Tennis posts historic season
5/24/2021 1:28:00 PM | Women's Tennis
The Sam Houston women's tennis team produced an amazing string of firsts during the pandemic-shortened 2021 season.
Topping the list of accomplishments was winning the first NCAA Division I conference championship in the program's 44-year history. Fifth-year head coach Rob Hubbard's nine-player squad rolled up a 10-1 mark to earn the Southland Conference title.
"Our players battled through some amazing matches to bring home our first league championship trophy," Hubbard said. "The Southland was tough top to bottom this spring. These young ladies fought hard and battled their way to some hard-earned victories."
After the cancelation of the fall tournament schedule and six spring dual matches due to Covid-19, the 2021 Bearkats rolled up a 15-4 overall season mark. The overall season victory total tied the program record of 15 wins set during Hubbard's first season at Sam Houston in 2017.
In addition, the Kats set team records for highest conference winning percentage (.923), overall season winning percentage (.851) and Southland Conference single season wins (10).
The team's nine-match winning streak from February 28 to April 6 also was a team first. That stretch included a program best eight consecutive Southland victories.
Number one singles player Sahaja Yamalapalli posted several individual Bearkat firsts. The four-year letter-winner was unbeaten at the number one singles spot, rolling up Sam's first perfect record ever with an 18-0 mark atop the line-up.
Combined with her wins in the final three matches of the 2020 campaign, Yamalapalli produced a school record 21-match winning streak at number one. Her 11-0 mark this spring marks only the eighth time in Southland Conference history a women's tennis player has gone unbeaten at number one. She joins Stephanie Barnett of Nicholls State as one of the only two SLC performers to go through league play without losing a set.
Yamalapalli was named 2021 Southland Conference "Player-of-the Year" to become the first Bearkat to earn the honor two times (the first in 2019). She also was named as the Southland Conference women's tennis academic "Student-Athlete of the Year" for the second consecutive year (also a team first). Yamalapalli now owns the Sam Houston career individual records for most dual match singles wins (63) and highest individual singles winning percentage (.818).
The complete list of tennis team accomplishments during the 2021 season includes:
 * First Southland Conference team championship
 * Highest ever conference winning percentage (.923)
 * Highest ever overall dual match winning percentage (.851)
 * Most conference victories one season (10)
 * Longest dual match winning streak (9)
 * Longest conference winning streak (8)
 * Longest conference winning streak over two seasons (12)
 * First two-time Southland Conference Player of the Year
 * First two-time Southland Academic Student-Athlete of the Year
 * Tied record for most dual match victories (15) 2019
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