HUNTSVILLE – Sam Houston's women's tennis team returns to dual action this weekend with a doubleheader at home and one road contest.
Saturday the Bearkats host LSU Shreveport at the Chuck and Wanda Beckner Tennis Center. Start times are set for 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
The marquee match of the weekend is set for Sunday in College Station when Sam Houston will take on 2024 NCAA women's national champion Texas A&M. First serve is at 1 p.m. at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center.
The meeting with the Aggies marks the first time in the 44-year history of Bearkat women's tennis that Sam Houston has faced a defending NCAA national champion. Texas A&M defeated two-time former NCAA women's tennis champion Georgia 4-1 in last year's national dual match final in Stillwater, Okla.
"Having the opportunity to test ourselves against the defending NCAA champ is something special," Bearkat head coach Rob Hubbard said.
The 2025 Bearkat roster is headlined by returning letterwinner Aaliyah Hohmann. She is joined by transfers Christine Jevicky (Angelo State), Adithi Venkata Krishnan (Utah Tech), Sara Sadadinovic (James Madison), Jacqueline Schnabel (Texas State) and Nayuma Subba (Fresno Pacific).
All six players participated in fall tournaments at Central Arkansas, TCU, UTEP and at home in the new tennis facility. ITF world-ranked freshman Ella Fitcher from Melbourne, Australia, joined the squad in January.
The Kats opened the 2025 dual match schedule with a 7-0 victory over Prairie View and a strong performance versus Rice. Subba, Jevicky and Sadadinovic all took their Owl opponents to three sets in tight singles contests.
"The fight that our youngsters brought last weekend against a top-50 team like Rice was exciting," Hubbard said. "With a young team like ours, coming back after losing the doubles point to play so hard in singles was encouraging. Three of our players went three sets. We have been working hard this week to build off that performance."
Saturday's matches with LSUS will mark the second and third tennis meetings of the two universities. Sam Houston won the pair's first meeting 5-2 in Shreveport in 2024.
Sam Houston and Texas A&M are dueling on the tennis court for the 11th time.
"We've worked hard this week on our doubles and to build off the spirit and fight we showed in last week's singles matches," Hubbard said. "We need to be focused Saturday against LSU Shreveport and ready to bring that fighting spirit Sunday in Aggieland."
