CHENEY, Wash. -- Sacramento State blanked Eastern Washington, 7-0, to claim at least a share of the Big Sky Conference regular season championship.
The Hornets, who were playing their final regular season matchup vs. a Big Sky team, improved to 15-5 overall and 7-1 in conference. Sacramento State has claimed at least a share of the Big Sky regular season title, as Northern Arizona (6-1 league) could also finish with the same league mark.
The Big Sky title is the first for the Hornets since 2013, and the team's current seven-match winning streak is the longest since 2010. In addition, Sacramento State's .875 conference winning percentage is the program's top mark since 2013.
The Hornets, who will either be the No. 1 or 2 seed at the Big Sky Tournament in Phoenix April 25-27, won their sixth straight Big Sky match. That is the program's longest conference winning streak since 2016.
Moreover, a number of Hornets improved their lengthy winning streaks this morning. Both
Mark Keki and
Rudolfs Aksenoks have won 10 straight singles matches, while
Jan Silva won his seventh straight and
Mate Voros sixth straight.
In this morning's match, Sacramento State had little trouble with the Eagles, winning all six singles matches in straight sets. That includes blowout wins by Keki at No. 1 (6-0, 6-0), Silva at No. 3 (6-0, 6-1) and Aksenoks at No. 6 (6-0, 6-0). Voros (No. 2),
Adam Chodur (No. 4) and
Jiri Novak (No. 5) were also victorious.
Sacramento State earned the doubles point after 6-2 victories at No. 1 by Keki/Voros, and Chodur/
Hayden Rand at No. 2.
Sacramento State concludes the regular season with a road matchup at rival UC Davis on Thursday at 3 p.m.
The Hornets will then turn their attention to the Big Sky Tournament, which takes place April 25-27 at the Phoenix Tennis Center. The winner of the single-elimination postseason event will secure an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. The Hornets will be seeking their first trip to the NCAA Tournament since the 2013 season.
