2014-15 Women's Tennis Roster

Eva Paalma
- Height:
- 5-11
- Class:
- Freshman
- High School:
- Tallinn Secondary Science School
- Hometown:
- Tallinn, Estonia
2017-18
- Texas A&M H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Post-Graduate Scholarship, presented by SEC
- SEC Community Service Team
- SEC Academic Honor Roll
- ITA Scholar Athlete
- SEC Community Service Team
- ITA Scholar Athlete
- SEC Academic Honor Roll
- SEC Player of the Week (Jan. 27)
No. 31 final national doubles ranking (with Rachel Pierson) - ITA Scholar Athlete
- SEC Academic Honor Roll
- NCAA Doubles Championship selection (with Rachel Pierson)
- No. 15 final national doubles ranking (with Rachel Pierson, Texas A&M record-high for final doubles ranking)
- ITA Scholar Athlete
AT TEXAS A&M
2017-18 (SENIOR)
Was Texas A&M’s female athlete nominee for the prestigious SEC H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Post-Graduate Scholarship and received a $10,000 scholarship...Named to the SEC Community Service Team for a second consecutive year and the SEC Academic Honor Roll for a third straight year...Went 15-17 overall in singles, including 11-10 in dual matches only, all at the No. 3 line.. Longest win streak of the season was nine matches...Was ranked as high as No. 52 (April 3) in doubles with senior partner Domenica Gonzalez...The tandem was No. 65 in the ITA final national doubles rankings…The pair led A&M with a 20-12 record, including an 11-9 mark in dual matches, all at the No. 1 line...The pair went 7-4 in SEC matches...Was 2-4 against ranked opponents...Posted a 6-4 victory over seventh-ranked Arianne Hartono and Alexa Bortles of Ole Miss on April 1, equaling the second highest ranked win of Paalma’s doubles career…Longest doubles win streak of 2017-18 was six matches…Finished her career 57-47 in singles and 76-49 in doubles.
2017-18 TOURNAMENT RESULTS: Was No. 29 in the ITA fall preseason doubles rankings with partner Domenica Gonzalez…The pair went a team-best 9-3…Won the first two matches at the ITA Texas Regional before being eliminated in the quarterfinals…Also went 2-1 with Gonzalez at the TCU Haunted Horned Frog Classic…Reached the finals with Gonzalez at the UNLV Rebel Invitational and finished 2-1…Closed out the tournament season by going 3-0 to win the No. 1 doubles flight at the Weinman Foundation Invitational in Honolulu…Went 4-7 in singles…Ended tournament competition with a 6-0, 1-6, 6-4 victory over 71st ranked Aleksa Cveticanin of TCU in the No. 3 singles flight in Honolulu.
2016-17 (JUNIOR):
Won six of her last seven singles decisions to finish the season 12-8 overall, including 9-6 in dual matches only…Went 5-1 at the No. 5 line and 4-5 at No. 6…Went 2-4 in SEC matches only, all at No. 6...Capped the regular season with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over 112th-ranked Mariana Gould in the Aggies’ first-ever win against No. 2 Georgia...Earlier in the season at the ITA National Indoor Championship, won the last match standing to clinch the Aggies’ first-ever win over No. 10 Duke...Went 22-14 in doubles, playing all but two matches with Domenica Gonzalez…The pair went 20-14 overall, including 14-11 in dual matches only…Played all but one match at the No. 2 line…Led the team in doubles wins in SEC matches only, going 7-6, all at No. 2...Ended the season riding a five-match winning streak, including victories in all three of Texas A&M’s NCAA tournament matches…The pair recorded its highest ranked win of the season in the NCAA Championship round of 16, knocking off 20th-ranked Brooke Austin and Kourtney Keegan of top-ranked and eventual national champion Florida, 6-3…Ranked 10th in the ITA Texas Region final doubles rankings…Named to the SEC Community Service Team…Also was an ITA Scholar Athlete and a member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll.
TOURNAMENT RESULTS: Went 3-2 in singles…Entered the fall season tied for 14th in the ITA national doubles rankings with partner Rachel Pierson…Was 6-3 in doubles during the fall campaign, pairing with sophomore Domenica Gonzales in all nine matches…The pair reached the round of 16 at the ITA Texas Regional Championships before falling to 42nd ranked Gabriela Talaba and Alex Valenstein of Texas Tech, 8-7 (4)…Capped the fall season by reaching the Flight 2 doubles finals at the Rebel Invitational.
2015-16 (SOPHOMORE):
Went 12-11 overall in singles, including 7-9 in dual matches and 2-6 in SEC matches only…Saw action at the No. 3-6 lines, with the most matches played at No. 4, where she was 4-3…Won the last match standing, defeating Alexsandra Trifunovic, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, in Texas A&M’s 4-3 victory over No. 37 Wichita State to qualify the Aggies for the ITA National Team Indoor Championship…Was 17-15 overall in doubles and was a fifth alternate to the NCAA Doubles Championship with partner Rachel Pierson…The pair went 12-12 in dual matches only, all at the No. 1 line…The duo was a team-leading 8-10 against ranked opponents…Capped the season with a 6-2 victory over fifth-ranked Taylor Davidson and Caroline Doyle of Stanford in the second round of the team portion of the NCAA Championship, marking the highest ranked win of her career…Was ranked as high as No. 30 in doubles during the spring and was No. 31 in the final rankings.
TOURNAMENT RESULTS: Entered the fall ranked No. 5 in the ITA doubles rankings with Rachel Pierson, marking the highest non-final doubles ranking in program history…The pair played in only one tournament during the fall, going 0-2 in the main draw of the Riviera/ITA All-American Championship…Paalma went 5-3 in doubles, opening the fall by going 3-0 with Stefania Hristov at the Under Armour/HEB Kickoff at Baylor…Closed out the fall going 2-1 with freshman Domenica Gonzalez at the SMU Red & Blue Challenge…Went 5-2 in singles, closing out the season with a 3-0 record at the SMU Red & Blue Challenge.
2014-15 (FRESHMAN): The only freshman on the team…Set a then-school record as her No. 15 final national doubles ranking with sophomore partner Rachel Pierson was the highest final doubles ranking in program history…Reached a career-high and team season-high No. 13 doubles ranking with Pierson on May 1…Received an at-large bid to the NCAA Doubles Championship with Pierson but fell in the first round to 26th-ranked Desirae Krawczyk and Stephanie Vlad of Arizona State, 6-2, 6-3…Was 11-6 overall and 9-5 in dual matches with Pierson, including 8-4 at the No. 1 line…Also was 7-3 in SEC matches with Pierson after closing out the SEC regular season riding a six-match win streak…Went 17-8 in all doubles matches, having also paired with Stefania Hristov and Saska Gavrilovska…Was 6-4 against ranked opponents – all with Pierson – with the then-highest ranked win coming against No. 7 Giuliana Olmos and Zoe Scandalis of USC in her Aggie debut at the Baylor/Under Armour Invitational on Sept. 12… Was No. 2 in the final ITA Texas Region doubles rankings with Pierson…In singles, went 18-11 overall and 12-5 in dual matches, seeing action at the No. 4-6 lines…Ended the season having won six of her last seven decisions, including two wins in A&M’s NCAA tournament matches…Posted a 4-2 record against ranked opponents...Highest ranked win in a dual match was a 7-5, 6-1 victory at the No. 5 line against 82nd-ranked Theresa Van Zyl in the Aggies’ victory against No. 6 Baylor on March 19…Defeated Emily Zabor of Alabama, 7-6 (3), 6-7 (5), 7-5 at the No. 5 line in the last match standing to clinch A&M’s 4-3 victory against the ninth-ranked Crimson Tide on March 22.
2014 TOURNAMENT RESULTS: Was a combined 6-0 in doubles with three different partners, including 3-0 with Gavrilovska to close out the fall…Was 2-0 with Pierson, including an 8-3 victory over No. 7 Giuliana Olmos and Zoe Scandalis of USC in her A&M debut…Went 3-4 in singles, including 2-0 against ranked opponents…Highest ranked singles win was a 6-1, 6-7, 6-2 victory over No. 59 Zoe Katz of USC in the round of 64 at the Jack Kramer Intercollegiate Tournament in California…The ITA Scholar Athlete entered the spring ranked a team-high No. 21 in the nation in doubles with Pierson.
PREVIOUS ATHLETIC BACKGROUND: Ranked as high as 934 (Nov. 3, 2014) in singles and No. 691 in doubles (Oct. 20, 2014) in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) world rankings…Represented Estonia at the 2014, 2013 and 2012 Fed Cups…In 2014 reached the doubles finals at the $10,000 Tallinn with partner Julia Matojan before falling to the tournament’s No. 1 seed in the championship match…Won two International Tennis Federation (ITF) doubles titles in 2013, the ITF $10,000 Stockholm and the $10,000 Helsinki…Reached the singles quarterfinals in the same two competitions…Was No. 221 in the ITF junior world rankings…Was the doubles champion at the 2012 Riga Open…Reached the finals in singles at both the 2011 and 2012 ITF Junior Riga Open…Also reached the singles finals at the 2011 ITF Nokia Junior Cup… Two-time Estonian Women’s Championship singles winner and five-time Estonian Championship doubles and mixed doubles victor…Also won the 2010 Nike Open ETA 16 in singles and doubles.
PERSONAL: Eva Paalma is the daughter of Veiko Paalma and Ester Eomois…Is the middle child of three girls…Is fluent in Estonian, English and Russian…Began playing tennis when she was 8 years old…Her only official recruiting visit was to A&M, as she chose it because, “The coaches are great and I love team and school overall. Back when I had my recruiting visit in January, I had no doubts then. I liked it right away”…Most memorable moment in her collegiate career is beating No. 2 Georgia #2 on their home courts in 2017 and contributing to the highest ranked win in Texas A&M history…Hobbies include yoga, traveling, reading and spending time in the nature…One of the founders and currently the CEO of We^3, the first-ever organization for female student-athletes at Texas A&M…Organization’s mission is to encourage, equip, empower and unify female student-athletes at Texas A&M through mentorship and creating developmental opportunities...Was instrumental in planning a female student-athlete networking night that featured former student and ESPN analyst Amanda Scarborough, as well as a yoga night and other events...
Represented A&M at the 2017 Women Leaders in College Sports Convention in Dallas…Is a team representative on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and has helped Aggie Athletes Involved (AAI) organize, promote and collect donations for Aggies CAN food drive the coat drive…Volunteers at Navarro Elementary School, where she has participated in its Annual Reading Night and where she talks about healthy lifestyles and plays with the kids…Also volunteered in the “Paws to the Pavement” Family Fun Run Event to promote community spirit in a safe, active, and healthy way…Helped pack school weekend lunches for elementary school kids while participating in a community service project at the Brazos Valley Food Bank…Has been named to the Texas A&M Athletics Director Honor Roll every semester of her collegiate career…Also named an ITA Scholar Athlete each of her first three years and named to the Spring SEC Academic Honor Roll each of the last two years…Majoring in marketing with a concentration in data analytics and consulting…Is on course to graduate in May will pursue her master’s degree in marketing at the Texas A&M Mays Business School…Career ambition is to work as a business analyst or brand consultant, and “in the long, long, long-term” as a professor in the University…Born December 21, 1994, in Tallinn, Estonia.
PAALMA UP CLOSE:
Favorites:
- Favorite class subject: Consumer Behavior (Marketing)
- Favorite athlete (any sport): Victoria Azarenka
- Favorite emoji: “strong-arm”
- Favorite type of music: Depends on my mood
- Favorite food: Any type of pasta
- Favorite binge watching TV show: This Is Us
- Favorite book: The Happy Prince by Oscar Wilde
- Favorite movie: Creed
- Favorite Disney character: Winnie the Pooh
- Favorite part about the sport of tennis: Competing and fighting for every point
- Favorite thing about Texas A&M: that “there’s a spirit can ne’er be told”
- Favorite Aggie tradition: 12th Man support
- Favorite Karaoke song to sing: Dancing in the Moonlight
- Favorite vacation spot: At my country house in Noarootsi in Western Estonia
- My nickname is: Ev
- One word to describe me when I’m on the court: Fighter
- One word to describe me when I’m away from the court: Empathetic
- The person who has had the greatest impact on my athletic career: My whole family
- The accomplishment (athletic or non-athletic) that I am most proud of: Living and managing a life of a student-athlete
- The tennis player I most idolized while growing up: Victoria Azarenka
- The person I would most like to meet: My family back in Estonia
- The most famous athlete I have met: Victoria Azarenka
- People have told me that I look like (name of celebrity): Victoria Azarenka
- The song title that best describes me: “Work hard, play hard”
- Best pump-up song: Thunder by Imagine Dragons
- Languages that I speak fluently: Estonian, English, (Russian)
- When I was little, I dreamed of being a: Person who sells ice creams
- Early bird or night owl: Depending on what and when is needed to be done
- Something I've always wanted to do but haven't: Snowboarding
- I can’t believe I watch this TV show: Estonian TV show “Padjaklubi” (“Pillow Club”)
- Few people know
that I:where Estonia is - My best non-athletic talent: Being able to memorize lots of information in a very short time
- My most annoying habit: Leaving the cap off the toothpaste
- My superstitions: Keep eating the same food for breakfast when I’m winning at the tournament
- Three things on my bucket list are:
2. Taking 3 months to travel across the world
3. Snowboarding
- Being at A&M has taught me: given me the best education, introduced me to so many great people, but most importantly made me a much more mature and better person
- Best piece of advice for any new teammates: Trust the process, work hard, and it will all be worth it
- After I graduate, I plan to: Go to grad school in Mays Business School
- My dream job is: still figuring that out
The teammate who …
- The teammate who will surprise people the most this year: Maca
- The teammate who can always make me laugh: Dorthea
- The teammate who dominates in the weight room: Maca
- The teammate most likely to be on People’s “Best Dressed” list: Dorthea/Riley
- The teammate who would be the best candidate for “The Amazing Race”: Domenica
- The teammate who would be the best candidate for “Dancing with the Stars”: Tatiana
- The teammate who would be the best candidate for “The Voice”: Iulia
- The teammate who would be the best candidate for “Survivor”: Maca
- Teammate who would be the best candidate for “Last Comic Standing”: Dorthea
(as of May 30, 2018)
Doubles
(with Domenica Gonzalez)
#29 Sept. 12, 2017 (Preseason—Fall)
#52 April 3, 2018
#59 April 17, 2018
#62 May 3, 2018
#65 May 30, 2018 (Spring—Final)
#65 April 10, 2018
(with Rachel Pierson)
#5* Sept. 15, 2015 (Preseason—Fall)
#13 May 1, 2015
#14 Sept. 13, 2016 (Preseason—Fall)
#15** June 3, 2015 (Final)
#17 April 21, 2015
#21 Jan. 6, 2015 (Preseason – Spring)
#26 April 14, 2014
#30 April 12, 2016
#31 June 1, 2016 (Final)
#31 April 19, 2016
#32 April 26, 2016
#32 April 5, 2016
#32 March 10, 2015
#33 April 7, 2015
#35 May 5, 2016
#35 Feb. 24, 2015
#35 Feb. 10, 2015
#41 March 8, 2016
#42 March 22, 2016
#56 March 24, 2015
* -- Indicates then-Texas A&M all-time high ranking
** -- Indicates then-Texas A&M record high for final ranking
PAALMA’S RANKED WINS:
(as of May 30, 2018)
Singles
#59 Zoe Katz, USC (Oct. 30, 2014)
#71 Aleksa Cveticanin, TCU (Jan. 8, 2018)
#82 Theresa Van Zyl, Baylor (March 19, 2015)
#88 Marie Casares, Vanderbilt (April 10, 2015)
#106 Gabrielle Desimone, USC (Sept. 13, 2014)
#112 Mariana Gould, Georgia (April 16, 2017)
Doubles
(with Domenica Gonzalez)
#7 Arianne Hartono/Alexa Bortles, Ole Miss (April 1, 2018)
#20 Brooke Austin/Kourtney Keegan, Florida (May 19, 2017)
#27 Eden Ricardson/Jessica Golovin, LSU (March 23, 2018
#29 Elena Christofi/Kennedy Shaffer, Georgia (April 16, 2017)
(with Rachel Pierson)
#5 Taylor Davidson/Caroline Doyle, Stanford (Mary 14, 2016)
#7 Giuliana Olmos/Zoe Scandalis, USC (Sept. 12, 2014)
#9 Robin Anderson/Jennifer Brady, UCLA (May 15, 2015)
#16 Sydney Campbell/Courtney Colton, Vanderbilt (April 10, 2015)
#20 Andie Daniell/Erin Routliffe, Alabama (March 5, 2016)
#26 Beatrice Capra/Ellyse Hamlin, Duke (Feb. 7, 2016)
#33 Noel Scott/Joana Vale Costa, LSU (April 17, 2015)
#34 HadleyBerg/Paige Cline, South Carolina (March 31, 2017)
#34 Madison Harrison/Georgiana Patrasc, Mississippi State (March 11, 2016)
#54 Spencer Liang/Belinda Woolcock, Florida (March 24, 2015)
#58 Hadley Berg/Caroline Dailey, South Carolina (March 6, 2015)
#73 Sadie Hammond/Eve Repic, Tennessee (April 8, 2016)
#73 Brianna Lashway/Bea Machado Santos, Missouri (March 25, 2016)
#75 Natalia Maynetto/Erin Routliffe, Alabama (April 21, 2016)