WOMEN'S TENNIS ONE WIN AWAY FROM EIGHTH BIG SKY TITLE

4/25/2009

GOLD RIVER, Calif. — The Sacramento State women's tennis advanced to the Big Sky Conference tournament final with a 4-0 win over Northern Colorado, Saturday afternoon at the Gold River Racquet Club. The championship appearance will be the eighth consecutive for the Hornets.

Sacramento State (18-8 overall) earned its 61st consecutive victory over a Big Sky foe on Saturday. The doubles team of Joyce Martinez and Clarisse Baca defeated Tiffany Knop and Luiza Xavier at No. 2, 8-0. That win was followed by a victory at No. 1 from Katrina Zheltova and Melissa Valenzuela over Tabatha Knop and Mauela Santos, 8-2.

In singles play, the Hornets won three matches and dropped only five games in the process. Martinez defeated Xavier, 6-0, 6-0, at No. 5 to make the score, 2-0. Martinez combined to win 20 games in the match in both singles and doubles without dropping a single one.

Zheltova downed Tabatha Knop, 6-3, 6-1, at No. 1 and Aileen Tsan sealed the match with a 6-0, 6-1, win over Whately at No. 6. The Hornets also led the three matches that were unfinished.

Sacramento State will meet Northern Arizona in a rematch of last season's championship final. The Hornets defeated the Lumberjacks 4-0 in 2008 and also defeated NAU by the same score during the 2009 regular season.

SACRAMENTO STATE 4, NORTHERN COLORADO 0
Doubles
1. Katrina Zheltova/Melissa Valenzuela (SAC) def. Tabatha Knop/Manuela Santos, 8-2
2. Joyce Martinez Gutierrez/Clarisse Baca (SAC) def. Tiffany Knop/Luiza Xavier, 8-0
3. Aileen Tsan/Luba Schifris (SAC) led Jill Kappel/Jennifer Whately, 6-1 unfinished

Singles
1. Katrina Zheltova (SAC) def. Tabatha Knop, 6-3, 6-1
2. Melissa Valenzuela (SAC) led Manuela Santos, 7-6, 1-1 unfinished
3. Luba Schifris (SAC) led Tiffany Knop, 6-4, 5-2 unfinished
4. Clarisse Baca (SAC) led Jill Kappel, 6-1, 4-3 unfinished
5. Joyce Martinez Gutierrez (SAC) def. Luiza Xavier, 6-0, 6-0
6. Aileen Tsan (SAC) def. Jennifer Whately, 6-0, 6-1