Sacramento State’s women’s tennis team defeated Northern Arizona to capture their second-straight Big Sky Championship, despite an injury to No. 1 singles player Margarita Karnaukhova.

The Hornets won four singles matches to take the tournament, which was held at Portland State.

With the win, the Hornets (16-7 overall) advance to the NCAA Tournament.

The Hornets went into the Big Sky Tournament ranked No. 69 in the nation.

The Hornets knocked off Eastern Washington, 4-0, and Weber State, 4-0, to advance to the championship match. “They just played excellent tennis under heavy pressure,” head coach Bill Campbell said.

Sophomores Cristina Riviecco, Roberta Fessenko, Amanda Sanchez and junior Ann Roslund each recorded singles wins in the 4-3 victory over NAU. The Lumberjacks won 2-of-3 doubles matches to garner the doubles point.

Karnaukhova, ranked No. 61 in the nation, had to forfeit her match due to a strained back. She is listed as day-to-day.

“She tried to gut it out, but her back got too bad,” Campbell said. Karnaukhova is questionable for the NCAA Tournament’s first round, which is scheduled for May 11.

In last year’s first round, the Hornets fell to Stanford in Palo Alto. Campbell feels that his team will most likely draw another top-10 team in this year’s first round.

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