They just needed to win one more match.

That’s all that separated last year’s Sacramento State men’s tennis team from a Big Sky title. One more match and it would have been the Hornets breaking Montana State’s string of consecutive titles. As it was, the Hornets fell 4-3 to the Bobcats, who won their second championshipe.

This year the Hornets were picked to finish second yet again in the Big Sky preseason coaches poll. Sac State received 30 votes, second only to Montana State’s 36. Of the seven first place votes Montana State grabbed six, while Sac State got passed over in favor of Northern Arizona for the final first place vote.

Assistant coach Jonathan Labella said that this year’s team will be successful where last year’s team failed.

“Last year we lost a lot of close matches,” Labella said. “Our work ethic is much better this year and I think we will win some of those close matches now.”

Labella added that consistency was a big problem last year for the Hornets.

“Last year there were too many dips emotionally,” Labella said. “If we can keep our highs high and our lows not quite as low we have a great shot at winning matches that we lost last year.” Winning some of those close matches could give senior Thomas Morton one more ride at the championship before he leaves.

“The conference title is a very realistic goal,” Morton said. “We almost won last year.”The team will have a new No. 1 this season in Gabriel Loredo, who takes the place of Joakim Rydberg. “Gabriel has better work habits than (Rydberg) had,” Labella said. “He has the same talents but works harder.”

Loredo has already made a difference with his demeanor. “I have brought in some positive energy and I’m a hard worker,” he said. “My goal is to bring the conference title here to Sac State.” Rydberg left the team because of what Labella calls “personal issues” and is now back in Sweden. The loss of such a talented player is tough on the team, but Labella said the team’s ultimate goal can still be achieved.

After coming so close last season the returning players got a taste of what it will take to win the championship this year.

“If we train and work hard we can win the title this year,” Junior Warwick Foy said of the team’s championship chances. “We just have to work on conditioning and hopefully nobody gets hurt.”

Benn Hodapp can be reached at [email protected]