SACRAMENTO — After claiming a share of the Big Sky Conference regular season title, the Sacramento State women's tennis team makes its way to Phoenix, Ariz., this week looking to double-up on league crowns at the 2024 Big Sky Championships at the Phoenix Tennis Center.
Despite tying for the top spot in the regular season, the Hornets will compete as the tournament's No. 3 seed, opening play against No. 6-seeded Northern Arizona on Thursday (April 25) at 8 a.m. The winner gets either top-seeded Idaho State or second-seeded Montana in the semifinals on Friday (April 26), with a championship crowned on Saturday (April 27).
The winner receives the Big Sky's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament, which begins with the first and second rounds on May 3 and May 5 at 16 campus sites around the country.
Sacramento State's slice of the regular season title is the program's 10th in school history, but the first since ending a run of nine consecutive crowns from 2004-12 when the Hornets finished a combined 65-0 in league play during that stretch. They will also be in search of their 12th Big Sky tournament title after winning every trophy from 2002-12, looking to break a tie with Weber State for the most in conference history.
Finishing off the regular season at 17-7 overall and 6-2 in Big Sky play, Sacramento State posted its highest win total since that 2012 team ended the year at 17-10 overall — a squad that featured current Hornet head coach Sophie Breault (nee Lohscheidt) — while the 6-2 mark in conference play is the best since the 2018 squad finished 9-2 in league.
Along the way, Sacramento State won nine consecutive duals from Feb. 10 to March 19, posting the program's longest winning streak since claiming 12 consecutive wins in 2005 and ranking as the third-longest winning streak for the program since 1992. The 17 wins this spring are the most of any Big Sky school — as are the 24 dual matches total as only Sacramento State, Weber State (21), and Northern Arizona (20) played at least 20 duals on the year.
Four Hornets finished the regular season with double-digit singles victories, ranking the quartet among the top 15 winningest student-athletes in the league entering this week's tournament. Freshmen Lou Baudouin and Irene Riva lead the Big Sky with identical 17-3 records, while senior Mayya Gorbunova's 13-5 record has her tied for fifth in total victories. Junior Maddy Ferreros, who has won 10 matches this year, is tied for 13th.
Gorbunova's 13 wins at the top spot in the lineup are the most of any No. 1 player in the conference entering the postseason, while Ferreros' nine wins at No. 2 also lead the way. Baudouin's 8-2 record have her tied for third in wins at the No. 3 spot, while Riva stands second in wins at the No. 4 spot with five, but leads the league in wins at the No. 5 position at 9-1.
Senior Best Lee finished 9-6 overall on the year, but her seven wins are tied for the most in the league at the No. 6 position in the lineup.
In doubles, the Hornet duo of Ferreros and Riva was nearly automatic throughout the season, finishing 14-3 overall on the year — tied for the most wins by a doubles team in the Big Sky with Weber State's Ana Morrett and Megan Davies (14-5) and the most at the No. 2 spot in the lineup by a league tandem.
The team of Baudouin and Gorbunova also finished 9-2 overall — including a 7-1 record in Big Sky play — and at the No. 3 spot, finishing tied for second in the league in wins at that position in the lineup.
2024 Big Sky Women's Tennis Championship Schedule
April 25-27 | Phoenix Tennis Center
All Matches Start at 8:00 a.m. PT
Thursday, April 25
Match 1: #4 Montana State vs. #5 Weber State
Match 2: #3 Sacramento State vs. #6 Northern Arizona
Friday, April 26
Match 3: #1 Idaho State vs. lowest remaining seed
Match 4: #2 Montana vs. highest remaining seed
Saturday, April 27
Championship: Match 3 Winner vs. Match 4 Winner
