Friday, January 26
vs Prairie View / 11 a.m. & 2:30 p.m.
Saturday, January 27
vs UT Tyler / 11 a.m.
HUNTSVILLE – For the seventh consecutive season the Sam Houston women's tennis team will open its spring semester dual match schedule by hosting Prairie View on Friday in a doubleheader at the McAdams Tennis Center. First serve for the opening match is set for 11 a.m. The second contest will begin at 2:30 p.m.
The match was originally scheduled for Friday, January 20, but was moved due to inclement weather in the area. Sam Houston will quickly turn around after its match vs the Panthers to host UT Tyler on Saturday, beginning at 11 a.m.
"The start of dual-match competition is always an exciting time," Bearkat head coach Rob Hubbard said. "But it's extra special now as we prepare for our first year of competition in Conference USA."
Sam Houston returns two seniors, one junior and four sophomores from the 2022-23 squad. Two freshmen bring additional talent to the roster.
"With a combination of our veteran players and newcomers we have an outstanding opportunity to compete with plenty of strong teams in our new league," Hubbard said. "We believe we can be a strong team based both on our performances last spring and this past fall in tournament play."
Paula Cerda and Sahithi Vutukuru look to provide leadership as seniors. Cerda led the 2023 Kats with 16 dual-match and tournament singles. Vutukuru is the lone returning member of Sam Houston's 2021 Southland Conference championship teams.
Megan Basson, a junior, has been the Kats' number one player the past two springs. She earned WAC Freshman of the Year in 2023. Sophomores Vianne Schwab, Linn Svaerd, Aaliyah Hohmann and Yasmin El Fadili established themselves as freshman last spring. New to the Bearkat roster are freshmen India Fenieys and Robi Sechi.
The Bearkats head coach is looking forward to playing host to Prairie View in a season opener again.
"Duane Williams has done an excellent job in building a solid program at Prairie View," Hubbard said. "They are going to put a team on the court that is going to challenge us to play our best."
"We're happy with where we are right now. Our players returned from the holiday break in shape and eager to get started. We face a challenging pre-conference schedule that includes home matches and nine contests with tough opponents on the road. We will have to play at a high level to succeed in our new league."
Four Conference USA women's tennis teams earned national rankings in 2023. Conference champion FIU stood 37th in the final ITA top 75 after reaching the second round of the NCAA Championships.
"Our spring schedule is challenging but it presents us with outstanding opportunities," Hubbard said. "We must stay healthy, play well and work hard to get better every match. The early competition will help us improve as we ready for the tests we face in our new conference."
This spring will be the Bearkats' final season at the McAdams Tennis Complex. Construction on the University's new Beckner Tennis Center began in September. The addition of the modern facility to the campus was made possible by a gift from avid Bearkat tennis fans Chuck and Wanda Beckner.
