Dear Prospect:

Thank you for your interest in Rutgers University and our women’s tennis program.

Rutgers is the State University of New Jersey. Since the first students stepped onto campus in 1766, Rutgers has been a place that embraces the joy of learning. With more than 100 majors and 4,000 courses, Rutgers will provide you with an academic experience that will allow you to explore your interests and discover your place in the world! Rutgers’ membership in the prestigious Association of American Universities, along with Harvard, Princeton, Michigan and Stanford, amongst others, is recognition of the outstanding academic and research opportunities available at Rutgers.

In intercollegiate athletics, Rutgers is a member of the American Athletic Conference. With our fall tournament schedule and spring American Conference team schedule, you will have the opportunity to play against some of the best college competition in the country. Practices are organized and emphasize not only tennis and physical fitness training, but also mental and emotional training. Our goal is to provide a challeng-ing environment that never loses focus on the fact that playing tennis on a college team is fun!!

Participation on the team is more than just practicing forehands and backhands. Academics are emphasized as our team has consistently earned an ITA All Academic Team distinction. Unique community service programs have brought recognition and distinction to the team. This exciting and challenging opportunity will promote your continued development as a tennis player, as a student, and as a person!!

I look forward to hearing from you.

Ben Bucca, Jr.Women’s Tennis Head CoachRutgers University

Mailing Address: Rutgers Athlectic Center, 83 Rockafeller Road,Piscataway, NJ 08854Phone: (732)445-7832 • Fax: (732)445-4623E-mail: bbucca@scarletknights.com

A LETTER FROM COACH BUCCA

THE WOMEN’S TENNIS TEAM GIVES BACK

The Rutgers women’s tennis team has always looked to make an impact in the community and this year has been no different.

The team has developed a partnership with Dr. Michael Nissenblatt and the Challah Bread Foundation. Members of the team help deliver chal-lahs to cancer patients on the oncology floor at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick.

In the past, the squad has also donated tennis balls to the Alexander Graham Bell Society for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired. The team donated over 500 tennis balls this year.

The tennis balls are used to eliminate noise interference for deaf children with Cochlear Implants. The balls are placed on the legs of desks and chairs in classrooms to minimize the scratching created by furniture movement.

Additionally, the team participates with area youth in promoting the great game of tennis!

According to Coach Ben Bucca, these and other community service projects add another valuable dimension to the experience of participating on the Rutgers Women’s Tennis Team. In his words: “Playing on this team is really a vehicle for these young women to find their special place in the world.”

SUCESS ON AND OFF THE COURT... • Ranked in the Top 10 in the ITA Northeast Region for three years in a row

• ITA All-Academic Team seven of the last eight years

• A perfect Academic Progress Rate score of 1,000 in four of the past six years

• ITA Regional Sportsmanship Winner for three of the last six years, including the National Sportsmanship winner in 2011

• Semifinalist two years in a row at the ITA Northeast Regional Singles Championship

...AT RUTGERS UNIVERSITY• Set to join the Big Ten- the most prestigious academic conference in the NCAA, prior to the 2014-15 academic year

• A member of the Association of American Universities, which recognizes outstanding academic and research programs and includes 63 universities, among them Harvard, Princeton, Duke and Michigan

• Ranked consistently as one of the top state universities in the country, with a mission devoted to providing outstanding academic and athletic opportunities

• A university with an average student to teacher ration of 15:1, which creates an academic environment in which students have to opportuni-ties of a small college with a large university setting

• Filled with Scholar-Athletes, including members of the Rutgers Women’s Tennis Team

RUTGERS TENNIS FACTS

FALL 2013SEPTEMBER Wednesday 11 NJIT 2:00 pmFriday 20 - Sunday 22 Brown University Invitational All Day

OCTOBER Friday 11 - Sunday 13 USTA Invitational All DayFriday 18 – Monday 21 ITA Regionals All Day

SPRING 2014FEBRUARY Tuesday 4 Lehigh Bethlehem, Pa. 3:00 pmFriday 7 F.D.U. ^ EAST BRUNSWICK, N.J. 2:00 pmSunday 9 Penn Philadelphia, Pa. 2:00 pmSunday 16 Army West Point, N.Y. 1:00 pmWednesday 19 Princeton Princeton, N.J. 4:30 pm Friday 21 Louisville * Louisville, Ky. 1:00 p.m.Sunday 23 Cincinnati * Cincinnati, Ohio 10:00 am

MARCH Saturday 1 Cornell Ithaca, N.Y. 12:00 pmFriday 7 BINGHAMTON ^ EAST BRUNSWICK, N.J. 2:00 pmWedesday 12 DELAWARE ^ EAST BRUNSWICK, N.J. 1:00 pmSunday 16 Southern Univ. New Orleans, La. TBDMonday 17 S/Eastern Louisiana New Orleans, La. TBDWednesday 19 Tulane New Orleans, La. TBD Friday 28 TEMPLE * Piscataway, N.J. 1:00 pm Sunday 30 FORDHAM Piscataway, N.J. 12:00 pm

APRIL Thursday 3 Connecticut * Storrs, Conn. 2:00 pm Tuesday 8 Seton Hall South Orange, N.J. 2:00 pmFriday 11 VILLANOVA Piscataway, N.J. 2:00 pm Sunday 13 ST. JOHNS Piscataway, N.J. 12:00 pmThursday 17 – Sunday 20 American Athletic Conference Championships Tampa, Fl.

Home Matches - BOLD CAPS^ Indicates matches will be played at the East Brunswick Racquet Club (all non-designated home matches will be played at the RU Tennis Complex)* American Athletic Conference Match

RUTGERS WOMEN’S TENNIS SCHEDULE

A native of central New Jersey, Ben Bucca is en-tering his 11th season as head coach of the Rutgers women’s tennis program. Coach Bucca has guided his teams to tremendous

success both on the court and in the classroom, while also spear-heading community service projects carried out by team members.

Coach Bucca has led the Scarlet Knights to the BIG EAST Tournament each of the past five seasons, with a record of 73-40 (.650) during that span. Overall, he has helped the squad to BIG EAST Tournament berths in nine of the last 10 seasons, posting an overall record of 132-94 (.584).

Additionally, the team has garnered ITA All-Academic honors seven of the past nine years with numerous players receiving ITA All-Academic individual honors. In 2009 and 2010, the Scarlet Knights garnered the most ITA Scholar-Athletes in all of Division I. Also, the team under Bucca’s leadership has had a nation-leading perfect APR score – which measures graduation rate and player retention – four of the past six years.

In 10 years, Coach Bucca has been significantly involved with national collegiate tennis committees. Currently, he is on the ITA Northeast Region Committee and previously served on the the USTA National Con-stitution and Rules Committee, the USTA/Eastern Section Constitution and Bylaws Committee, the Division I Operating Committee for the ITA and the USTA Collegiate Committee. He has also been a member of the board of directors for the USTA/Eastern section.

The 2013 season included another BIG East Tournament appearance as the Scarlet Knights posted a 14-9 overall record, including an 8-4 mark in conference action. The team had four players who won 10 or more matches individually, with freshmen Gina Li and Lindsay Kayati leading the team with 16 and 13 victories, respectively.

COACHING STAFF

In 2012, RU notched a 13-10 (.565) record, including a 7-4 mark in con-ference play. Vanessa Petrini earned All-Big East Honors and graduat-ing senior Morgan Ivey was the recipient of the ITA/Northeast Region Cissie Leary Sportsmanship award.

In 2011, RU notched a 16-7 record, including a 7-3 mark in conference play. The squad defeated West Virginia in the first round of the BIG EAST Championship before falling to DePaul in the quarterfinals. Amy Zhang earned numerous postseason awards, including All-BIG East for the third-straight season, the BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete for the sport of tennis for the second-consecutive year and she also earned the ITA National Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Award.

Prior to being elevated to head coach in 2003, Bucca was a nine-year assistant for the Scarlet Knights, serving most recently from 2000-2003.

Bucca played tennis for St. Joseph’s High School in Metuchen, N.J. His career continued at Albright College, where he played first singles, was captain of the team in his senior year and was the school’s scholar-athlete. He has a law degree from Seton Hall Law School and practices at the law firm of Bucca and Campisano, New Brunswick, N.J.

An active member of the community, Bucca serves as a member of the Board of Directors for Saint Peter’s University Hospital and was previ-ously the chairman of the St. Thomas More Society for the Diocese of Metuchen and a member of the New Brunswick Board of Education. Bucca has also spearheaded several community service projects, hav-ing developed relationships with the Alexander Graham Bell Society for the Hearing Impaired and the Challah Bread Foundation. He has also started a rallyball league for the youth in the city of New Bruns-wick.

Coach Bucca resides in New Brunswick with his wife, Christine, and their two children, Ben and Annie.

BENJAMIN BUCCA JR. HEAD COACH — 11TH SEASON

A former Colorado State and Iowa standout, Hil-ary Ritchie arrived “On the Banks” after spending the two seasons as the assis-tant coach at Division III St. Lawrence University.

Hilary Ritchie begins hers fourth season as an assistant coach. A for-mer Colorado State and Iowa standout, Ritchie arrived “On the Banks” after spending two seasons as the assistant coach at Division III St. Lawrence University.

As a graduate assistant at St. Lawrence, Ritchie was involved with various aspects of the tennis program including on-court coaching, recruiting, fitness programs, fundraising and day-to-day operations.

A letterwinner at Colorado State and Iowa, Ritchie played her senior campaign with the Rams, posting a team-best 18-11 record at No. 1

Geralyn Molinari has been a volunteer assistant coach with the Scarlet Knights for 25 years. During her time as a Scarlet Knight, she was the first RU tennis player to be ranked nationally in both doubles and singles. A two-

time captain during her tenure at Rutgers, she was named team Most Valuable Player in 1986 and 1988.

COACHING STAFF

singles and 22-2 record at No. 1 doubles. The 22 wins marked the most doubles victories in CSU history and were fifth all-time for career vic-tories.

Ritchie was a two-time All-Mountain West honoree at singles and doubles and earned ITA Scholar-Athlete accolades in 2004, 2007 and 2008. As a Hawkeye, Ritchie recorded a 37-25 record at doubles before transferring to CSU.

A Scotch Plains, N.J. resident, Ritchie worked as a tennis instructor in Princeton, N.J. over the summer of 2010. She spent the 2009 summer at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo. working as a tennis instructor and camp counselor.

Ritchie received her Masters of Education while at St. Lawrence Uni-versity. She graduated Cum Laude from Colorado State in 2008, with a bachelor of arts in speech communication.

HILARY RITCHIEASSISTANT COACH — FOURTH SEASON

GERALYN MOLINARIVOLUNTEER COACH — 25TH SEASON

After graduating from Douglass College in 1988, Molinari went to Penn State University to earn her Masters Degree in Health Education in 1990. She is employed full time as a Program Manager with the New Jersey Department of Human Services. She enjoys the opportunity to offer guidance and support to the Rutgers women’s tennis team. She has two sons, Matthew and Robert, who are also avid fans of the Rut-gers team.

Year: SeniorMajor: Exercise Science/PsychologyHometown: East Brunswick, N.J.

MEET YOUR TEAMMATES

STEFANIA BALASAYear: SeniorMajor: CommunicationsHometown: Stamford, Conn.

VANESSA PETRINI

Year: JuniorMajor: PsychologyHometown: Wall, N.J.

LINDSAY BALSAMOYear: SophomoreMajor: Pre-LawHometown: Sugarland, Texas

MARIAM ZEIN

Year: FreshmanMajor: EngineeringHometown: Houston, Texas

FARIS CUNNIGHAM

Year: SophomoreMajor: Communications-JournalismHometown: Monroeville, N.J.

LINDSEY KALATI

Year: SophomoreMajor: Biomedical EngineeringHometown: Hillsborough, N.J.

GINA LI

@RuWTennis RutgersTennis

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