey (RU) def. Rachael Hush (MU), 6-3, 6-3
6. Robin Metzler (MU) def. Morgan Ivey (RU), 6-2, 6-1
Rutgers Women’s Tennis Breezes Past UConn in BIG EAST Championship First Round April 16, 2009
TAMPA, Fla. – The Rutgers women’s tennis team cruised in its opening round match of the BIG EAST Championship, topping Connecticut 4-0. The fifth-seeded Scarlet Knights captured the doubles point and clinched the match with three singles victories to upend the 12th seeded Huskies.
The Scarlet Knights took the early advantage winning easily at No. 2 and No. 3 doubles.
Rutgers then used singles wins from sophomore Amy Zhang (Plano, Texas) and freshman Morgan Ivey (Mt. Pleasant, N.J.) to take a 3-0 lead. Freshman Maryana Milchutskey (Holmdel, N.J.) secured the RU victory with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Emily Herb at No. 4 singles, giving Rutgers an unbeatable 4-0 edge.
The Scarlet Knights have now won 11 of their last 12 matches and improve to 15-4 on the year.
“This was a strong match and a very convincing victory for our team over a well coached UConn team,” said head coach Ben Bucca. “It was a great first round in the very competitive BIG EAST Championship. We are motivated, confident and very excited about our next match where we will play No. 4 seed Marquette.”
Rutgers and Marquette will kick off second round action Friday at 12 noon. The Scarlet Knights lost to the Golden Eagles on Feb. 22 in a closely contested 4-3 match.
Rutgers 4, Connecticut 0
SINGLES
1. Amy Zhang (RU) def. Kelley LoRusso (UConn) 6-0, 6-1
2. Katherine Arlak (RU) def. Ali Campitello (UConn) 7-5, 1-3 DNF
3. Jennifer Holzberg (RU) def. BreAnn Chung (UConn) 6-4, 5-4 DNF
4. Maryana Milchutskey (RU) def. Emily Herb (UConn) 6-1, 6-2
5. Morgan Ivey (RU) def. Katie Loritz (UConn) 6-0, 6-2
6. Christine Tran (RU) def. Alexa Gregory (UConn) 6-3, 2-6, 2-1 DNF
DOUBLES
1. Zhang/Zaretser (RU) def. LoRusso/Herb (UConn) 6-3 DNF
2. Arlak/Tran (RU) def. Chung/Campitello (UConn) 8-0
3. Ivey/Holzberg (RU) def. Loritz/Gregory (UConn) 8-2
Rutgers Women’s Tennis Seeded Fifth Entering BIG EAST Championships
April 14, 2009
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The field for the BIG EAST Tennis Championships in Tampa, Fla., has been set and Rutgers has garnered the No. 5 seed. The Scarlet Knights, which have won 10 of their last 11 matches, are 14-4 overall and 8-2 in league play.
“We are thrilled to be heading down to Tampa to compete in the BIG EAST Championships,” said head coach Ben Bucca. “The girls are very motivated by their seed and ready to play their best tennis of the year.”
The leagues’ 12 women’s teams will compete for the conference title, with the winner receiving the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Championships, set to begin on May 8-9 on campus sites to be determined.
The top four women’s teams have earned byes, and the No. 5-12 seeds will begin championship play on April 16. The championship match is set for 9 a.m. on April 19 at the USF Varsity Courts.
The Scarlet Knights will take on 12th seeded Connecticut at 12 noon. RU topped UConn 7-0 in its last regular season match on April 8. The winner of the match between the Scarlet Knights and Huskies will battle Marquette on Friday at noon.
Tennis Sweeps Connecticut for Seventh Straight Win
April 8, 2009
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The Rutgers women’s tennis team continued its stellar play Wednesday afternoon, sweeping Connecticut 7-0 at the RU Tennis Complex for its seventh straight conference victory.
Rutgers, which has won 10 of its last 11 matches, improves to 14-4 overall and 8-2 in the BIG EAST. Connecticut falls to 11-10 overall and 3-7 in league play.
“This was a very strong match for us,” said head coach Ben Bucca. “Our girls won all of the critical tie-breakers, showing their determination and will to win. There could be no better way to honor our lone senior, Polina Zaretser, than in the manner in which we won this match. We are riding a great wave of momentum now as we head into the BIG EAST Championships.”
Although the Scarlet Knights didn’t drop a match, three singles matches and one doubles battle were forced into match tie-breakers.
Junior Katherine Arlak (Leonia, N.J.) battled back after dropping the opening set to defeat Ali Campitello 6-7, 6-2, 12-10 at No. 2 singles. Freshman Jennifer Holzberg (Easton, Conn.) also had to battle back from down a set at No. 3 singles, topping BreAnn Chung 3-6, 6-4, 10-7. At No. 6 singles, freshman Leonora Slatnick (Austin, Texas) won the opening set against Alexa Gregory, but after dropping the second, she was forced into a decisive tie-breaker in which she was victorious, 10-4.
Amy Zhang (Plano, Texas), Maryana Milchutskey (Holmdel, N.J.) and Morgan Ivey (Mt. Pleasant, N.J.) all won their singles matches in straight sets. Zhang has won 11 of her last 12 matches at No. 1 singles.
The Scarlet Knights also won all three doubles matches, including a tightly contested 6-5 decision at the No. 2 spot.
Rutgers will now prepare for the BIG EAST Championships, which are slated to get underway on Thursday, April 16 in Tampa, Fla.
Rutgers 7, Connecticut 0
SINGLES
1. Amy Zhang (RU) def. Kelley LoRusso (UConn) 6-0, 6-2
2. Katherine Arlak (RU) def. Ali Campitello (UConn) 6-7 (4), 6-2, 12-10
3. Jennifer Holzberg (RU) def. BreAnn Chung (UConn) 3-6, 6-4, 10-7
4. Maryana Milchutskey (RU) def. Emily Herb (UConn) 6-0, 6-0
5. Morgan Ivey (RU) def. Katie Loritz (UConn) 6-1, 6-4
6. Leonora Slatnick (RU) def. Alexa Gregory (UConn) 6-2, 6-7 (3), 10-4
DOUBLES
1. Zhang/Zaretser (RU) def. LoRusso/Herb (UConn) 8-1
2. Arlak/Tran (RU) def. Chung/Campitello (UConn) 6-5 (3)
3. Ivey/Holzberg (RU) def. Loritz/Gregory (UConn) 8-0
Rutgers Women's Tennis Wins Sixth Straight BIG EAST Match After Weekend Sweep of West Virginia and Pittsburgh
April 5, 2009
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The Rutgers women’s tennis team continued its stellar play, cruising past both West Virginia and Pittsburgh this weekend in BIG EAST action. The Scarlet Knights have won five straight matches overall and six consecutive in conference play.
Rutgers defeated WVU and Pitt by identical 6-1 scores to improve to 13-4 overall and 7-2 in the BIG EAST. The Scarlet Knights have won nine of their last 10 matches.
“This was a very challenging weekend for us and the team really responded and played great,” said head coach Ben Bucca. “The team’s competitive spirit was really strong and it carried us to a pair of big victories.”
Sophomore Amy Zhang (Plano, Texas) continued to play well at the No. 1 spot in both singles and doubles, going a perfect 4-0 during the weekend. She picked up a pair of straight set singles victories and teamed with senior Polina Zaretser (Brooklyn, N.Y.) for two doubles wins. In singles, Zhang has won 10 of her last 11 matches.
Freshmen Morgan Ivey (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.) and Jennifer Holzberg (Easton, Conn.) also went 4-0, with each picking up two singles victories and combining for two doubles wins. Classmate Maryana Milchutskey (Holmdel, N.J.) won both of her singles matches at the No. 4 spot, while junior Christine Tran (Centreville, Va.) picked up a singles victory and two doubles wins to pace the Scarlet Knights.
Rutgers will conclude a five-match BIG EAST stretch to end the regular season on Wednesday, hosting Connecticut. The match, which will be the final home contest for lone senior Polina Zaretser, will begin at 2 p.m. at the RU Tennis Complex.
Rutgers 6, Pittsburgh 1
SINGLES
1. Amy Zhang (RU) def. Kristy Borza (Pitt) 6-1, 6-4
2. Elizabeth Adams (Pitt) def. Katherine Arlak (RU) 6-0, 6-1
3. Jennifer Holzberg (RU) def. Minh Evans (Pitt) 6-2, 6-3
4. Maryana Milchutskey (RU) def. Christie D’Achile (Pitt) 6-4, 7-5
5. Morgan Ivey (RU) def. Adela Aprodu (Pitt) 6-2, 6-2
6. Christine Tran (RU) def. Shannon Benic (Pitt) 6-3, 6-3
DOUBLES
1. Zhang/Zaretser (RU) def. Borza/Adams (Pitt) 8-5
2. Arlak/Tran (RU) def. Evans/Aprodu (Pitt) 8-2
3. Ivey/Holzberg (RU) def. D’Achile/Benic (Pitt) 9-8 (3)
Rutgers 6, West Virginia 1
SINGLES
1. Amy Zhang (RU) def. Stephanie LaFortune (WVU) 6-4, 6-4
2. Katherine Arlak (RU) def. Kathryn Haught (WVU) 4-6, 6-2, 6-2
3. Jennifer Holzberg (RU) def. Olga Elkin (WVU) 4-6, 6-2, 6-7 (2)
4. Maryana Milchutskey (RU) def. Veronica Cardenas (WVU) 6-3, 7-5
5. Morgan Ivey (RU) def. Ashley Pilsbury (WVU) 6-2, 6-4
6. Monique Burton (WVU) def. Caitlin Baker (RU) 6-2, 6-2
DOUBLES
1. Zhang/Zaretser (RU) def. Blaskovicova/Pilsury (WVU) 8-4
2. Arlak/Tran (RU) def. LaFortune/Burton (WVU) 8-1
3. Ivey/Holzberg (RU) def. Elkin/Cardenas (WVU) 8-6
Rutgers Wins Fourth Consecutive Win
March 16, 2009
CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Rutgers women’s tennis team opened its spring break trip with a convincing 6-1 victory over Towson in Charleston, S.C. The Scarlet Knights have won four consecutive matches and six of their last seven.
Rutgers improves to 8-3 overall, while Towson drops to 3-5.
“I thought we played well for it being our first match outside this season,” said head coach Ben Bucca. “We didn’t play our best tennis, but we performed well enough to come away with a convincing win.”
Rutgers jumped out to an early lead, winning all three doubles matches to garner the opening point. Katherine Arlak (Leonia, N.J.) and Christine Tran (Centreville, Va.) earned an 8-4 victory over Caitlin White and Lauren Cloonan at the top doubles spot, while Jennifer Holzberg (Easton, Conn.) and Morgan Ivey (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.) posted an 8-2 victory at No. 2. Amy Zhang (Plano, Texas) and Caitlin Baker (Altoona, Pa.) completed the doubles sweep with an 8-1 win over Evelyn Izaguirre and Katie Young at No. 3 doubles.
In singles action, Zhang defeated White 6-4, 6-4 at first singles, while Arlak controlled the second set tiebreaker en route to a 6-4, 7-6 (7-2) win over Cloonan at the No. 2 spot. After splitting the first two sets, Holzberg cruised to a 6-0 third set victory over Aandria Carr at No. 3 singles.
Maryana Milchutskey (Holmdel, N.J.) was a 6-0, 6-1 winner at fourth singles and Tran picked up a 6-3, 6-1 win at the No. 6 spot.
Up next on RU’s spring break trip is a battle with Minnesota at 10 a.m. on Tuesday.
