Lamar Visits Saturday For 11 AM Match
3/30/2018 7:58:00 AM | Women's Tennis
MATCH 14
Saturday, March 31 • Huntsville, Texas • 11:00 a.m.
McAdams Tennis Center
Sam Houston (9-4, 4-2) vs. Lamar (2-13, 1-5)
HUNTSVILLE – Looking to keep pace with a quartet of squads in a close race for the top of the 2018 Southland Conference women's tennis standings, Sam Houston will play host to Lamar Saturday at 11 a.m. at the McAdams Tennis Center.
Northwestern State (7-0) remains the only unbeaten team in the league. Sam Houston handed Central Arkansas (3-1) its first Southland loss last Saturday. On Monday, McNeese (6-1) did the same to two-time defending champion A&M-Corpus Christi (4-1).
The Bearkats now stand 9-4 for the season and 4-2 in conference play as they renew their heated rivalry with the Cardinals. Lamar brings a 1-5 Southland mark into the fray but Sam Houston head coach Rob Hubbard knows Saturday's foe is dangerous.
“At this point of the season we have to be ready every time we take the court,” Hubbard said. “Lamar is coming to Huntsville with an axe to grind after we beat them on their home court in 2017. A&M-Corpus Christi, one of the conference leaders, had a really tight match with Lamar, winning 4-3 in Corpus. We need to come out strong and keep doing the things that have been successful for us in our victories so far this spring.”
Fabienne Gettwart and Mila Milanovic, two senior four-year veterans, come off performances that have placed the pair among Sam Houston's all-time top 10 in career singles victories. Milanovic now is tied for fifth with Peta Taylor in all-time Bearkat wins with a combined dual match and fall tournament singles total of 60 career victories. Taylor played from 2011 to 2014. Gettwart stands ninth with 54 career wins. Gettwart has won 10 of her 13 dual match singles at the number one position this spring. She is 5-1 in Southland play.
Carrie Casey, a senior who has played on the last three Bearkat squads, ranks 15th in career singles wins with 42. Casey also owns a 10-3 singles mark this season playing in the number four spot.
Two newcomers, sophomore transfer Lusine Chobanyan and freshman Sahaja Yamalapalli, have been making their mark. Chobanyan stands 11-1 in singles, splitting time at the number five and six positions. Yamalapalli is 10-3 overall and 6-0 in Southland Conference action at the number two and three singles. Senior Khee Yen Wee and freshman Roos Gerritsen play important roles for Sam Houston as well. Wee participates both in singles and doubles while Gerritsen, a semester break addition to the team, has contributed in doubles competition.
Other key Southland Conference match-ups this weekend see league leader Northwestern State traveling to face Abilene Christian on Saturday. After Monday's big 5-2 win over Corpus Christi, McNeese meets up with Central Arkansas in Conway. A&M-Corpus Christi is playing host to Southeastern Louisiana Saturday. Sam Houston's match versus Lamar will be the Kats only action on Easter weekend. Next up is a Louisiana road swing that sees the SHSU women visit Nicholls on Saturday April 7 and McNeese on Sunday April.
ALL-TIME SERIES WITH LAMAR
Last year's 5-2 victory in Beaumont marked only the second time since 2007 that Sam Houston has defeated Lamar in women's tennis. The Cardinals lead the series 27 victories to nine. That includes a 10-2 record versus the Kats in the past decade. Lamar owns a five-match winning streak against the Bearkats on Sam Houston's home court at the McAdams Tennis Center. The streak started after a 4-3 win for the SHSU women in Huntsville in 2007.
