Both Sacramento State women’s and men’s tennis ran away with sweeps on Saturday. Saturday morning marked the women’s first 4-0 landslide, while the men’s team landed their third 7-0 victory this season.
Women’s Tennis
Sac State hosted Seattle for their lone match of the week. The Hornets trampled on the Redhawks’ wings early on as the hosts swept at third and second.
The sweep marks a three-game win streak starting against Nevada, with a complete sweep of Montana and the first victory of its kind on Saturday. Sac State brought out the brooms, completing their first 4-0 sweep of the season over the weekend.
Winning back-to-back doubles in their last two games, the Hornets made a slight alteration to an already winning lineup. None of the doubles pairs matched the previous lineups the Hornets have used in the last several games.
The changes proved to fit just right since the Hornets took both third and second doubles 6-2. In both games, the Hornets controlled the pace, forcing the Redhawks to unsuccessfully respond to backcourt balls.
Blink and you might’ve missed the singles slate decided in half of the usual six games. Sophomores Irene Riva and Elena Mercioiu landed fast volleys to run away with their matches in two sets each. The sophomores absorbed points from their opponents’ faults as the Redhawks landed balls out of bounds in lengthened rallies.
Freshman Emilija Pranyte slid into action, slicing hits as her shoes grated the pavement. The two-set victory marked Pranyte’s third straight singles win.
“We’ve been working on starting points well, not giving up deciding points easily,” Pranyte said. “I tried to break her mentally.”
Senior Weronika Ejsmont primarily competes for the Hornets in doubles, playing only three singles so far this season with the third coming against the Redhawks.
Head coach Sophie Breault said she saw Ejsmont’s start at singles as an opportunity to play at a spot she doesn’t typically play at.
“It’s about giving someone else a chance to play,” Breault said. “They work hard in the week, they get rewarded.”
The Hornets resume conference play against Montana State at home on Friday at 10 a.m.
Men’s Tennis
Sac State grounded the eagles of Eastern Washington on Saturday at home in a brisk 7-0 wave, following the women’s sweep.
The second sweep of the day extended their win streak to three, the Hornets’ longest this season. Similar to the women’s doubles performance, the men took it in two, leaving behind an unfinished game.
Freshman Nick Bowles and senior Hayden Rand tallied another win at second doubles. Rand and Bowles applied pressure with fast volleys close to the net. The duo hasn’t dropped a game at second since moving from third on March 2 against Idaho State.
Sophomore Henry Lamchinniah and freshman Gur Libal guarded the nets, denying passage of any ball to their backcourt. The duo racked up their seventh win for their season-long spot at first doubles.
Following the doubles success, the Hornets snowballed to six straight singles wins.
Lamchinniah’s points came as junior and former Hornet Tyler Waddock hit the net three consecutive times in the second set.
After two out calls in favor of Lamchinniah, Waddock shook his head and rolled his eyes. When Lamchinniah’s ball landed far out of bounds, Waddock pointed down on the ground and looked at the ref as he made the out call.
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Lamchinniah maintained composure, plucking the wings of the former Hornet in just two sets. Lamachinniah stuck to the long, taking points in extended rallies.
“It was tougher than it looked,” Lamchinniah said. “He competed really hard and played well on some really big points.”
Lamchinniah’s recent success has him riding a 5-game singles win streak and earned him the Big Sky’s Men’s Tennis Player of the Week last week.
“It’s always a big honor to be recognized amongst other great players in the conference,” Lamchinniah said.
Libal, Lamchinniah’s doubles partner, also shares the same accolade from a few weeks earlier.
After the sophomore’s fifth triumph in a row, his teammates joined him on the first singles court cheering on Libal.
The freshman grinned and made a heart shape with his hands toward his audience of teammates after securing the set sweep.
The home victory sparked singles winning streaks for three players. In addition to Lamchinniah’s fifth straight, freshman Martin Duris reached five while Rand held three consecutive.
“We all came up with a good mindset today,” head coach Kevin Kurtz said. “I’m proud of the effort.”
Sac State returns to the court to host Montana State on Thursday at 1 p.m.
