Sacramento State?s women?s tennis team opened their 2002 season on a winning note this past weekend, hitting the road for a pair of tough contests at the University of California, Riverside and California State University, Northridge.

On Friday, the Hornets cruised to a 7-0 win over Riverside. The Hornets top six single seeds recorded victories en route to their season-opening shutout.

Sacramento State’s No. 1 seed Gabriella Lundqvist (No. 1), Marta Gronowicz (No. 2), Roberta Fessenko (No. 3), Petra Abraham (No. 4), Amanda Sanches (No. 5) and Christina Rivieccio (No. 6) all recorded victories Friday to give the Hornets a commanding 6-0 advantage.

The pairings of Gronowicz/Lundqvist, Fessenko/Abraham and Italina Kirknis/Sanches achieved the Hornets double’s point.

Although the score reflects a one-sided affair in favor of Sac State, Hornet head coach Bill Campbell was surprised at the level of improvement and competitiveness exhibited by both teams.Both teams played very competitively and have improved greatly from last year, said Campbell.

The Hornets kept up the winning momentum as they took on Northridge Saturday. The Hornets were unable to get the double?s point but earned three crucial points by Gronowicz, Sanches and Rivieccio in singles matches. The three points earned during singles competition were enough to give Sac State a unique opportunity at victory, leaving both teams tied at three apiece.

But, it would be the play of Lundqvist in the competitions final match that would be the determining factor.

Since the inception of the Hornets tennis program, Sac State had never defeated the Matadors. Northridge won the Big Sky Championship last year but are no longer a member of the Big Sky Conference.

With history and a record-breaking victory looming in the balance, Lundqvist cashed in, defeating Northridge?s Tereza Simonyan in a tiebreaker, 4-3.

“It was terrifying,” said Lundqvist, who didn?t realize the magnitude of the match until she saw how many people were watching her play tennis. “After it was over it was such a relief. All my teammates came up to me cheering. It was amazing and a really good win for us.”

Though the season is still very young, Campbell believes that there is something special about the 2002 women?s tennis program.

“This is the best team the school has ever had,” Campbell said.

The Hornets team will take on University of California, Davis this Saturday. Sac State defeated Davis last year and will look to continue its winning ways. Matches are scheduled to begin at 11:00 a.m. in Davis.