WOMEN’S TENNIS RECEIVES 10TH BIG SKY PLAYER OF THE WEEK AWARD, THIS TIME ITS ANASTASSIA LYSSENKO

4/17/2007

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- For the 10th time in 11 weeks, a Sacramento State women’s tennis player has earned Big Sky Conference Tennis Player of the Week honors, it was announced by the league today. This time, the honor went to sophomore Anastassia Lyssenko.

Lyssenko earned the award for the first time this season, and joins Katrina Zheltova (four times), Joyce Martinez Gutierrez (two times), Cecilia Helland (two times) and Luba Schifris (one time) as the five Hornets to receive the honor. In fact, all but one of Sacramento State’s top six singles players has now received the award.

Lyssenko helped lead Sacramento State to a road doubleheader sweep of both Weber State and Idaho State last Saturday. The Hornets won both matches, 7-0, despite playing twice in one day at locations (Ogden, Utah and Pocatello, Idaho) two hours apart from each other.

Lyssenko, a native of Rostov-on-Don, Russia, won both her singles matches by the scores of 6-0, 6-0, and won both doubles matches by the scores of 8-0. In fact, in singles and doubles play combined, she won all 40 games in which she competed.
    
Lyssenko began Saturday against Weber State by combining with teammate Aileen Tsan to win at No. 2 doubles, 8-0, before defeating the Wildcats’ Greyce Farias at No. 2 by the score of 6-0, 6-0. Later in the day at Idaho State, she again combined with Tsan to win, 8-0, before posting another singles shutout at No. 2, defeating Valerie Espinosa, 6-0, 6-0.
    
Lyssenko is now 10-7 in singles play this year, including a 10-6 mark at No. 2. In addition, she has teamed with Tsan to post a team-high 17-2 mark at both Nos. 2 and 3 doubles.

Sacramento State (15-6, 7-0 Big Sky) completed its regular season last Saturday, and wrapped up the No. 1 seed in next weekend’s Big Sky Tournament by virtue of its perfect conference record. The Hornets will host the conference tournament on Friday-Sunday, April 27-29, at the Gold River Racquet Club.