2020-21 Women's Tennis Roster
Roster
Sahaja Yamalapalli
- Class:
- Junior
- Experience:
- 3L
- Hometown:
- Hyderabad, India
- High School / Previous Schools:
- Siddhartha JC
Sam Houston
Junior four-year letter-winner who has played a key role in the Bearkats’ first Southland Conference championship in 2021 … only Sam Houston women’s tennis letterwinner to be voted as both Conference “Player of the Year” and the leagues academic “Student-Athlete of the Year” in the same year twice (2018-19, 2021) … finished her junior season ranked among the top 2 at Sam Houston in six career statistics categories:
* 1st - overall singles win percentage (.818)
* 1st - dual match singles wins (63-11)
* 1st - dual match singles win percentage (.851)
* 1st - Southland Conference singles win percentage (.919)
* 2nd - overall singles victories (81-18)
* 2nd - Southland Conference singles victories (34-3)Â
2021 Season
- Yamalapalli put together one of the greatest seasons in the program’s history, earning Southland Conference Player and Student-Athlete of the Year honors.
- She went 18-0 in dual match play, not dropping a single set at No. 1 single in leading the Bearkats to their first NCAA Division I conference championship.
- She was named first team All-Southland Conference after going a perfect 11-0 in league play.
- Yamalapalli was named the ITA Texas Region's Most Improved Senior of the Year.Â
- She finished the season ranked No. 18 in the ITA Texas Region.
- She became the first Bearkat to ever crack the ITA/NCAA national rankings. She finished the season ranked No. 127 but reached as high as No. 109 during the spring.
- She was selected as an ITA Division I Women Scholar-Athlete.
2019-2020 Season
- Was off to another strong season as a junior before the coronavirus pandemic cut the season short.
- Was 11-2 overall at No. 1 singles and 3-1 in Southland Conference play.
- Had wins at No. 1 singles against nationally ranked Texas A&M, North Texas and Rice.
- Was named to the All-Southland Conference Academic first team.
2018-2019 Season
- First-team All-Southland Conference and Academic All-Conference selection.
- 2019 Southland Conference Player and Student-Athlete of the Year.
- Sam Houston “Most Valuable Player” award winner.
- Qualified for a berth in the 2019 Oracle ITA Masters Sept. 26-29 in Malibu, California.
- Rolled up 25-9 overall singles record (18-5 in dual match action).
- Went 10-1 in league No. 1 singles play, including a nine-match winning streak.
- 18 dual match wins tie program season record and 25 overall victories stands No. 5 in Bearkat annals.
- Produced a 4.0 grade-point average, majoring in food science and nutrition.
- Fourth tennis player in school history to be honored as the SLC women’s tennis Student-Athlete of the Year.
2017-2018 Season
- Ranked as one of the top freshmen in the 2018 Southland Conference race.
- Won 22 of her 26 matches, the third highest overall season singles victory total in Bearkat women’s tennis history.
- Her 16-4 dual match singles record stands as the third-highest wins total and second-best dual match winning percentage (.895) in SHSU annals.
- One of only five players ever to win 10 Southland Conference matches in a single season, going 10-1 in league play.
- For the spring, went 7-3 at No. 3 before moving up to the No. 2 position and posting a 9-1 mark.
- Went undefeated in flighted singles play in both the 2017 Rice Invitational and Sam Houston Fall Invitational tournaments.
Â
Prior to Sam Houston State
Came to Sam Houston ranked among the top 35 of the U18 rankings in India and the top 100 in her country’s women’s open division … also listed in the world junior rankings and held a 10 UTR (Universal Tennis Rating)
Tennis Statistics
Singles     Dual Matches    Southland  Â
          W-L         W-L     Â
2018Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 16-4 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 10-1 Â Â Â Â Â Â
2019Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 18-5 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 10-1Â Â Â
2020Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 11-2Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 3-1
2021Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 18-0Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 11-0
Totals       63-11          34-3 Â
