HARBATSIUK NAMED BIG SKY TENNIS PLAYER OF THE WEEK FOR THE FOURTH TIME THIS YEAR

4/13/2010

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- For the fourth time this year and sixth time of his career, Sacramento State junior Kiryl Harbatsiuk was named the Big Sky Conference’s Men’s Tennis Player of the Week after leading the Hornets to a 3-2 record for the week of April 5-12. Among those victories was a win over Portland State which clinched the Hornets their fourth consecutive Big Sky regular season championship.

The Minsk, Belarus, native went a perfect 5-0 in singles play (all at the No. 1 position in the team’s lineup), and has now won a school-record 22 consecutive singles matches. His victory over Mirko Zapletal of 29th-ranked Fresno State on Saturday allowed him to surpass the previous school record of 20, set by teammate Anton Stryhas in 2008.

Harbatsiuk won each of his five singles matches in straight sets, defeating opponents from Saint Mary’s (6-2, 6-4), Portland (7-5, 6-2), Portland State (6-1, 6-4), Fresno State (7-5, 6-3) and San Diego (6-1, 6-4). Harbatsiuk is 23-1 in singles play this season, and 15-0 at the No. 1 spot in the Hornets’ lineup.

In doubles play, he teamed with Marko Starcevic to go 3-1. That included an 8-4 victory over the 46th-ranked doubles team in the nation (Portland’s Filip Zivkovic and Evan Schleining). The tandem’s only loss came to the 19th-ranked doubles team in the nation from Fresno State (8-5). The Hornets did not play doubles against San Diego.

Harbatsiuk also received the award this season on March 23, March 10 and Feb. 10. The reigning Big Sky MVP and two-time first team all-conference selection also earned the award once in 2008, and once more in 2009.

Sacramento State (15-9), which has won nine of its last 11 matches, has just two contests remaining on the regular season schedule. The first of which comes at home this Thursday, April 15 against Santa Clara at 1 p.m.