ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The No. 12-seeded Rutgers women’s tennis team (12-11, 3-9 B1G) edged No. 13 Michigan State (10-16, 1-11 B1G), 4-3, in a back-and-forth battle in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament on Wednesday afternoon at the Varsity Tennis Center in Ann Arbor, Mich. Minchae Kim clinched the victory for RU, breaking a 3-3 tie with a win on the fifth court.
MINCH DELIVERS IN THE THIRD SET!! WE CLINCH THE MATCH 🚨
RU 4, MSU 3#GoRU | #RTennis | #B1GWTennis pic.twitter.com/a1sqDiMdUa
— Rutgers Tennis (@RutgersTennis) April 24, 2024
“We let up a little bit in doubles play to lose the point,” said head coach Hilary Ritchie. “However, the players were mentally tough to earn four first sets in singles. Fast starts are incredibly important.”
“Minchae played an aggressive third set to clinch the match. It was a great example of a team effort, and we’re looking forward to playing Illinois again.”
The win marks the second-straight season RU has defeated MSU in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament. It is also the second conference tournament win for Ritchie since taking over the program in 2016.
Doubles
The Spartans earned a hard-fought doubles point, winning on the first and third courts.
Tara Chilton and Kim earned a 6-1 victory on the second court in the round.
Singles
Yana Gurevich equalized the dual early in the singles round,…
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