Yamalapalli first Kat to earn ITA ranking

HUNTSVILLE — Sam Houston junior Sahaja Yamalapalli accomplished something this week no other women's tennis player in school history has done — cracked the national rankings.

The Intercollegiate Tennis Association released its rankings this past week and Yamalapalli came in at No. 110. The Hyderabad, India native is an impressive 13-0 on the season and has yet to drop a set at No. 1 singles.

Yamalapalli is also 7-0 in Southland Conference play which matches the Bearkats' record as they sit atop the league standings.

This is just the latest milestone in Yamalapalli's decorated career at Sam Houston.

She holds the record for most overall dual match wins in a single season at No. 1 singles with 18 as a sophomore in 2019. Her 76 overall career singles wins is second-best in school history and her .808 winning percentage is first all-time.

Yamalapalli was the 2019 Southland Conference Player and Student-Athlete of the Year and first-team all-conference selection and was in position for more awards in 2020 before the season was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. She is a two-time Academic All-Conference selection.

Yamalapalli put herself on the national map when she made it to the consolation finals at the 2019 Oracle ITA Masters where she played against some of the top collegiate players in the country in Malibu, California.

Yamalapalli first Kat to earn ITA ranking

Players Mentioned

Sahaja Yamalapalli

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