Tennis Opens Southland Action
2/28/2019 2:28:00 PM | Women's Tennis
MATCHES 9 & 10
Friday, March 1 • Huntsville, Texas • 1 p.m. • McAdams Center
Sam Houston State (5-3) vs. Nicholls (2-4)
Saturday, March 2 • Huntsville, Texas • 2 p.m. • McAdams Center
Sam Houston State (5-3) vs. New Orleans (6-1)
HUNTSVILLE, TEXAS – The Sam Houston women's tennis team opens 2019 Southland Conference action this weekend with a pair of home matches at the McAdams Tennis Center on campus. The Kats will play host to Nicholls at 1 p.m. Friday and New Orleans at 2 p.m. Saturday. The UNO contest originally was scheduled for Sunday but has been moved up a day due to expected weather conditions.
The Bearkats finished third in last year's Southland Conference race, the team's best league performance since 2007. The performance marked only the fourth time in 31 years for the program to place among the Southland's top three.
“We're excited about starting conference play. This is what we've been preparing for since fall practice began,” head coach Rob Hubbard said. “We believe we are an improved squad this year, but there are a bunch of other teams who have improved as well. We will have to give a maximum effort every time we step on the court.”
McNeese and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi are the league's defending co-champions. The Cowgirls won the 2018 Southland Conference post-season tournament to advance to the NCAA Championships. Sam Houston was the number three seed at the conference tournament where the squad reached the semifinals.
The Bearkats bring a 5-3 record into Friday's action after hard-fought road victories over Louisiana and Louisiana Tech last Sunday and Monday. The women will be seeking to continue a record-setting home winning streak of 11 matches. Sam Houston went 9-0 in Huntsville on the way to a 14-6 season mark last year. Both the home and overall win counts were program season bests.
Strong singles play has been a key for the team. Lusine Chobanyan (14-9), Sahaja Yamalapalli (12-7), Roos Gerritsen (11-5) and Karla De La Luz Montalvo (10-9) already have posted double figure singles victories in both fall tournament and dual match play combined. Gerritsen and freshman Isidora Zivkovic each have totaled six victories in the Kats' eight dual matches.
Nicholls brings a 2-4 record into Friday's action. The Colonels own victories over Prairie View and Jackson State. New Orleans started the 2019 season with six straight victories before falling to Troy last weekend. The Privateers' wins came over Louisiana Tech, Prairie View, Xavier, Loyola, Jackson State and Alcorn State.
SERIES vs. NICHOLLS
Sam Houston owns a 19-9 record in 28 meetings with Nicholls. The Kats have won the last three encounters including a 6-1 victory in Thibodaux, La., last year.
SERIES vs. NEW ORLEANS
New Orleans holds a 4-2 edge over the Bearkats in the pair's all-time series. Sam Houston won 6-1 on the road last season.
SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Friday, March 1 – Nicholls @ SHSU; New Orleans @ SFA; Southeastern Louisiana @ Abilene Christian; A&M-Corpus Christi @ Northwester State; Lamar @ Central Arkansas; UIW @ McNeese.
Saturday, March 2 - New Orleans @ SHSU
Sunday, March 3 – Nicholls @ SFA; McNeese @ Abilene Christian; Southeastern Louisiana @ UIW; A&M-Corpus Christi vs. Central Arkansas; Lamar @ Northwestern State
UP NEXT
The Bearkats face a challenging road trip playing at Abilene Christian on Friday, March 8, and UIW in San Antonio on Sunday, March 10.
