ATHENS, Ga. — Sophomore Margarita Karnaukhova had her run at the NCAA Women’s Tennis Singles Championship come to a close with a 6-3, 6-0, loss to defending national champion Amber Liu of Stanford, Wednesday morning at the University of Georgia.Karnaukhova, who became the first Big Sky Conference athlete to advance to the Sweet 16 of the tournament, ends the year with a 22-5 overall record. She is currently ranked 42nd in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association poll, but will likely move up the list in the final rankings based on her tournament showing.
The native of Krasnodar, Russia, battled with Liu for the first half of the opening set. After falling behind, 2-0, Karnaukhova tied the set at 2-2 and 3-3. Liu, who is seeded fourth in the tournament, won the final three games to clinch the set. The second set was dominated by Liu as she won 6-0. The senior has yet to lose a set during in her three tournament matches.
This season, Karnaukhova was named the Big Sky Most Valuable Player for the second-straight year. She also helped guide the team to its third-consecutive Big Sky title and NCAA tournament appearance. Karnaukhova and freshman Anna Erikson also became the first two Sacramento State tennis players to be invited to the singles championships.
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