Sacramento State men’s tennis faced a busy weekend slate hosting the Golden State Invitational. The Hornets balanced out their record at 7-7, winning three of their four games with their young core prevailing in narrow victories.

Women’s tennis rallied back into the win column tallying two for the weekend stretching their time at home to 2-2. The Hornets’ hot start to the season has them ranked at No. 74 nationally after this weekend’s window of games.

Men’s Tennis

Sac State started out their expansive weekend with a dynamic 4-3 triumph over Hawaii on Wednesday.

The Hornets secured a hard-fought doubles point. Sophomore Henry Lamchinniah and freshman Gur Libal cohesively met Hawaii at the net, landing hits that breezed by their opponents. The 7-5 win and a victory in second solidified the doubles point for the Hornets.

The match took a 2-hour break between doubles and singles due to a slight drizzle. As rain faded, the intensity elevated.

Sac State couldn’t maintain their lead at first. Freshman Martin Duris swept in two, but Hawaii bounced back, taking the next three and shifting the score to 3-2. Sitting at match point, the Hornets soared into redemption.

Lamchinniah faced No. 86 ranked junior Azuma Visaya at first singles. The sophomore routed his nationally ranked opponent, sweeping in two sets.

Lamchinniah persisted in various rallies throughout the sets. He met the ball wherever Visaya placed it, holding strong on defense. In the heat of rallies, Lamchinniah planted the ball with haste in the backcourt, just out of range for Visaya.

Tied at 3-3 after Lamchinniah’s win at first, the match came down to true freshman David Dai. Dai bounced back after a first set loss to take the second and third sets. The freshman outlasted Hawaii by taking long rallies. Dai shattered the tension of a 3-3 tie, cementing the win for the Hornets 4-3.

The Hornets’ next match was against Montana as part of the Golden State Invitational Friday morning.

The young squad fell short of the win at first and second, leading to third doubles going unfinished.

The Hornets took the Griz to three sets in half of their singles matches. Despite a late win from Lamchinniah at first, the Griz added to their win at doubles, taking the series 5-2. Despite Lamchinniah and Duris’ victories at the beginning and end of the slate, the Griz plucked the Hornets in four straight.

Lamchinniah said he was able to solve problems in the game against junior Tom Bittner who kept it close throughout the contest.

“He’s very offensive, very aggressive, big serve and really pushed the net on me,” Lamchinniah said. “Putting the pressure back on him and challenging him to win the match off of me was definitely the way to do it.”

Returning at 2:30 p.m., Sac State walked back on the courts to meet New Mexico State the same day.

Senior Hayden Rand and freshman Nick Bowles pressed forward, hovering their rackets close to the net. This caused quicker hits that New Mexico State landed out of bounds, leading to the point for Sac State. Whenever New Mexico State sank the ball towards the back end of the court, Rand caught up with his forehand, leading to a 7-5 victory.

Freshman Miles Whitehead and Duris also secured a close third doubles, winning 7-6. The duo snapped a 6-match losing streak to secure the first point of the day.

The Aggies equalized the score 2-2 after securing two singles wins at second and fourth.

Lamchinniah restored the advantage, winning in two tight sets. The second went into a tie-break that Lamchinniah clinched 7-3. His win at first singles marked his third straight.

Racket in hand, Duris sliced the potential for a tiebreaker in half. The Aggies’ chances of winning faded with the setting sun. Duris kept his accurate placing up in the third to clinch the match win for the Hornets.

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“My legs were wobbly, shaken. I was definitely tired from the first match,” Duris said. “At the end, I started cramping too. He was cramping even more than me, so at the end, I guess I just lasted a little longer.”

Rounding out the weekend’s games, Sac State hosted the University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley on Saturday.

The second doubles went unfinished as the Hornets solidified the win at first and third.

Lamchinniah extended his singles win streak to four straight, routing UTRGV in two sets.

The Big Sky Conference named Lamchinniah the Men’s Tennis Player of the Week. The sophomore won five across singles and doubles over the weekend. Lamchinniah has held down the Hornets’ first doubles and singles position all season.

Henry Lamchinniah won five combined matches at the No. 1 spot for the Hornets last week #ExperienceElevated pic.twitter.com/W7cDh8MVpF

— Big Sky Conference (@BigSkyConf) March 12, 2025

Rand was the Hornet to cut the contest short by clinching the game with his victory. With Bowles playing on the court next to Rand, the rest of the Hornets gathered behind the gate. Similarly, the Vaqueros congregated to support their teammates.

The Hornets roared as Rand secured the match with his third set triumph. Rand accumulated points through controlling the pace late in rallies.

“It’s just nice having the support of my team, having my back out there while I’m battling to win,” Rand said.

The Hornets will wait a week before their next matchup against Eastern Washington on Saturday.

Women’s Tennis

Five days after their loss against Nevada, Sac State hosted the Portland Pilots as their first of two opponents over the weekend.

Portland started headstrong, striking first at 1-0 after taking the doubles slate.

The Pilots took off winning second doubles but the Hornets won the next five and quickly grounding their momentum, marking the first win at home since January 26.

Redshirt sophomore Lou Baudouin played the closest game of the match. Winning the first set, Baudouin propelled the ball to the back end of the court, forcing the Pilots to reach for an impossible hit.

“I don’t want to play three sets. I’m gonna try to find a way and win in two,” Baudouin said. “It was definitely not easy, but you’re gonna find a way even if it’s not your best day.”

The Big Sky named freshman Emilija Pranyte their Women’s Tennis Player of the Week, highlighting her consistent success in doubles and singles. The freshman went 4-0 on the weekend, sweeping in one singles and clinching another in the third set.

Emilija Pranyte went 4-0 to lead the ranked Hornets to an undefeated weekend #ExperienceElevated pic.twitter.com/pQ8s9TbpAF

— Big Sky Conference (@BigSkyConf) March 12, 2025

Sac State played their next match against the Montana Grizzlies on Sunday. The match rounded out a two game series for the Hornets at home. The Grizzlies came into the game 1-1 in conference play and 3-8 overall.

The Hornets sprung to a 9-2 overall record, with a clean sweep of the Griz.

The doubles window closed in reverse order, as the Hornets secured third while taking second soon after. Montana took first doubles, the only game they’d take all day.

Sac State tallied six straight singles wins, primarily through countering heavy hits from Montana. The Hornets executed on opportunities to break the defensive cycle, shifting control of the game to their favor. Securing the pace of the game, the Hornets swung heavy into the sidelines of the Grizzlies.

Sac State proved why they’re ranked No. 75 nationally, as they didn’t drop a set in singles, winning all six in two sets. The Hornets hit with haste, dancing the landing of the balls out of range of the Griz’s rackets.

The Hornets are now 2-2 since returning from their road stretch.

The Seattle Redhawks will descend into Sacramento and take on the Hornets on Saturday at 10 a.m.