University of Houston Athletics
University of Houston
UC Riverside
PREVIEW: Tennis Opens 2026 Campaign in California
1/15/2026 12:00:00 PM | Tennis
Cougars face UC Riverside and UC Irvine on Friday and LMU on Sunday
RIVERSIDE, Calif. — The University of Houston Tennis team opens its 2026 campaign in California with a trio of matches against UC Riverside and UC Irvine on Friday and LMU Sunday.
The Cougars open the season with a doubleheader on Friday as they visit UC Riverside at 11 a.m. CT, at the UCR Student Recreation Center Tennis Courts before making the trek to UC Irvine for a 4 p.m. CT, match at Anteater Tennis Stadium. No live stats or stream will be available on Friday.
Houston wraps up its opening weekend in Los Angeles against LMU at 1 p.m. CT, Sunday at LMU Tennis Center. Fans can tune into the match here, or follow live stats here.
The Cougars face UC Riverside and LMU for the first time in program history. Friday's match will be the fourth meeting between Houston and UC Irvine and the first since 1999. The Cougars are 3-0 against the Anteaters.
ABOUT HOUSTON
Houston enters its second season under the direction of Head Coach Katarina Adamovic and returns five starters from a season ago in which the Cougars went 4-16 overall and collected their first Big 12 Conference win.
Junior Valeriia Krokhotina led the Cougars with eight singles wins including five in conference play. Seniors Gabriela Cortes and Sophie Schouten posted a team-high four doubles victories, two of which were against ranked opponents.
The Cougars feature a pair of new staff members along with a trio of newcomers to the roster.
Former Missouri women's tennis head coach Chris Wootton was tabbed as an assistant coach while Santa Strombacha, a six-time All-WAC performer and the Cougars' staple on court one last season, joins the staff as a graduate assistant.
Houston added Chems Doha Zeghlouli and Petja Drame to its roster over the summer and welcomed Alexia Lavinia Puiac in December.
Zeghlouli joins the Cougars after three seasons at South Alabama where she compiled 36 singles victories including an 11-1 record in 2025. She posted a 4-0 record on court three and was undefeated in her last 11 starts.
The Paris, France, native joined forces with senior Sophie Schouten as they reached the Quarterfinals of the ITA Regional Championships and punched a ticket to the ITA Sectionals during the fall season.
Drame is a two-time Conference USA Champion with FIU. She won 17 singles and 11 doubles matches in her two seasons in Miami.
The Maribor, Slovenia, native earned a career-high #267 ITF Junior ranking and was a four-time member of the Slovenian National Team including posting a Slovenian Senior Masters Championship.
Puiac brings a current #7 ITF rankings, and reached as high as #5 on the ITF World Tennis Tour. She holds a WTA ranking of 1309 in singles and a career-best 1066 in doubles.
The Cluj-Napooca, Romania, native has twice been selected to represent Romania's Junior National Team and is a three-time Romanian National Champion with one singles and two doubles titles.
ABOUT UC RIVERSIDE
UC Riverside returns five players from a season ago including Second Team All-Big West selection Ramey Yu who tallied a team high 10 singles and six doubles wins.
Team captain, Kei Kato returns for her junior season after compiling 11 singles and seven doubles victories in her first two seasons for the Highlanders.
The Highlanders won four matches in 2025 and were winless in Big West Conference action.
ABOUT UC IRVINE
UC Irvine returns eight players from a team that went 10-13 with one win Big West Conference play in the 2025 season.
Yen Nhi Huynh led the Anteaters with 16 singles wins followed by 14 from Haily Huynh and 10 from Maily Huynh.
All-Big West honorees Carolyna Fowler and Yen Nhi Huynh led the way with 13 doubles wins with 12 of them coming on court two.
ABOUT LMU
LMU returns four players from a 2025 team that went 8-12 with five wins in the West Coast Conference.
The Lions opened their season with a 4-0 loss at Southern California on Tuesday. The Lions host Nevada on Friday.
Camilia Samel-Druz is the leading singles returner for the Lions as she tallied six wins and a 3-0 record in conference action. Second Team All-WCC honoree Anastasia Bozova tallied four singles and six doubles wins in 2025.
SUPPORT YOUR COOGS
Fans can make a direct impact on the success of Houston Tennis by providing NIL opportunities and by joining the Center Court Club, which provides financial support directly to Houston Tennis for needs beyond its operating budget.
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougarTennis on X, formerly known as Twitter and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's Facebook page at UHCougarTennis or on the team's Instagram page at @uhcougartennis.
Players Mentioned
