Tennis looks ahead after strong 2025-26
7/28/2026 1:50:00 PM | Women's Tennis
HUNTSVILLE – The 2025-26 season marked a breakthrough year for Sam Houston women's tennis, as the Bearkats continued to establish themselves as a contender in Conference USA while achieving milestones that highlighted the program's growth both competitively and academically.
Under the direction of head coach Rob Hubbard, Sam Houston posted its best Conference USA campaign since joining the league, finishing with a 4-2 conference record to secure the program's first winning mark in CUSA play. The Bearkats carried that momentum into the CUSA Championship, where they earned the program's first-ever conference tournament victory with a thrilling 4-3 upset of higher-seeded WKU in the opening round.
The victory over the Hilltoppers proved historic in more ways than one. It marked Coach Hubbard's 98th career victory at SHSU and moved him past Chris Thompson as the winningest coach in Sam Houston women's tennis history.
Leading the way throughout the spring was Nayuma Subba, who delivered one of the finest seasons at the top of the lineup in recent program history. Competing almost exclusively in the No. 1 singles position, Subba finished the year with an impressive 15-5 overall record, including a dominant 5-1 mark against CUSA competition. Her performance represented the strongest season by a Bearkat at the top singles position since Sahaja Yamalapalli's perfect 18-0 campaign in 2021.
Among Subba's signature victories was a straight-set win over nationally-ranked Rice standout Darya Schwartzman in late February, showcasing her ability to compete with the nation's top talent and providing one of the program's biggest individual victories of the season.
The Bearkats also saw the emergence of one of Conference USA's brightest young talents in freshman Anamaria Kurtsikashvili. After an impressive debut season which saw her go 11-7 overall, Kurtsikashvili earned a spot on the 2026 Conference USA All-Freshman Team.
Success also extended well beyond the courts as Sam Houston continued to excel in the classroom. The Bearkats earned Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) All-Academic Team honors after posting a team GPA above the required 3.20 threshold during the 2025-26 academic year. Four Bearkats also received ITA Scholar-Athlete recognition by maintaining at least a 3.50 GPA for the academic year. Christine Jevicky, Anamaria Kurtsikashvili, Isa Garza and Ella Fitcher each earned the distinction.
