Road Swing Adjusted Due To Rain
2/22/2019 5:06:00 PM | Women's Tennis
MATCHES 7 & 8
Sunday, Feb. 24 • Lafayette, Louisiana • 11 a.m. • Cajun Courts
Sam Houston State (3-3) vs. Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (4-2)
Monday, Feb. 25 • Rustin, Louisiana • 1 p.m. • Bulldog Tennis Complex
Sam Houston State (3-3) vs. Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (2-5)
HUNTSVILLE, TEXAS – For the third time during the first month of the young 2019 dual match season, the Sam Houston women's tennis team has seen their schedule changed due to weather conditions.
Friday's scheduled match in Rustin with Louisiana Tech has been pushed back to Monday due to rain. The two squads will face off at 1 p.m. at the Bulldog Tennis Complex. The Kats open play on their road trip to the Pelican State Sunday at 11 a.m. in Lafayette against the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns.
The two contests mark the SHSU squad's first action in more than two weeks. Sam Houston's dual match at Texas A&M Feb. 10 was rained out. The team's home opener against Prairie View A&M Jan. 19 was moved indoors because of weather.
Sam Houston brings a 3-3 record into the weekend. The Bearkats own victories over UT-Rio Grande Valley, Prairie View and UTSA. The team's losses came at the hands of Houston, Rice and North Texas. This weekend's action will mark the end of the non-conference portion of the 2019 spring schedule. The Kats open Southland Conference play in Huntsville Friday March 1 versus Nicholls.
“The players continue to work hard as we learn more about ourselves against a challenging non-conference schedule,” SHSU head coach Rob Hubbard said. “We've had opportunities in each match. Hopefully we will continue to grow from this as we start the conference season next week.”
Three veteran Bearkats have been pacing Sam Houston both during the fall tournament schedule and the squad's first six dual matches. Junior Lusine Chobanyan owns a 13-9 overall singles record for the 2018-19 season. Sophomores Sahaja Yamalapalli and Roos Gerritsen own singles marks of 10-7 and 9-5, respectively. Gerritsen stands 4-0 in dual match action.
Yamalapalli has appeared in the number one position while junior Ema Barkovic and freshman Isidora Zivkovic have played on the number two and three lines, respectively, in each of the first six matches. Sophomore transfer Karla De La Luz Montalvo fills the number four spot in the line-up while Chobanyan and Gerritsen play at five and six, respectively.
Freshmen Petra Kaszas and Malou Goes and sophomores Ashni Hill and Stevie Ybarra also are available for action. Ryli Ruffin is red-shirting as a freshman in 2019.
The Ragin' Cajuns bring a 4-2 record into Sunday's match. Their victories have come over Southern, Jackson State, Incarnate Word and Southeastern Louisiana. Louisiana Tech stands 2-5 with wins versus Oral Roberts and Southern and losses to Tulsa, Wyoming, Southern Utah and UIW.
SERIES vs. LOUISIANA RAGIN' CAJUNS
Sunday's match marks the 6th meeting for the two universities in women's tennis. The Ragin' Cajuns have won four of the previous five encounters, the latest in 2006 in Lafayette.
SERIES vs. LOUISIANA TECH BULLDOGS
Sam Houston holds a 10-8 advantage over Louisiana Tech in the pair's 18 meetings. The Bearkats won 5-2 last year in Huntsville. The Bulldogs have won four of the five times Louisiana Tech has hosted the SHSU women in Rustin.
UP NEXT
The Bearkats will begin Southland Conference play with a pair of home matches Friday, March 1 versus Nicholls and Sunday, March 3 against New Orleans.
