THE PATRICKS ON ENCINA: “Tammy had a great junior year, achieving All-America status in her first season of Division I tennis. We are looking for her, as a senior, to step up as a team leader and establish her presence at the NCAA level.”
SENIOR (FALL 2003): Received a preseason singles ranking of 27th from the ITA...Went on to compile a 7-3 singles record with five triumphs over ranked foes...Claimed the flight No. 1 singles title at the St. Mary’s Fall Classic by defeating No. 75 Amy Walgenback of Purdue, No. 36 Jessica Roland of Texas A&M and No. 31 Aniela Mojzis of North Carolina...Registered an impressive upset of No. 6 Alice Barnes of Stanford, 7-6(4), 6-1, to advance to the quarterfinals of the ITA All-American Championships...Provided a tough challenge to the NCAA’s No. 1 ranked player, Agata Cioroch of Georgia, in the event’s quarterfinal round, falling 4-6, 6-2, 6-3...Advanced to the second round of the ITA National Indoor Championships with a win over Georgia’s Shadisha Robinson...Tabbed at No. 14 in doubles preseason rankings along with partner Majen Immink...Teamed up with Victoria Jones to claim two doubles wins at St. Mary’s before falling to No. 4 Cline and Mojzis of UNC in the finals...Paired back up with Immink and, after falling in qualifying play at the ITA All-American Championships, the duo won two straight matches, including an 8-4 defeat of No. 47 Basile and Tomantis of Ole Miss to reach the quarterfinals of the consolation round...The duo notched two more victories at the adidas Invitational and finished the fall with a 4-3 record.
JUNIOR (2002-03): Earned All-America honors in her initial season of Division I competition, advancing to the NCAA Singles Championship Round of 16 by upsetting No. 12 Sara Walker of UCLA, 6-3, 6-1, in the second round...Cruised by No. 55 Anne Nguyen of Georgia, 6-1, 6-2, in the first round...Received a final ranking of 41st in singles...Spent the majority of the dual match season in UT’s No. 2 singles slot...Forged a record of 16-9 in dual match play and 10-6 in tournament competition to finish the year with an overall mark of 26-15 (.634)...Led the team with six match-clinching wins...Sealed Tennessee’s emotional victory over Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament Quarterfinals by upsetting No. 68 Aleke Tsoubanos, 6-1, 7-6(5)...Posted a mark of 13-10 versus ranked foes during the season...Upended No. 28 Julie Rotondi of Florida, 6-3, 6-2, during the SEC Tournament Semifinals...Notched another impressive win by dropping No. 41 Julia Scaringe, 7-6, 4-6, (10-8), in an April 4 dual match versus Florida...Initially teamed up with Sabita Maharaj in doubles, compiling a record of 6-6...The duo managed an upset of No. 33 Wright and Haynor of Purdue at the St. Mary’s Fall Classic with an 8-2 win in flight No. 1...Next, she joined forces with Breanna Kray during the first eight dual matches of the season, registering a 5-3 mark during that time...Finally, paired up with Majen Immink in doubles for the first time on Feb. 15 against Wake Forest and went on to amass a record of 15-3 with her new partner...The tandem finished the year ranked 33rd by the ITA...Best win came against No. 23 Bunn and Pinchbeck in UT’s upset of No. 8 North Carolina on March 22 in Chapel Hill...Finished the season with an overall record of 26-12 in doubles competition.
*SOPHOMORE (2001-02): Followed up her rookie season with an even more remarkable sophomore campaign at Cal State L.A.…Was the first recipient of the Billie Jean King endowed scholarship…The scholarship is named after the legendary tennis star, who played for Cal State L.A. in the early 1960s…Encina finished the year with 21 singles victories and only three defeats…She won 10 consecutive matches from Feb. 12 to March 30…She ended the year with six straight wins…Encina played every dual match at No. 1 singles for the second-straight year, putting up an impressive 17-3 mark at the most difficult position in collegiate tennis…The Miami Beach, Fla., native won the women’s independent college division at the Ojai Tennis Tournament on April 28, defeating Point Loma’s Anna Sieczka, 6-4, 6-2, in the finals…In doubles, she competed with Katharina Menzel at the No. 1 slot in duals…The pair finished with an 8-12 record…For the year, Encina was 9-13 in doubles…Received All-CCAA accolades for the second-straight year…Garnered a year-end ranking of No. 45.
*FRESHMAN (2000-01): Ended the year as the nation’s 24th-ranked player in NCAA Division II at Cal State L.A…Also finished ranked No. 5 in the West Region…Compiled a 16-5 overall mark in singles and a 5-9 doubles record…Started every dual match at the No. 1 singles position, posting a mark of 9-3…Encina also finished 7-2 in tournament play…She teamed primarily with Vivian Lee in doubles…The duo finished with a 5-6 overall record, including 5-5 at one doubles in dual matches…Encina had three other doubles partners for a total doubles mark of 5-9 and 5-7 in duals…Cal State L.A. finished with a 5-15 record and was 2-6 in California Collegiate Athletic Association play…Encina was named an All-CCAA performer.
HIGH SCHOOL: Graduated from Miami Beach High School in 1997…Recognized as a top junior player…Was part of the USTA assistance program as a youth…Finished in third place at the 1994 U.S. Girls’ 16 National Championships when she was only 14 years old…Won the 1993 Girls’ 14 National Clay Court singles title.
PERSONAL: Encina is majoring in electronic media…Lists her hobbies as painting, going to the beach and watching movies…Aspires to play tennis professionally and compete in the U.S. Open…States she came to Tennessee because of the opportunities available and the historical success of the program…Has one older sister, Pamela, 29…The daughter of Jaime and Patricia Encina, Tamara Patricia Encina was born on Sept. 24, 1979, in Miami, Fla.
ENCINA UP CLOSE
Favorite foods: Chicken sandwich and Cuban food
Favorite tennis player: Boris Becker
Favorite book: Any therapeutic book
Favorite musical artist(s): Pearl Jam
Favorite TV show: The Osbournes
Best movie I have seen in the last year: S.W.A.T.
Tennis racket of choice: Wilson
Favorite surface: Clay
Favorite place on campus: Study hall in the Thornton Center
Favorite junk food: Whopper value meal
Best class I have taken: Photography
In my free time I enjoy: Going to the beach, listening to music, shopping and taking naps
Favorite sports memory: Playing at the ITA All-American Championships this October because I felt really focused, yet relaxed at the same time
Favorite post-match meal: Chicken sandwich
My dream jobs would be: Filmmaker, fashion photographer and a professional tennis player
Person I admire: Jennifer Capriati
Something people would be surprised to know about me: I have a pet turtle named Buggsy
