HARBATSIUK FALLS IN THREE SETS IN THE FIRST ROUND OF NCAA SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIP

5/25/2011

STANFORD, Calif. -- Sacramento State senior Kiryl Harbatsiuk fell in the first round of the NCAA Men’s Tennis Singles Championship to North Carolina’s Jose Hernandez, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2, Wednesday afternoon at Taube Family Stadium on the Stanford campus.

Harbatsiuk, who was making an appearance at the event for the second straight year, entered the tournament ranked 29th in the nation by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) while Hernandez is ranked 22nd.

After winning the first set, Harbatsiuk found himself down 3-0 in the second before rallying to tie the score at 5-5. However, Hernandez won the next two games to force a third set. The two players were tied at 2-2 in the third, but Hernandez won the final four games to earn the win and advance to the second round.

Today marked the final match in Harbatsiuk’s collegiate career and he will be remembered as arguably the best men’s tennis player to play for Sacramento State. A three-time Big Sky MVP and four-time first team all-conference selection, Harbatsiuk was also named Sacramento State’s Male Student-Athlete of the Year in April.

The Minsk, Belarus, native finished the regular season with a 23-3 dual-match singles record (all at No. 1 in the team’s lineup) and completes a career in which he went 88-14 in dual singles play and 66-26 in doubles play. He became the highest ranked player in school history (16th earlier this season) and the first Hornet to win the ITA Northwest Regional title in the fall.

Harbatsiuk led this year’s Sacramento State squad to an NCAA Tournament appearance, a Big Sky Tournament championship and a Big Sky regular season title. The Hornets fell in the first round to eventual NCAA national champion USC.