47TH-RANKED HORNETS BLANK EAGLES 7-0 TO BEGIN QUEST FOR SIXTH STRAIGHT BIG SKY TITLE

2/9/2007

CHENEY, Wash. - Sacramento State began the road toward its sixth straight Big Sky Conference championship with a 7-0 victory over Eastern Washington on Friday.

The 47th-ranked Hornets swept the Eagles in their first conference match of the season, scoring victories in all six singles matches and and all three doubles matches.

Sacramento State improves to 3-1 on the season, while the Eagles fall to 1-4 overall and 1-1 in the Big Sky.

Current Big Sky Women's Tennis Player of the Week, freshman Katrina Zheltova, improved her singles record to 3-1, and quickly knocked off Eastern Washington's Kasey Knox, 6-1, 6-0.

Freshman Aileen Tsan competed at the No. 2 spot for the first time this season, picking up her first victory of the year with a 6-1, 6-1 defeat of Kerstyn Dolack.

At the No. 3 spot, sophomore Luba Schifris (3-1) also won in straight sets, 6-2, 6-0. Sophomore Joyce Martinez-Gutierrez (1-3) dominated the No. 4 spot, not surrendering a game to Amanda Monkovits (6-0, 6-0).

The only upperclassmen on the squad, senior Cecelia Helland defeated Marie Demerath, 8-0 at the No. 5 spot, and sophomore Karina Jarlkaganova finished the sweep with an 8-4 win at the No. 6 spot over Sayaka Yoshimoto.

Martinez-Gutierrez and Schifris teamed for an 8-6 victory over Dolack and Knox in No. 1 doubles. It was the tandems first win of the season. At the No. 2 spot, Helland and Zheltova handled Mankovits and Iliana Petrova 8-3 in No. 2 doubles, improving to 2-1. Sophomore Anastassia Lyssenko and Tsan scored an 8-4 win over Berger and Demerath to close out doubles play and improve to 3-1 on the year.

The Hornets play their second Pac-10 opponent of the season, Washington State, at 10 a.m. tomorrow.

#47 Sacramento State at Eastern Washington
Sacramento State 7, Eastern Washington 0
Feb. 9, 2007, at Cheney, Wash.

Singles competition
1. Katrina Zheltova (Sac) def. Kasey Knox (EWU), 6-1, 6-0
2. Aileen Tsan (Sac) def. Kerstyn Dolack (EWU), 6-1, 6-1
3. Luba Schifris (Sac) def. Rachel Berger (EWU), 6-2, 6-0
4. Joyce Martinez Gutierrez (Sac) def. Amanda Mankovits (EWU), 6-0, 6-0
5. Cecilia Helland (Sac) def. Marie Demerath (EWU), 8-0
6. Karina Jarlkaganova (Sac) def. Sayaka Yoshimoto (EWU), 8-4

Doubles competition
1. Joyce Martinez Gutierrez/Luba Schifris (Sac) def. Kerstyn Dolack/Kasey Knox (EWU), 8-6
2. Cecilia Helland/Katrina Zheltova (Sac) def. Amanda Mankovits/Iliana Petrova (EWU), 8-3
3. Anastassia Lyssenko/Aileen Tsan (Sac) def. Rachel Berger/Marie Demerath (EWU), 8-4

Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (1,3,2,4,5,6)