Sports
Tennis Returns Home for Penn State, Ohio State
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The Rutgers women’s tennis team (7-5, 1-3 B1G) returns home to take on No. 46 Penn State (11-3, 2-2 B1G) and No. 11 Ohio State (9-1, 3-1 B1G).In addition to the four newcomers, Ritchie also welcomed back four returners in Jackie Lopez, Minchae Kim, Mai Nguyen and Naomi Karki. Graduate Student Yana Gurevich became the first Scarlet Knight in program history to earn All-Big Ten honors, after going 12-5 in conference play.In the offseason, head coach Hilary Ritchie welcomed four newcomers to the team including two freshman in Zeynep Ilker and Karina Jumazhanova in addition to two transfers in Zuzanna Frankowska and Zhou “Cindy” Xintong. The Scarlet Knights will continue conference play when they travel to take on the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Friday March 28 at 4 p.m. before traveling to Madison to battle the Wisconsin Badgers on Sunday March 30 at 11 a.m.”The Arthur Ashe Award is a prestigious ITA Award and Tara is a perfect recipient,” head coach Hilary Ritchie said. “Tara always strives for excellence. In her two years at Rutgers, she made a big impact on our team, the business school and the student-athlete community overall.” On the heels of the 2024 spring season, alum Tara Chilton and assistant coach Hailey Barrett have both garnered regional and national praise from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) with the announcement of the end of the year awards. Chilton earned the prestigious Arthur Ashe Award while Barrett was named the Northeast Region Assistant Coach of the Year.
Scouting the Nittany LionsRU is coming off a successful fall that consisted of a Brown Invite tournament victory as well as a quarterfinal appearance by Karki and Zhou in doubles play of the ITA Regionals.
Overall, the team amassed an impressive 55-33 record in singles. Frankowska paced the squad in singles play with 10 wins, while the duo of Karki-Zhou won five doubles matches to lead the team.
Recapping the 2024 Fall
The Scarlet Knights had their best season under head coach Hilary Ritchie, finishing with a 12-12 record and earning their second win in program history at the Big Ten Tournament. RU also picked up nine victories in non-conference play, including three shutouts.
National RecognitionRutgers started the spring 9-3, their best start since the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season. The team also added two Big Ten regular season wins, defeating Michigan State and Minnesota. The ITA Assistant Coach of the Year honors an assistant coach who has exhibited outstanding leadership in ways that contribute to on and off-court team performance. These are qualities that assistant coach Barrett has exemplified since arriving On The Banks.
Scouting the Buckeyes
No. 46 Penn State is currently 11-3 and 2-2 against the conference. Losers of their last two, the Nittany Lions are led by Olivia Dorner, holding down the number one spot in singles play with a 7-4 record. In doubles play along with partner Maiko Uchijima, the duo is 9-3 in the spring campaign.
OSU is currently the 11th ranked team in the nation, holding a 9-2 overall record and 3-1 in conference play. The Buckeyes are led by No. 8 Luciana Perry and No. 35 Teah Chavez, who as a duo are ranked 15th nationally. Perry is 7-3 from the No. 1 singles spot while Chavez is undefeated in singles No. 2. The duo is 8-1 this spring and undefeated in conference play.
New Kids ‘On The Banks’
The Returners
Recapping the 2024 Spring
Kim finished the spring campaign with a strong 11 singles and nine doubles victories, including eight in Big Ten competition. She helped RU earn a win in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament with a singles win over Michigan State.
Originally from Bursa, Turkey Zeynep Ilker comes to Rutgers with a wealth of international playing experience. A member of Turkey’s National Team, she has taken part in European Championships. She spent several years competing on the ITF Junior Tour and in 2023 reached a career-best ranking of 408.
PSU holds a 7-2 advantage in the lifetime series with Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights have not beat the Nittany Lions since the 2019 season, when they edged Penn State at home, 4-3.
The Scarlet Knights will take on the Nittany Lions on Saturday March 14 at 12 p.m. for the second Community Day of the year, outside at the Livingston Tennis Center. Those in attendance for Community Day will receive free pizza, raffles and giveaways, and autographs with the team. RU will then take on the Buckeyes on Sunday March 23 at 12 p.m back inside at the East Brunswick Racquet Club.
“Hailey is so deserving of this award,” Ritchie said. “She wears an incredible number of hats to help this team and the individual student-athletes as well. During a time when there is a lot of uncertainty in college athletics, Hailey always remains positive and puts her passion for tennis first.”
Karki finished freshman campaign with a combined 14 wins across singles and doubles competitions. Recorded first-career conference singles win over Michigan State and provided the dual-clinching win to help Rutgers complete its comeback and beat UConn.
Last Time Out
History Against Ohio State
Chilton, who came to Rutgers in the fall of 2023 at the start of her junior season, has made a long-lasting impact on the Scarlet Knights. During her time On The Banks Chilton has excelled in all areas including in tennis, academics and volunteering in her community.
History Against Penn StateZuzanna Frankowska played her freshman year at Baylor and hails from Kobylka, Poland. In the fall of 2023, she made her debut at the TCU Fall Invitational and went onto pick up four singles wins and a doubles victory throughout the slate. In the 2024 spring, she played two matches at the No. 5 lineup spot and picked up a doubles win against the Iowa State on the third court. Rutgers made history in the ITA rankings, claiming its first-ever team and doubles ranking. The Scarlet Knights reached as high as No. 68 in the polls while the pair of Amira Badawi and Mai Nguyen came in at a season-best No. 54. Lopez compiled eight singles wins across the 2023 season, finishing the campaign on a three-match winning streak. She clinched RU’s first-ever victory over Minnesota in addition to the win over NJIT. Zhou “Cindy” Xintong spent her rookie season at Fordham, where she excelled. In the 2023 fall, she went 4-3 in singles play and 6-1 in doubles. She saw action in 18 of the team’s 22 spring matches, going 8-5 in singles play, earning victories on courts No. 3, 4 and 5. The Mississauga, Ontario, Canada native went 11 matches without a loss, picking up big two-set wins over George Washington, Brown, Richmond and George Mason. Nguyen finished her sophomore campaign with 18 victories, including 11 in singles competitions. She was featured twice in the ITA National Doubles rankings with partner Amira Badawi and defeated Penn State’s 69th-ranked doubles pair with partner Yana Gurevich. In addition, Nguyen earned a singles victory to help RU top Michigan State in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament. Looking AheadRutgers dropped both matches in its last weekend of play, falling to No. 56 Purdue and Indiana. Naomi Karki, Jackie Lopez and Zuzanna Frankowska all recorded singles wins in the losses.Follow Along
Follow Rutgers women’s tennis on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.The Scarlet Knights have not beaten the Buckeyes in the eight-match lifetime series between programs.Karina Jumazhanova also brings lots of worldly experience to the team, coming from Almaty, Kazakhstan. She mainly competed in Women’s 15k events on the ITF World Tennis Tour, reaching a career-high ITF ranking of 178. The freshman also saw action in the U16 Juniors Billie Jean King Cup, representing Kazakhstan. She is an ITF J4 Doubles Winner and Finalist, in addition to being a Kazakhstan Doubles Finalist Champion.
Sports
Broward 4A-1A girls volleyball first team, second team, honorable mention and coach of the year
FIRST TEAM
Yasmin Dias Tonon, OH, North Broward Prep senior: Recorded 320 kills, 194 digs, 60 aces, 40 blocks and .389 hitting percentage; registered 21 kills in a match; had 18 kills in state championship match; helped lift Eagles to district, regional and state title; Bentley University signee.
Kaylee Foreman, libero, Pine Crest junior: Team captain; recorded 625 service receptions, 393 digs, 115 assists and 43 aces; Palm League All-Tournament Team; NHSCA Academic All-American First Team; Under Armour Next Camp Series Invitee; AVCA Phenom selection; Team Florida 15U member; Yale University commit.
Mia Gold, OH, Pine Crest senior: Led the Panthers to a district and regional title; team captain; recorded 440 kills, 249 digs, 45 aces; recorded 28 kills and 13 digs in state semifinal; school record holder for kills; England National Team selection; Boston College signee.
Melia Howze, MB, Chaminade-Madonna freshman: Led Lions to district championship and 2A regional quarterfinal appearance; recorded 308 kills, 80 blocks and .443 hitting percentage; recorded 25 kills to lift team to district title win.
Samantha McMillan, OH, Coral Springs Charter senior: Led Panthers to 3A regional quarterfinal appearance; recorded 251 kills, 282 receptions and .335 hitting percentage in just 60 sets played; registered 28 kills in a match; American University signee.
Destiny Wiggins, libero, North Broward Prep senior: Recorded 436 digs, 438 service receptions, 91 assists and 36 aces; registered 31 digs in a match; had 22 digs in state championship match; helped lift Eagles to district, regional and state title.
SECOND TEAM
Isabella Collado, setter, Pine Crest eighth-grader
Gabriella Florian, OH, Pine Crest junior
Camryn Kanell, MB, Calvary Christian Academy senior
Emma Luehrs, setter, North Broward Prep eighth-grader
Jayda Palumbo, OH, North Broward Prep junior
Adriana Powers-Hadley, OH, Sagemont junior
HONORABLE MENTION
American Heritage: Lyla Pack
Calvary Christian: Sophia Azevedo, Reese Mittauer, Jada Stephenson
Cardinal Gibbons: Jordan Andrews, Ava Flores, Beatriz Matos
Chaminade-Madonna: Paloma Castellanos, Keylanis Cruz, Amy Wood
Coral Springs Charter: Olivia Greco, Mia Luersen
Franklin Academy: Sofia Hernandez
Highlands Christian: Ali Diaz, Emily Eades
North Broward Prep: Layni Tobias
Pine Crest: Jasmine Florian, Elizabeth Sauby, Elle Schneider
Sagemont: Daniella Seijo
Sheridan Hills: Sophia Broch, Jasmine Cummings, Deborah Point Du Jour
University School: Daniella Lugo
Westminster Academy: Zoe Burton, Amelia Benkendorf
COACH OF THE YEAR
Brian Coughenour, North Broward Prep: The Eagles finished 26-2, earned a district championship and regional title and won the 4A state championship. “I am very proud of this team. They came into the season ready to work hard and with one goal in mind in bringing North Broward Prep their first volleyball state championship. They earned that championship along with a number of individual awards. I held them to a very high standard and they not only met it but exceeded my expectations. I am very excited for the future of this program and blessed to be part of it.”
Sports
Broward 7A-5A girls volleyball first team, second team, honorable mention and coach of the year
FIRST TEAM
Fabiana Castro, setter, Archbishop McCarthy senior: Led Mavericks to district and regional title; team captain; registered 490 assists, 187 digs and 64 aces; recorded 39 assists in state semifinal win; will play volleyball and beach volleyball for Miami-Dade College.
Sydney Guerrier, setter/OPP, St. Thomas Aquinas senior: Team co-captain; registered 383 assists, 146 kills, 144 digs and 31 blocks; BCAA All-Star Team MVP; FACA All-Star; AVCA All-Region, All-American Second Team, Best and Brightest Third Team and Honorable Mention selection during career; American University signee.
Sophia Guzman, OH/OPP, Cypress Bay senior: Led the Lightning to district title and Class 7A regional final; recorded 274 kills, 4.0 kills/set and 250 receptions; registered 20 kills in regional semifinal win; selected team captain and team MVP; Southern Connecticut State University signee.
Paige Hill, OH, Western senior: Recorded 235 kills, 360 digs, 69 aces and 36 blocks; registered 20 kills in a match; two-year team captain and four-year starter; will play volleyball for Emmanuel University.
Emmi Merhi, OH, St. Thomas Aquinas senior: Helped lift Raiders to district and regional championship; recorded 248 kills, 250 digs, 437 receptions and 36 aces; registered 14 kills in regional semifinal win; Troy University signee.
SECOND TEAM
Isabella Cabrera, OH, St. Thomas Aquinas sophomore
Erin Huang, setter, Cypress Bay senior
Brianna Masaracchio, OH, Archbishop McCarthy senior
Adriana Medrano, libero, St. Thomas Aquinas senior
Sanai Mitchell, MB, Western senior
Hailey Trebbien, setter, St. Thomas Aquinas senior
HONORABLE MENTION
Archbishop McCarthy: Raquel Hurtado, Valentina Santamaria, Em’Pris Seetal
Cypress Bay: Julia Diaz, Margot Lantrade, Victoria Urizar
Deerfield Beach: Giovanna Campos
Everglades: Jonnele Mends, Zoehe Sharpe
Flanagan: Krystine Escalante
Fort Lauderdale: Lorena Rondon
Pembroke Pines Charter: Julie Lobato, Sophia Peterseil, Abigail Reynolds
Piper: Melody Delamotte, Isabella Delgado
St. Thomas Aquinas: Leah Novatne, Violette Zayas
Stoneman Douglas: Isabella Cox, Alyssa James
Western: Valeria Luque, Alyssa Noble, Sarah Perez
CO-COACHES OF THE YEAR
Lisa Zielinski, St. Thomas Aquinas: The Raiders had a 27-5 record, won a district title, regional championship and finished as the Class 6A state runner-up. “Reaching the championship is never easy, and this team earned every bit of it. After losing six starters
last year, I don’t think anyone thought we’d be back. We didn’t walk away with the trophy, but we proved we’re a team that battles. We competed with heart, toughness and the kind of fire that’s hard to teach.”
Robert Perez, Archbishop McCarthy: The Mavericks had a 28-4 record and captured the district and regional title. They finished as the Class 5A state runner-up. “We had a goal and we all locked into it. It was one team and one dream. We knew this was the team that can finally take that step. The program was due for a final four for the first time in school history. From day one, the entire roster knew this team was special. Practices were special and we competed versus each other like there was another team on the other side of the net. This roster made each other better because how deep and talented we are. The ladies in teal are for real.”
Local Weather Alerts
There are currently no active weather alerts.
WBIW
error: Content is protected !!
Sports
Palm Beach 4A-1A girls volleyball first team, second team, honorable mention and coach of the year
FIRST TEAM
Ava Castro, OH, Cardinal Newman senior: Led the Crusaders to a 3A regional quarterfinal appearance; recorded 328 kills, 207 digs, 38 blocks, 26 aces and .374 hitting percentage; registered 26 kills in a match; holds the school record for kills; Boston College signee.
Emmie Hill, MB, Benjamin sophomore: Led the Bucs to a 2A regional quarterfinal win; recorded 210 kills, 63 blocks and .351 hitting percentage; registered 20 kills in a match; USA Volleyball National Team Development Program selection.
Mikayla Matuszko, OH, King’s Academy freshman: Led the Lions to a district title and 3A regional semifinal appearance; recorded 314 kills, 173 digs and 61 aces; registered 22 kills in a match; USA Volleyball U17 National Team selection.
Riley McCaughey, setter, Benjamin senior: Led the Bucs to a district championship and 2A regional quarterfinal win; recorded 600 assists, 187 digs, 97 kills and 63 aces; registered 55 assists in a match; 3,064 career assists; University of South Florida signee.
Luiza Queiroz, OH, St. Andrew’s seventh grader: Led the Scots to a 3A regional semifinal appearance; recorded 420 kills, 187 digs and 69 aces; registered 41 kills in a match.
SECOND TEAM
Dayana Acevedo, setter, Cardinal Newman senior
Lyla Buser, OPP, Cardinal Newman senior
Caitlin Crino, setter, Boca Raton Christian junior
Miranda Knoll, OH, King’s Academy junior
Taylor Walsh, setter, St. Andrew’s sophomore
Caroline Wright, OH, Boca Raton Christian sophomore
HONORABLE MENTION
American Heritage-Delray: Dagan Rothbaun, Daniela Staton
Atlantic Christian: Anayah Enamorado
Benjamin: Mackenzie Bryan, Londyn Clark, Emma Markin
Boca Raton Christian: Brianna Nahmod, Mackenzi VanZwieten
Cardinal Newman: Olivia Peterson
Dreyfoos: Amelia Gallogly, Erin Larsen
Jupiter Christian: Addison Dorsey
King’s Academy: Bella Pons, Alanis Molina, Hunter Saltalamacchia
Lake Worth Christian: Cassidy Childers, Savannah Monier, Ella Vandenberg
Oxbridge Academy: Jessica Jerabek, Olivija Kozul
St. Andrew’s: Ashlyn Cobb
St. John Paul II: Meallen Gunther, Emily Rodriguez, Lyla Tomko
Suncoast: Bella Zingaro
COACH OF THE YEAR
Len Visser, Boca Raton Christian: The Blazers won a district title, regional championship and captured their first girls volleyball state championship in school history. They won seven straight matches to close the season. “I am proud that every girl was part of winning states. It’s special because the girls persevered through some very close losses. “We played like a team and I had total confidence in them. They all trusted each other. It’s truly one of my closest teams and they lifted each other up.”
Jupiter Christian senior outside hitter Ella Brodner reached 400 kills in a single season for the first time while Boca Raton Christian sophomore Hannah VanZwieten delivered a remarkable performance throughout the playoffs to lift the Blazers to their first girls
volleyball state championship in school history.
The two top performers were recognized as the Sun Sentinel’s Palm Beach 4A-1A girls volleyball co-players of the year.
Brodner, a University of Virginia signee, had 400 kills, 5.7 kills per set and a .336 hitting percentage in just 70 sets played. She also added 244 service receptions, 218 digs, 39 aces and 25 blocks. She had 35 kills in four sets in a district semifinal victory.
Brodner holds the school record with 1,488 kills and 944 digs during her five seasons with the Eagles. She recalled a victory against Jupiter during her junior season as one of her most memorable matches in high school.
“I met the expectations I had set for myself since I came in the eighth grade,” Brodner said. “To end with 400 kills in a season was pretty cool. It’s exciting to hold school records. I could not have done it without any of my teammates. Coach Sarah [Mize] helped me with my mental toughness. I wanted to be an all-around player on the court. I made amazing memories and volleyball is so much fun. It was heartwarming to see little girls look up to me and how they were inspired because of how I play volleyball.”
Brodner took on a leadership role with several newcomers joining the Eagles. “When I was in the eighth grade, I was intimidated by most of the girls,” Brodner said.
“Allison Moore was a great leader and a big influence on me. She spent time helping me with volleyball. I wanted to be a big influence on our younger players. It was a rebuilding year and I knew it was going to be difficult, but I decided to stay. It’s a great
feeling to help the girls.”
Brodner enjoyed watching her two older sisters at volleyball practices and tournaments. She joined the Jupiter Elite Volleyball Club at 7. She helped her team qualify for nationals in multiple seasons.
“The growth of our club has been amazing,” Brodner said. “All the coaches helped in my development and to where I am now.” Brodner is excited about the opportunity to play with her older sister, Sarah, at the University of Virginia.
“My sister and I have been really getting close and it’s an amazing opportunity,” Brodner said. “I’m extremely blessed to get to play with her. The ACC is very competitive and I’m excited for college volleyball.”
VanZwieten delivered for the Blazers during their playoff run to capture the state title. She had 13 kills and 12 digs in the regional championship, 19 kills, 23 digs and six aces in the state semifinal and 12 kills and 15 digs in the state championship match.
VanZwieten displayed her versatility with 254 kills, 270 digs, 221 service receptions, 157 assists, 53 aces and 30 blocks during her sophomore season.
“We lost players from last year who had played a big role,” VanZwieten said. “The difference was that we played together as a team. Our coaches did a great job and we handled the pressure. We were so happy to push through and win the semifinal against Seacrest. We practiced hard and stayed focused during the final match. We were so excited to win it.”
VanZwieten’s older sister, Grace, plays collegiate volleyball at Tusculum. Her mom serves as an assistant coach at Boca Raton Christian.
She also competes in beach volleyball tournaments with her sister, Mackenzi, who was a key contributor for the Blazers during their championship run. The sisters won a thrilling beach volleyball tournament in Tavares during a college showcase event.
“I have a lot of fun playing with Mackenzi and we connect really well,” VanZwieten said. “We have that experience together in beach volleyball and it’s helped us when playing indoor. It’s been very special.”
VanZwieten, a setter with Tribe Volleyball Club, displayed her versatility at outside hitter for the Blazers during her sophomore season.
“I was able to get out of my comfort zone and work on my game to get better,” VanZwieten said. “I played with a lot of energy and cheered on my teammates.
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing to Release New GR Brand Video “WILD ROAD” on January 1 | PRESS RELEASE
No easy fix for what ails college football, but it’s still fun
Broward 4A-1A girls volleyball first team, second team, honorable mention and coach of the year
Alexandria Area Youth for Christ moves into new building and will be adding a new program in January – Alexandria Echo Press
Broward 7A-5A girls volleyball first team, second team, honorable mention and coach of the year
Oregon Ducks Could Steal Another Transfer Portal Player From USC Trojans
Volley Tots launches at BNL, introducing young athletes to volleyball fundamentals
Nebraska volleyball fans saw 62% of All-Americans during 2025 season
Report: Terry Smith’s lack of FBS head coaching prevented him from landing Penn State job
Palm Beach 4A-1A girls volleyball first team, second team, honorable mention and coach of the year
Ella Brodner, Jupiter Christian senior; Hannah VanZwieten, Boca Raton Christian sophomore
Kaleb Glenn gives perfect example of how NIL can be used the right way
Texas’ Michael Taaffe Delivers Critical NIL Advice to Young Athletes
Maryland Youth Ballet takes center stage performing holiday classic
End of year means time to deliver some gifts | Andy Baskin
Fargo girl, 13, dies after collapsing during school basketball game – Grand Forks Herald
SoundGear Named Entitlement Sponsor of Spears CARS Tour Southwest Opener
Redemption Means First Pro Stock World Championship for Dallas Glenn
Jo Shimoda Undergoes Back Surgery
Black Bear Revises Recording Policies After Rulebook Language Surfaces via Lever
Bowl Projections: ESPN predicts 12-team College Football Playoff bracket, full bowl slate after Week 14
Robert “Bobby” Lewis Hardin, 56
Donny Schatz finds new home for 2026, inks full-time deal with CJB Motorsports – InForum
How this startup (and a KC sports icon) turned young players into card-carrying legends overnight
How Donald Trump became FIFA’s ‘soccer president’ long before World Cup draw
Men’s and Women’s Track and Field Release 2026 Indoor Schedule with Opener Slated for December 6 at Home
David Blitzer, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment
Indiana’s rapid ascent and its impact across college football
Wisconsin volleyball sweeps Minnesota with ease in ranked rivalry win
Michael Jordan’s fight against NASCAR heads to court, could shake up motorsports
-
Motorsports2 weeks agoSoundGear Named Entitlement Sponsor of Spears CARS Tour Southwest Opener
-
Motorsports2 weeks agoDonny Schatz finds new home for 2026, inks full-time deal with CJB Motorsports – InForum
-
Rec Sports2 weeks agoDavid Blitzer, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment
-
Motorsports3 weeks agoJR Motorsports Confirms Death Of NASCAR Veteran Michael Annett At Age 39
-
Sports3 weeks ago
Elliot and Thuotte Highlight Men’s Indoor Track and Field Season Opener
-
Sports3 weeks ago
West Fargo volleyball coach Kelsey Titus resigns after four seasons – InForum
-
Motorsports2 weeks agoRick Ware Racing switching to Chevrolet for 2026
-
NIL2 weeks agoDeSantis Talks College Football, Calls for Reforms to NIL and Transfer Portal · The Floridian
-
Sports3 weeks agoTemple Begins Indoor Track & Field Season at UPenn This Weekend
-
NIL3 weeks agoColleges ponying up in support of football coaches, programs