SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Sophomore Margarita Karnaukhova continues to venture into uncharted territory for the Sacramento State women''s tennis program after being selected to the 2004 Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) All-America Team, it was announced today. She joined 46 other Div. I women''s tennis players from across the nation who were selected All-America by the ITA.Karnaukhova, who reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Women’s Tennis Singles Championship in May, becomes the first Sacramento State tennis player to earn All-America honors in the Div. I era (1991-present).
After wins over ninth-ranked Agata Cioroch (Georgia) and 30th-ranked Nataly Cahana (Old Dominion), Karnaukhova had her run at the singles championship come to a close with a loss to two-time national champion Amber Liu of Stanford on May 26.
Karnaukhova, who also became the first Big Sky Conference athlete to advance to the Sweet 16 of the tournament, ended the year with a 22-5 overall record. She also finished the season ranked 33rd in the final ITA poll, the highest in program history.
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, a program-best 23-4 overall record and a No. 37 national ranking.
Among the other accomplishments by the program in 2004, Karnaukhova and freshman Anna Erikson became the first two Sacramento State tennis players to be invited to the singles championships and head coach Bill Campbell garnered Big Sky Women''s Tennis Coach of the Year honors for the third-consecutive season. Erikson (44th) and junior Roberta Fessenko (124th) also finished the 2004 campaign ranked in the final national rankings.
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