The Sacramento State men’s tennis season began with a dominating effort this past Sunday as the Hornets defeated the visiting Portland State Vikings, 7-0, at Rio Del Oro Racquet Club.

The freshmen were up for the challenge in their first match as Hornets. Inexperience is rampant on this squad, but sophomore Matthew Jones feels that this team is capable of doing great things.

“Our goal is definitely the Big Sky Championship, and we’d also like the opportunity to do some damage in the NCAA (Tournament),” Jones said.

But there is one prominent face coming back this year. The 2002 Big Sky Player of the Year is back for another season, this time as a head coach.

Former Hornet star Sherif Zaher got is first win in his debut as the head coach of the Hornets. Moving out of the college player rankings and right into the head coaching position is a tall task, but Zaher feels he is up for it.

“It’s definitely tough, especially when you want to do it yourself,” Zaher said. “But (the players) are good listeners and they work hard.”

Last year Zaher guided the Hornets to a Big Sky Championship and NCAA Tournament berth.Led by Jones and freshman Lewis Van Splunteren on Saturday, the Hornets’ No. 1 doubles team, set the tone for the 2003 season. They soundly beat the Vikings’ No. 1 doubles team of Chuck Haselwood and Beau Smith, 8-2.

In the No. 2 doubles match, the Hornet tandem of freshmen Julien Chatelan and Jakub Sliva outlasted Colin Gillan and Mark Simpson, 9-8, after a tie-breaking set.

In the No. 3 doubles match, junior Nick Sheehan and freshman Anders Albertsen of Sac State defeated the Vikings’ Cole Shelton and Robbie Eifford, 8-1.

With a 3-0 start, the format changed to singles competition, in which the Vikings’ continued to have no answer for any of their Hornet counterparts.

Jones, the Hornets’ No. 1 singles player, won the first set over Smith, 6-1. Jones controlled the match throughout, and Smith was forced to retire with a leg injury, awarding another point to the Hornets.

Chatelan was up one set in the No. 2 singles match over Haselwood, who also succumbed to injury and had to retire.

In the No. 3 singles match, Sheehan defeated Simpson, 6-1, 6-2. Sliva blasted through Eifford, 6-0, 6-1, in the No. 4 contest, while Van Splunteren ousted Shelton in convincing fashion in the No. 5 contest, 6-0, 6-1. In the No. 6 match Albertsen had little trouble with Gillan, beating him 6-2, 6-0.

The next match is Thursday when the UC Davis Aggies come to the Rio Del Oro Racquet Club. The aces, forehands and lob shots begin at 2 p.m.

“We just have to play one team at a time,” Zaher said. “Every match is a new day.”