Karnaukhova, who has never lost a Big Sky singles match during her four years, was one of four Sacramento State women to earn the all-conference honor. She was joined by junior Cecilia Helland and freshmen Luba Schifris and Joyce Martinez Gutierrez. All four were instrumental in helping lead Sacramento State to its fifth-consecutive Big Sky Conference regular-season championship, including a 12-8 overall record and a 6-0 conference mark despite all but two members of the team being freshmen. The squad is currently ranked 61st in the nation.

The men’s first team featured Hornet senior Junaid Hossain and junior Gabriel Loredo. Hossain served as the team’s No. 1 singles player and Loredo was the team’s No. 2 player. Both led Sacramento State to a 12-10 overall record and a share of the Big Sky regular-season title with a 5-1 league mark. In addition, Hossain and Loredo combined to post an 18-3 record at the No. 1 doubles position in the lineup.

Karnaukhova, a senior from Krasnodar, Russia, posted a 9-6 record as the Hornets’ No. 1 player, and she is now 64-16 over her four-year career. Ranked as high as 14th in the nation during her career and a 2004 All-American, Karnaukhova has battled a back injury throughout the 2006 season limiting her play. Still, she has managed a national ranking of No. 74, and has posted an 8-7 doubles record.

In her third season with the Hornets, Helland is a team-best 14-6 in singles play, including 7-0 at No. 4 and 7-5 at No. 5. During her career with the team, the Stockholm, Sweden, native has combined for a 57-12 singles record. She was named to the first team for the second year in a row after receiving honorable mention all-conference accolades as a freshman in 2004.

Schifris, a native of Blieskastel, Germany, was 10-10 overall in singles play and 5-1 in the Big Sky during her first season of intercollegiate play. She went 5-0 as the Hornets’ No. 1 player, 5-8 at No. 2, and 0-1 at both No. 3 and No. 4. She is one of six freshmen on Sacramento State’s roster.

Gutierrez, who missed the first month of the season, posted a 9-5 singles record, including 4-0 at No. 2 and 5-5 at No. 3. The freshman from Azitapan, Mexico, also combined for a 9-4 doubles record with teammates Karnaukhova and Schifris.

Hossain posted an 11-11 singles record this year, with 10 of those victories coming as the team’s top singles player. The Melbourne, Australia, native went 4-2 against conference competition, and teamed with Loredo to win 12 of their last 13 doubles matches heading into this weekend’s Big Sky Tournament.

In his first season with the Hornets after transferring from Wichita State, Loredo recorded a team-best 15-7 singles record, including 14-7 as the Hornets’ No. 2 player. The Mexico City, Mexico, native went 4-2 in singles play against Big Sky competition, and opened the season by winning eight of his first 10 singles matches.

Both the Sacramento State men’s and women’s tennis teams will begin play at the Big Sky Tournament (Pocatello, Idaho) this Friday, April 28. By virtue of the women’s team holding the No. 1 seed, and the men entering their tournament as the No. 2 seed, both squads will receive a first-round bye and begin play in the semifinal round. The women are seeking their fifth-consecutive Big Sky Tournament championship and the men will attempt to win the tournament for the sixth time in the last nine years.