The Sacramento State men?s tennis captured the Big Sky Championship title for the second consecutive year this past weekend.

A substantial portion of its winning season can be attributed to the three-man freshman class of Matthew Jones (No. 3 singles player), Ali Abbou (No. 4) and Peter Farkas (No. 6).

At times, each has been unstoppable in their first year competing at the collegiate level.

Abbou left his home country of Tunisia to attend Sac State. Aside from the climate change, Abbou has adjusted well to the Sacramento-area and is enjoying his time at Sac State.

“Everything is going good. I?m getting used to everything and having a good time,” Abbou said.

Abbou currently has a 14-8 record during singles comepition this season.

Farkas has also traveled some distance to compete for the Hornets this season.

Originally from Victoria, British Columbia, Farkas attended Weil Tennis Academy before making the move to Sac State.

Farkas has amassed a singles record of 8-8 during his first season of play with the Hornets.

Jones is one of five men?s tennis players on the roster who reside in California. Jones attended El Camino Real High School before enrolling at Sac State.

A local product, Jones has dazzled Hornet fans this season, racing out to a 10-9 singles record while competing against some of the other teams tougher singles players.

Abbou, Farkas and Jones have played crucial roles in keeping Sac State on top of the Big Sky Conference.

The Hornets finished the season undefeated in Big Sky play, with a 6-0 conference mark. In the last five years, Sac State has went 33-1 in the Big Sky.

After helping the Hornets claim their fourth Big Sky Championship in the last five years, the trio now looks forward to competing with their team in the NCAA National Tournament.

The tournament is scheduled for May 11 and 12. The Hornets are riding a seven-game winning streak, which began with a mid-April defeat of St. Mary?s College.

The Hornets will have the opportunity to keep that streak alive when they line-up against some of the best tennis players at the NCAA?s.

Abbou realizes the magnitude of the situation, and is also aware that the Hornets seven-game winning streak can only help their cause.

“We have to stay focused in practice. We?ve been playing really well and we just have to keep it up,” Abbou said.

The Hornets currently have an overall record of 12-10.

“We had an extremely difficult schedule. We played eight nationally-ranked teams in the beginning,” assistant coach Damon Coupe said.

Abbou, Farkas and Jones have been instrumental in getting the team back to playing at a level they can be proud of.

“Sometimes when you are losing, you forget how to win,” said Coupe. “We kept working at (Abbou, Farkas and Jones) and when we needed them to step up – they did. They are a solid core for the future.”

For his late-season efforts, Jones was recently named Big Sky?s Player of the Week. Abbou received the honor earlier in the season.

At the end of the year, Sac State will be losing three valuable seniors: Sherif Zaher (No. 1 singles player), Fabio Jesus and Josh Price.

Jones, Abbou, and Farkas have large shoes to fill as they enter their second season.

“Hopefully we will remain solid,” said Abbou, who will look to avoid a sophomore slump.

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