MEN’S TENNIS CLINCHES NO. 1 SEED FOR BIG SKY TOURNAMENT WITH VICTORY OVER MONTANA

3/26/2007

GOLD RIVER, Calif. -- Sacramento State won its fourth Big Sky Conference match in five days as the team defeated Montana, 7-0, in a men’s tennis match Monday afternoon at the Spare Time Indoor Tennis Center.

With the victory, Sacramento State completed its Big Sky portion of the schedule by winning all seven conference matches with relative ease. The closest any Big Sky team got to the Hornets was a 5-2 decision over Northern Arizona yesterday.

The victory clinched the No. 1 seed and a first round bye for Sacramento State at the Big Sky Tournament, which will be held locally from April 27-29 at the Gold River Racquet Club. The Hornets will be seeking their first Big Sky Tournament championship (and an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament) since the 2003 season. Sacramento State won three straight Big Sky Tournament titles from 2001-03.

With today’s victory, Sacramento State won its season high seventh in a row and 10 of the last 11, as the team improved to 11-3 overall and 7-0 in the Big Sky. The team’s winning streak is the longest since the 2002 squad also won seven in a row.

The match began at Rio Del Oro Racquet Club in Sacramento as the teams completed doubles play before rain forced both teams to travel 15 minutes up the freeway where the match was completed at the Spare Time Indoor Tennis Center in Gold River. The Hornets swept all three doubles matches to pick up the doubles point.

In singles play, Xavier Barajas-Smith (No. 1; 4-6, 7-6, 10-7), Anton Stryhas (No. 2; 6-0, 6-1), Gabriel Loredo (No. 3; 6-2, 6-1), Warwick Foy (No. 4; 7-6, 7-5), Ramon Perez (No. 5; 3-6, 6-4, 6-2) and Tim Lantin (No. 6; 7-6, 6-2) were each victorious.

All six of the Hornets’ singles players in today’s match now have season records of at least five wins above the .500 mark. Those include Stryhas and Loredo each at 12-2, Barajas-Smith (11-2), Perez (9-1), Foy (10-4) and Lantin (9-3).  

Sacramento State returns to action later this week when the team travels to Boise to take part in the Boise State Invitational from March 28-31.

Sacramento State 7, Montana 0

Doubles
1. Loredo/Stryhas (SAC) def. Dektar/Ramos (UM), 8-6
2. Barajas-Smith/Van Dillen (SAC) def. Wing/Raw (UM), 8-3
3. Perez/Foy (SAC) def. Borkowski/Tommerup (UM), 8-4
Order of Finish:  3, 2, 1

Singles
1. Xavier Barajas-Smith (SAC) def. Colin Dektar (UM), 4-6, 7-6, 10-7
2. Anton Stryhas (SAC) def. Stuart Wing (UM), 6-0, 6-1
3. Gabriel Loredo (SAC) def. Felipe Raw (UM), 6-2, 6-1
4. Warwick Foy (SAC) def. Raydner Ramos (UM), 7-6, 7-5
5. Ramon Perez (SAC) def. Mikolaj Borkowski (UM), 3-6, 6-4, 6-2
6. Tim Lantin (SAC) def. Brady Tommerup (UM), 7-6, 6-2
Order of Finish:  2, 3, 6, 5, 1, 4