Women’s Tennis Returns to Happy Valley for B1G Matches Against Maryland and Rutgers

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State women’s tennis team returns home for Big Ten action against Maryland and Rutgers at the Indoor Tennis Center this weekend. PSU is back in Happy Valley after four straight road matches. 

The Nittany Lions (10-6, 1-4 Big Ten), ranked No. 51 in the latest iteration of the ITA poll, will face the Terrapins (12-2, 4-1 Big Ten) at noon on Friday before meeting the Scarlet Knights (8-7, 1-4 Big Ten) at 3 p.m. on Sunday. 

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT 

• Penn State concluded nonconference play against Georgia Tech and Charlotte on March 22 and 23. The Nittany Lions fell, 4-1, in both contests. 

• In the match against Charlotte last week, the Nittany Lions won their 11th doubles point of the season. The team is now a combined 25-12 in doubles play and 10-1 when they win the doubles point. 

• To take the point against the 49ers, Patricia Grigoras and Maiko Uchijima dismantled Andrea Chacon and Shona Nakan, 6-0, before Jordina Cegarra and Maria Daciana Ciubotaru took a 6-3 win to clinch the point. Cegarra is now 7-0 in doubles matches this spring. 

• Olivia Dorner earned a singles win against Georgia Tech on court five as she defeated Sabritt Dozier, 6-1, 6-3. The senior paired with Maelie Monfils in doubles against the Yellow Jackets with the court one duo owning a 5-2 edge over No. 77 Alejandra Cruz and Seri Nayuki before it went unfinished. 

• In both duals, Ciubotaru was able to win the first set against her opponents on court six as the matches would go unfinished. 

ACROSS THE NET 

MARYLAND 

• Maryland is No. 35 in the ITA rankings, its highest mark of the season. The Terrapins enter the weekend with a 12-2 (4-1 Big Ten) record with road matches against Penn State and No. 4 Ohio State on deck.  

• Maryland’s four Big Ten victories have come against Oregon, Rutgers, Wisconsin and Minnesota. The team is on a three-match winning streak. The Terrapins’ only two losses are on the road against Charlotte and No. 20 Washington. Both PSU and UMD share wins over Old Dominion and James Madison. 

• No. 37 Emma Ghirardato and Ema Kovacevic are a ranked doubles pair for Maryland. The tandem is 7-3 on court one this spring.  

• The Terrapins have one ranked singles competitor, No. 110 Oliwia Orlinska. Orlinska is 8-4 on court one in dual matches. 

RUTGERS 

• Rutgers holds an 8-7 (1-4 Big Ten) record with matches at No. 4 Ohio State and Penn State this weekend. 

• The Scarlet Knights’ lone Big Ten victory came over Minnesota with defeats against No. 20 Washington, Oregon, Maryland and Wisconsin. Rutgers shares two common nonconference opponents with Penn State, including a loss to a Yale squad that the Nittany Lions defeated.  

• The Scarlet Knights have a ranked doubles pair in No. 82 Mai Nguyen and Zuzanna Frankowska. The tandem is 8-5 on court one. Nguyen is 3-7 on court one in singles play. 

SERIES HISTORY 

MARYLAND 

• Penn State boasts a 15-6 all-time record against Maryland with the series dating back to 1976. 

• The Terrapins took last season’s matchup, 4-0, but the Nittany Lions secured the most recent matchup in Happy Valley by a 5-2 margin in 2024.  

• Since 2020, the Blue & White have won two-of-three at home.  

RUTGERS 

• Penn State owns a dominant 24-3 edge in the all-time series against Rutgers with the first matchup happening in 1979.  

• The Nittany Lions won last season’s matchup over the Scarlet Knights, 4-1, in Piscataway, New Jersey.  

• The last meeting at home was a 4-3 win for PSU. The Blue & White are winners of five straight against Rutgers.