KONIKOV RECEIVES THIRD STRAIGHT BIG SKY COACH OF THE YEAR AWARD

4/28/2011

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Sacramento State head men’s tennis coach Slava Konikov was named the Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year for the third straight season after guiding the team to Big Sky Conference regular season and tournament championships, as well as an NCAA Tournament appearance.

This season, the Hornets (14-13) completed a perfect season against conference opposition, having gone 8-0 in the regular season and 2-0 in the league’s postseason tournament. The team will be making its eighth NCAA Tournament appearance when the first round begins on May 13. The Hornets will find out who and where they will play when selections for the NCAA Tournament are made on Tuesday, May 3, at 2:30 p.m.

Four players received all-conference accolades, including senior Kiryl Harbatsiuk who was named Big Sky MVP for the third straight year. Joining Harbatsiuk on the first team were juniors Jason Smith and Javier Millan. The three first team selections ties a school record. Senior Marko Starcevic received honorable mention accolades to round out the four Hornets to be named all-conference.

Harbatsiuk began the year ranked as the 16th best player in the nation, which is the highest a Sacramento State player has ever been ranked. Despite a 23-match singles winning streak, Harbatsiuk is now ranked 27th.

In his sixth season as the Hornets’ head coach, Konikov has now led the Hornets to a 97-57 overall record, a 43-2 mark in the Big Sky, five Big Sky regular season championships, four conference tournament crowns and four NCAA Tournament appearances. In addition, Sacramento State has combined for 23 all-conference selections during Konikov’s tenure, including 16 first teamers and five MVPs.