Women's Tennis Senior Class is Setting the Standard

Heading into the Big 12 Championships with a target on their backs, the No. 13 Texas Tech Women's Tennis team prepares to defend their title as reigning Big 12 Tournament Champions.

But that's not all this senior class has on their resumes… This class of seniors has completely rewritten the record books. They have led the team to three straight NCAA Tournament berths, three straight Sweet 16 appearances and the program's first ever Elite Eight.

The senior group of Gabriela Talaba, Sarah Dvorak, Sabrina Federici and Katelyn Jackson came to Tech in 2015 as the highest rated recruiting class in program history (No. 14).

Every year, the Lady Raiders have broken their own record for most wins in a single season. Last year, they set the new record with 27 wins.

In their four seasons, the Lady Raider seniors have posted 17 wins over Top 25 opponents, 11 of those 17 coming over Top 15. Just last season, Texas Tech defeated No. 3 Pepperdine at the ITA Indoor Nationals, marking a win over the highest ranked opponent in program history.

The 2017 season was the most historic year for the Lady Raider program. Texas Tech clinched a share of the Big 12 regular season title, marking the third Big 12 crown in school history. The Lady Raiders went into the Big 12 Tournament as the No. 1 seed and took down rival Oklahoma State, 4-2, to win the first Big 12 Tournament title in program history.

After hosting their third NCAA first and second rounds, the Lady Raiders advanced to their third straight Sweet 16. A 4-2 win over No. 11 Auburn sent Texas Tech to the Elite Eight for the first time ever.

Then junior Gabriela Talaba became the program's first ever All-American after receiving a Top 16 national seed for the NCAA Tennis Championships singles competition last season. She posted a 25-6 record and set the school record for most wins at the No. 1 position (22).

Following the regular season, Talaba was named Big 12 Player of the Year for her outstanding season.

Talaba earned a no. 2 ranking during the preseason poll, becoming the highest ranked player in school history.

Sabrina Federici posted a 16-2 record last season, jumping to the second best winning percentage in program history. Her 13-0 record at the no. 5 position ranks fifth in the record books. With her career singles record of 83-20, Federici sits on top of the record book for best career winning percentage (.806).

Sarah Dvorak and Federici are one of the top doubles duos in the country. The pair reached as high as No. 8 in the ITA Rankings. In the last two seasons of playing together, Dvorak and Federici have produced 25 wins, nine coming over ranked opponents.

Last year, the duo earned their highest ranked win of the season over No. 5 Vladica Babic and Carla Tur Mari of Oklahoma State.

Katelyn Jackson is an outstanding closer for the Lady Raiders. She has clinched six match points for Texas Tech and is vital to the Lady Raiders' success. Throughout her career, Jackson has posted a 64-25 record with more than half of her wins have come on court six in dual matches.

This group of women have set a precedent for the future Lady Raiders. This program is known for its winning ways and the athletes to come will have some big shoes to fill.

Texas Tech University Athletics

Women's Tennis Senior Class is Setting the Standard

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Players Mentioned

Sarah Dvorak

Sabrina Federici

Katelyn Jackson

Gabriela Talaba

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