For the second consecutive season and the 13th time in school history, the Sacramento State women’s tennis team claimed the Big Sky Conference Tournament championship. Photo courtesy of Sacramento State Athletics

 

PHOENIX, ARIZONA (MPG) - For the second consecutive season and the 13th time in school history, the Sacramento State women’s tennis team claimed the Big Sky Conference Tournament championship, shutting out regular season champ and top-seeded Northern Arizona, 4-0, on the morning of April 26 at the Phoenix Tennis Center in Phoenix, Arizona.

The Hornets improved to 21-3 overall on the season, the most wins in a single season since the 2008 squad finished 21-7 overall and seized the league’s automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament with the victory while the 13th tournament championships are the most of any school in the conference. Sacramento State will be making its 15th all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament field, which will be announced on April 28 at 2 p.m. pacific standard time (PT) on NCAA.com.

With the loss, the Lumberjacks fell to 15-4 overall.

Sophomore Reese Walker was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player (MVP), following in the footsteps of former teammate Marya Gorbunova, who won the first tournament MVP honor following last year’s championship run.

Walker finished 2-0 in singles and won her doubles match by a 6-0 score alongside Palina Saulevich on April 26, defeated Annabel Davis of Idaho, 6-0, 6-3, in the April 25 semifinal victory and providing the championship-clinching point on April 26 with a 6-3, 6-4, victory over Northen Arizona University’s (NAU) Patrycja Niewiadomska.

The Hornets, who fell to the Lumberjacks by a 5-2 score in Flagstaff, Arizona., back on April 5 in what turned out to be their only Big Sky loss of the year, opened the championship on a high note, taking the doubles point for a 1-0 lead.

Saulevich and Walker were the first off with their shutout at No. 3, while the tandem of Maddy Ferreros and Irene Riva clinched the doubles point with a 6-4 win at No. 1.

Sacramento State then rolled to a trio of straight-set victories in singles with sophomore Lou Baudouin defeating Laura Duhl, 6-3, 6-2, at No. 3, followed by sophomore Elena Mercioiu’s 6-3, 6-1, victory over Leotina Stojanovic at No. 6.

That set the stage for Walker, who defeated Niewiadomska to set off the celebration. It was Walker’s third match-clinching point of the season as the Hornets won their sixth-straight dual, five of those via a shutout.

With her win, Mercioiu won her team-best 17th match of the year, while Walker improved to 16-4 and Baudouin won for the 14th time this season.

NCAA Women’s Tennis - Big Sky Tournament Championship

#75 Sacramento State 4, Northern Arizona 0

April 26 // Phoenix, Arizona (Phoenix Tennis Center)

Doubles

1. Maddy Ferreros / Irene Riva (SAC) def. Daryna Shoshyna / Elen Jantacova (NAU), 6-4

2. Lou Baudouin / Emilija Pranyte (SAC) vs. Laura Duhl / Patrycja Niewiadomska (NAU), 5-4 unfinished

3. Palina Saulevich / Reese Walker (SAC) def. Ruslana Kovalenko / Andrea Noguera (NAU), 6-0

Order of finish: 3, 1*

Singles

1. Maddy Ferreros (SAC) vs. Daryna Shoshyna (NAU), 2-6, 4-3 unfinished

2. Reese Walker (SAC) def. Patrycja Niewiadomska (NAU), 6-3, 6-4

3. Lou Baudouin (SAC) def. Laura Duhl (NAU), 6-3, 6-2

4. Emilija Pranyte (SAC) vs. Andrea Noguera (NAU), 2-6, 6-4, 1-0 unfinished

5. Irene Riva (SAC) vs. Elen Jantacova (NAU), 7-6, 2-3 unfinished

6. Elena Mercioiu (SAC) def. Leontina Stojanovic (NAU), 6-3, 6-1.