The Big Sky semifinals began with the top seeded Sacramento State Hornets stinging the No. 4 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks 4-0 at Gold River Racquet Club. The win came a day after the Lumberjacks ousted three-time Big Sky tournament champion Montana State.

The match figured to be and was a tough challenge since Northern Arizona gave Sac State its toughest conference match last month.

Number four Warwick Foy and No. 6 Tim Lantin lost tough three-setters in the team’s first meeting while No. 5 Ramon Perez prevailed in a grueling third set super tiebreaker in his match.

The semifinal match began with Sac State winning two of three doubles matches to take the doubles point.

The Hornets’ No. 3 doubles team of Ramon Perez and Warwick Foy won 8-5, but the No. 2 tandem of Hague Van Dillen and Xavier Barajas-Smith gave up a 4-1 lead and lost 9-7.

Van Dillen and Barajas-Smith saved three match points before falling due to a disputed line call.

Van Dillen lost his last three service points because of excellent Lumberjack returning and shaky net play by Barajas-Smith.

Number one doubles Anton Stryhas and Gabriel Loredo saved face for the Hornets, rallying back from 5-2 down to take the match 8-6.

“From the start of the match, I was trying to get pumped up but I couldn’t because we werent playing that good,” Loredo said.

In singles, the Lumberjacks’ No. 2 and No. 3 switched positions from the last time Sac State played them. It was no problem for Stryhas, who ended up clinching his match easily with a 6-3, 6-0 win.

The singles charge was led by Barajas-Smith, who won his singles match quicker than his doubles. Barajas-Smith was ready to play and cruised 6-1, 6-0.

Number five Foy also sunk his opponent 6-2, 6-0.

After Stryhas won to clinch the match, the rest of singles were suspended. Number three Loredo was up 6-1, 3-5, No. 4 Perez trailed 3-6, 2-0 and No. 6 Tim Lantin was ahead 7-5, 1-2.

The Hornets expect a tougher match in the finals because of the stakes.

Sac State’s dream of an NCAA berth are only one win away. The Hornets will square off against the winner of the Montana-Eastern Washington match at 10 a.m. on Sunday at the Gold River Racquet Club.