SACRAMENTO, Calif. — For the third-consecutive year, the Sacramento State women’s’ tennis team will appear in the NCAA Div. I Tournament. After drawing tennis powerhouses Stanford and USC in the first round of the 2002 and 2003 NCAA Tournament, respectively, the Hornets will face Fresno State in the first round this year.The matchup with the 16th-ranked Bulldogs will mark the second time that Fresno State and Sacramento State have faced each other this year. On April 11, the Hornets, who are currently ranked 35th in the nation, soundly defeated Fresno State in Sacramento, 6-1. In fact, four of Sacramento State’s singles victories over the Bulldogs came in straight sets.
Sacramento State will play in the regional hosted by Cal, as the Hornets and Bulldogs will square off at the Hellman Tennis Complex on the UC Berkeley campus on Saturday, May 15, at 9 a.m. The other first-round matchup features 11th-ranked Cal and Illinois State with the winner of that match facing the winner of Sacramento State-Fresno State. The second-round match will take place on Sunday, May 16, at noon, at the Hellman Tennis Complex.
Tickets will be available in advance or on the day of the event. Prices are as follows: adult tickets are $5.00; tickets for children/seniors/students with ID are $3.00.
Sacramento State will enter the 64-team tournament with a program-best 23-3 record, including an 18-match winning streak. The Hornets, who were just crowned Big Sky Conference champions for the third year in a row, have shut out five-straight opponents and have won by scores of 6-1 or better in eight-consecutive matches. All three of the team’s losses this season have come to ranked opposition as the Hornets are 5-3 against teams ranked in the top 75. That includes a 5-2 loss at Cal on Jan. 30.
The Hornets currently have three players ranked nationally for the first time in school history as sophomore Margarita Karnaukhova (No. 42), freshman Anna Erikson (No. 43) and junior Roberta Fessenko (No. 117) have combined for a 59-7 singles record this season.
In the team’s previous two NCAA Tournament appearances, the Hornets fell to Stanford (2002) and USC (2003) in the first round.
Sacramento State faced a total of six opponents that made the NCAA Tournament this season, posting a 3-3 record against those teams. That includes victories over Long Beach State, Pepperdine and Fresno State.
