BEAUMONT — Sam Houston's historic season came to an end in the opening round of the Southland Conference Tournament with a 4-2 loss to Stephen F. Austin at the Beaumont Municipal Tennis Center on Saturday.
 
The Bearkats (15-4) won their first-ever regular-season SLC championship this season to earn the top seed at the postseason tournament.
 
The Ladyjacks (11-9) won the doubles point with a pair of 6-1 victories in the No. 2 and 3 positions to take a 1-0 advantage.
 
Junior Sahaja Yamalapalli finished her record-breaking season with a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Paula Cerda at No. 1 singles to tie the match at 1. Yamalapalli went 18-0 overall and became the first Bearkat to go 11-0 in SLC play.
 
SFA got a win at No. 2 singles when junior Karla De La Luz Montalvo was forced to retire in the second set after dropping the first 6-2. Freshman Andrijana Brkic fell 6-2, 6-2 to Annie Walker at No. 5 as the Ladyjacks took a 3-1 lead.
 
Freshman Sunskrithi Damera pulled Sam Houston to within 3-2 with a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Elena Bleicher in the No. 6 spot.
 
Lucy Furness sealed the upset win with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over freshman Sahithi Vutukuru in the No. 4 position. Sam Houston's Isidora Zivkovic was ahead of Zala Ule 6-4, 3-6, 1-0 at No. 3 singles when the match ended.