MEN’S TENNIS REMAINS PERFECT AT HOME WITH 6-1 VICTORY OVER UC RIVERSIDE

3/22/2010

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Kiryl Harbatsiuk, Anton Stryhas, Jason Smith, Marko Starcevic and Tim Lantin each won their singles matches in straight sets to lead Sacramento State to a 6-1 victory over UC Riverside in a non-conference men’s tennis match Monday afternoon at Rio Del Oro Racquet Club.

With the victory, Sacramento State improved to 8-7 overall, 4-0 at home, and 7-2 against unranked opposition. The Hornets have won all four home matches this season by 6-1 or 7-0 scores. UC Riverside dropped to 3-9 with the loss.

Harbatsiuk (6-1, 6-0), Stryhas (6-0, 6-2), Starcevic (6-2, 6-0) and Lantin (6-2, 6-1) each won in easy fashion while Smith won by a 7-5, 7-5 margin. Harbatsiuk has now been victorious in 13 consecutive singles matches, and is 14-1 in singles play. That includes a 6-0 mark at No. 1 and 8-1 at No. 2. Stryhas won his fourth straight match and Smith improved to 12-3 in singles play. The trio of Harbatsiuk, Stryhas and Smith are now a combined 34-10 in singles matches.

The Hornets picked up the doubles points as the team’s tandems of Starcevic/Harbatsiuk (8-4), Stryhas/Holden Ching (8-1) and Smith/Jimmy Roberts (8-3) were each victorious. As a team, Sacramento State has now won the doubles point on nine occasions, and Harbatsiuk has won six consecutive doubles matches with two different partners.

Today’s match marked the first of a stretch that will see Sacramento State play seven home matches over a 19-day span. During the homestand, the Hornets will take on three Big Sky Conference opponents, including this Wednesday when the team welcomes Eastern Washington for a 2 p.m. start time.

Sacramento State 6, UC Riverside 1

Singles competition

1. HARBATSIUK, Kiryl (SAC) def. Quoc Doan (UCR) 6-1, 6-0
2. STRYHAS, Anton (SAC) def. John Park (UCR) 6-0, 6-2
3. SMITH, Jason (SAC) def. Austin Andres (UCR) 7-5, 7-5
4. Michael Conroy (UCR) def. CHING, Holden (SAC) 7-6 (11-9), 6-1
5. STARCEVIC, Marko (SAC) def. Sean Peterson (UCR) 6-2, 6-0
6. LANTIN, Tim (SAC) def. Ryan Stanbury (UCR) 6-2, 6-1

Doubles competition

1. STARCEVIC, Marko/HARBATSIUK, Kiryl (SAC) def. Austin Andres/John Park (UCR) 8-4
2. STRYHAS, Anton/CHING, Holden (SAC) def. Michael Conroy/Quoc Doan (UCR) 8-1
3. SMITH, Jason/ROBERTS, Jimmy (SAC) def. Sean Peterson/Ryan Stanbury (UCR) 8-3

Match Notes:
UC Riverside 3-9
Sacramento State 8-7
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (1,2,5,6,3,4)