After being selected as the favorites to win the Big Sky Conference in January, the Sacramento State men’s tennis team has gone on a cold streak.

A from a road trip that started in California and ended in Montana, has taken its toll, but sophomore Joaquin Marquez is relieved to be back home.

“It’s nice to not have to travel and adjust,” Marquez said. “We went to Montana and then played Montana State again. It’s nice to have some stability.”

The Hornets have lost five of their last six matches, two of which came in Big Sky competition. Some observers might think it is time to panic, but with a nine-game homestand approaching, junior Tom Miller is not worried.

“It has been a hard start to the season, but I have every thought that we are going to turn it around,” Miller said. “It has not been easy, but I am optimistic.”

Five of the nine games are conference matches, so the Hornets will look to bounce back, and do so quickly.

The story of late for the Hornets has been injuries. Junior Marek Marksoo seems to be back to full health, but the team has been without junior Sean Kolar for the start of the season.

Kolar underwent surgery on his knee prior to the season, but he has not been able to join the team, and he might end up being out for the season, assistant coach Kevin Kurtz said.

“He aggravated (his knee) a couple weeks ago, so he might just make this his redshirt season,” Kurtz said.

In addition to Kolar, the entire team has lingering injuries. Kurtz said Marquez is the only player on the roster who is healthy. The team is optimistic that being back at home will allow for recovery and for getting back to full strength.

While the Hornets may be excited about playing on their home court again, even that is not for certain. The courts at the Rio Del Oro Racquet Club, where both the men’s and women’s teams play home matches, is being resurfaced. Due to the resurfacing, both teams will be playing on campus for the first time since 1998, with the men’s opening match coming on March 18.

The Hornets are looking forward to playing on campus, something the team has been trying to have happen for some time, but it never came to fruition. Junior Roy Brandys is hopeful it will be good for the team.

“We are pretty excited,” Brandys said. “We have been trying to get a few matches (at school), but we were unsuccessful.”

The early season road trip was a wake up call for the Hornets, who will need to rebound in order to keep their Big Sky hopes within reach.

“It didn’t go how we expected too, but to be honest we lost to two better teams,” Miller said. “We didn’t put ourselves in a position to win so we got what we deserved and we are going to learn from it.”