MEN’S AND WOMEN’S TENNIS HOSTS BIG SKY TOURNAMENT THIS WEEKEND

4/21/2008

A LOOK AT THIS WEEK
 
    For the second straight year, the Sacramento State men’s and women’s tennis programs will host the Big Sky Conference Tournament this Friday-Sunday, April 25-27, at the Gold River Racquet Club in Gold River, Calif. The Hornet men and women both won the league’s regular season title and have earned the No. 1 seed for the tournament.
    Sacramento State’s women’s team will attempt to win its seventh consecutive Big Sky Tournament championship while the men’s team will attempt to win its second straight tournament title and seventh in the last 11 years. The winner of the Big Sky Tournament receives the conference’s automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament (first and second rounds take place May 9-11). The Hornet men (1999, 2001-03, 2007) and women (2002-07) have combined to make 11 NCAA Tournament appearances since 1999.
    The women’s tournament will begin on Friday at 10 a.m. with a pair of quarterfinal matches. The men’s tournament also begins on Friday, with two quarterfinal matches taking place at 2 p.m. By virtue of having the No. 1 seed, both Sacramento State’s men’s and women’s teams will receive a first round bye, with the women playing their semifinal match against the lowest remaining seed at 10 a.m. on Saturday. The Hornet men will take on the lowest remaining seed on Saturday at 2 p.m. The women’s championship match will take place at 10 a.m. on Sunday while the men’s title match will be 2 p.m. on Sunday.
    Admission is free to all matches.

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

Friday, April 25
10 a.m. Women’s Quarterfinals
No. 3 Montana State (11-5, 6-2) vs. No. 6 Northern Colorado (7-13, 3-5)
No. 4 Montana (8-11, 5-3) vs. No. 5 Eastern Washington (9-13, 4-4)
2 p.m. Men’s Quarterfinals
No. 3 Weber State (13-10, 6-2) vs. No. 6 Montana (7-8, 3-5)
No. 4 Montana State (12-11, 5-3) vs. No. 5 Northern Arizona (7-14, 4-4)

Saturday, April 26
10 a.m. Women’s Semifinals
No. 2 Northern Arizona (14-7, 7-1) vs. Highest Remaining Seed
No. 1 Sacramento State (19-6, 8-0) vs. Lowest Remaining Seed
2 p.m. Men’s Semifinals
No. 2 Eastern Washington (16-6, 7-1) vs. Highest Remaining Seed
No. 1 Sacramento State (14-7, 8-0) vs. Lowest Remaining Seed

Sunday, April 27
10 a.m. Women’s Final
Winner of Semifinal 1 vs. Winner of Semifinal 2
2 p.m. Men’s Final
Winner of Semifinal 1 vs. Winner of Semifinal 2

A LOOK AT THE TOURNAMENT FIELD

    The Big Sky Tournament features the top six teams in the nine-member league. The seeds for the women’s tournament are as follows: No. 1 Sacramento State (19-6, 8-0), No. 2 Northern Arizona (14-7, 7-1), No. 3 Montana State (11-5, 6-2), No. 4 Montana (8-11, 5-3), No. 5 Eastern Washington (9-13, 4-4) and No. 6 Northern Colorado (7-13, 5-5). Portland State, Weber State and Idaho State did not qualify for the women’s tournament. By virtue of owning the top two seeds, both Sacramento State and Northern Arizona will receive a first round bye in the single elimination tournament.
    The seeds for the men’s tournament are as follows: No. 1 Sacramento State (14-7, 8-0), No. 2 Eastern Washington (16-6, 7-1), No. 3 Weber State (13-10, 6-2), No. 4 Montana State (12-11, 5-3), No. 5 Northern Arizona (7-14, 4-4) and No. 6 Montana (7-8, 3-5). Idaho State, Portland State and Northern Colorado did not qualify for the men’s tournament. Sacramento State and Eastern Washington will both receive first-round byes by virtue of being the top two seeds.
    In the women’s bracket on Friday, Montana State and Northern Colorado will square off in one quarterfinal match at 10 p.m., while Montana and Eastern Washington will play in the other quarterfinal at 10 a.m. In the semifinals on Saturday, Sacramento State will face the lowest remaining seed (Montana, Eastern Washington or Northern Colorado) and Northern Arizona will take on the highest remaining seed (Montana State, Montana or Eastern Washington) at 10 a.m. The winner of the two semifinal matches will play for the conference championship and the automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament on Sunday at 10 a.m.
    In the men’s bracket on Friday, Weber State and Montana will square off in one quarterfinal match at 2 p.m., while Northern Arizona and Montana State will play in the other quarterfinal at 2 p.m. In the semifinals on Saturday, Sacramento State will face the lowest remaining seed (Montana State, Northern Arizona or Montana) and Eastern Washington will take on the highest remaining seed (Weber State, Montana State or Northern Arizona) at 2 p.m. The winner of the two semifinal matches will play for the conference championship and the automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament on Sunday at 2 p.m.

A LOOK AT THE SACRAMENTO STATE WOMEN’S TEAM  
 
    You would be hard pressed to find a team in any sport within the Big Sky Conference that has been more dominant in the last seven years than the Sacramento State women’s tennis team. Since 2002, the women have won 50 straight matches over Big Sky competition, a streak which includes regular season and tournament matches. With the exception of a 4-3 win over Northern Arizona, Sacramento State won its other seven Big Sky matches this year by 6-1 or 7-0 scores. In addition, the Hornets received a Big Sky Player of the Week award five times this season.
    The team, which is currently 19-6 overall and 8-0 in the Big Sky, has won each of the last six Big Sky championships and has advanced to the NCAA Tournament each of those years, a streak which began in 2002. A Sacramento State player has earned Big Sky Most Valuable Player honors each of the last five years, including Katrina Zheltova, who earned the award last season as a freshman.
    Zheltova, who has battled a back injury all season, has posted a 11-5 dual-match record this year as the Hornets’ No. 1 singles player. That included a three-set victory last week over Cal’s Susie Babos, who won the NCAA singles championship in 2006. Zheltova is currently ranked 48th in the nation, and also defeated Florida State’s Katie Rybakova (ranked 16th at the time) earlier this season.
    Sacramento State does not have a senior on this year’s roster, as Zheltova (No. 1), Anastassia Lyssenko (No. 2), Luba Schifris (No. 4), Karina Jarlkaganova (No. 5) and Joyce Martinez Gutierrez (No. 6) are each juniors. Freshman Melissa Valenzuela (No. 3) is the lone underclassman among the Hornets’ top six singles players. Sophomore Aileen Tsan has also seen time in the team’s top six, and is 11-4 in dual matches this season, including 9-1 at No. 6. Dual-match singles records for the others are as follows: Zheltova (11-5), Lyssenko (15-9), Valenzuela (11-14), Schifris (15-8), Jarlkaganova (19-5) and Martinez (14-8).
    The team has combined to go 41-31 in doubles play, including a 15-9 mark by the combination of Lyssenko and Tsan.

A LOOK AT THE SACRAMENTO STATE MEN’S TEAM
  
    The Sacramento State men (14-7, 8-0) enter the tournament as the league’s hottest team. The Hornets have won each of their last nine matches, and have not dropped a match since March 8. In addition, the team is 6-0 when playing in Sacramento this season. During the nine-match winning streak, eight of those victories came over conference teams and the Hornets have now won 17 straight matches over Big Sky opposition (including playoffs) dating back to last season.
    All of this comes despite returning just one player from last year’s singles lineup – sophomore Anton Stryhas. In addition, Sacramento State’s top six players are made up of three freshmen (No. 2 Kiryl Harbatsiuk, No. 3 Artur Klimenka and No. 6 Ronan Conlon), two sophomores (No. 1 Stryhas and No. 4 Holden Ching) and one junior (No. 5 Sven-David Rueff).
    Since joining the Big Sky in 1996-97, the Hornets have won six league titles (1998-99, 2001-03, 2007) and have advanced to the NCAA Tournament five times (1999, 2001-03, 2007). The Big Sky champion did not receive an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament until the 1999 season. Otherwise, the team would have reached the Big Dance in 1998 as well.
    This year, the team has been led by the dominant play of Stryhas, who has put together one of the best seasons in school history. The Minsk, Belarus, native, who has played at both the Nos. 1 and 2 spots in the team’s lineup, has won 18 straight singles matches and is now 20-1 this season. That includes a 9-0 mark at No. 1, 10-1 at No. 2, and 1-0 at No. 3. Stryhas, who is also 17-3 in doubles play with Harbatsiuk, is now a combined 37-4 in singles and doubles play.
    Stryhas isn’t the only Hornet with a lengthy streak of consecutive singles victories. Rueff has won 10 straight, and Klimenka has won nine consecutive matches. Dual match records for the team’s singles lineup are as follows: Stryhas (20-1), Harbatsiuk (16-5), Klimenka (15-6), Ching (11-10), Rueff (13-8) and Conlon (3-17). The team has won 40 of its 60 doubles matches, including a 13-4 mark from the team’s No. 2 tandem of Klimenka and Rueff.