SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The No. 66 Santa Clara men's tennis team will look to get back on track this Saturday when they welcome California State University, Sacramento to the Degheri Tennis Center. The Hornets and Broncos will lace up their shoes, grab their rackets and hit the courts at 11 a.m.
Santa Clara and Sacramento State last faced off in 2013 in which the Broncos captured a 5-2 victory. Dating back to 2005, the Broncos lead the overall series 6-2, having won the last three meetings between both programs.
The Broncos
Santa Clara enters Saturday's matchup with a 4-4 overall record, including a mark of 3-1 at home.
Last weekend, the Broncos traveled to Eugene, Org. to do battle with two nationally ranked opponents but fell to the University of Nebraska and the University of Oregon.
The Broncos continue to be led by their veteran competitors. Ashot Khacharyan headlines Santa Clara's singles lineup with his 12-3 record playing exclusively on Court 1 this season. The junior has fared well against Sacramento State during his time wearing the red and white. He downed the 6-foot, 5-inch Kasparas Zemaitelis 6-4, 6-2 in the Round of 128 at the ITA Regionals back in the fall, a tournament that Khacharyan would go on to reach the singles final. Two years ago, the Sochi, Russia native defeated Roy Brandys, now a senior at Sacramento State, by a score of 7-5, 6-2.
Right next door on Court 2, senior Ilya Osintsev has been racking up victory after victory over the past three and a half years. Boasting a 57-25 career record, Osintsev needs just one more singles victory to etch his name in the top 10 on Santa Clara's all-time singles wins list. The lefty also got the best of Sacramento State when the Broncos and Hornets last played against each other, rolling 6-3, 6-1 over his opponent.
Fresh off clinching his 20th career singles victory last weekend, Mikheil Khmiadashvili has been a reliable performer for Santa Clara at the No. 3 position. The sophomore is 7-3 overall this year and 5-2 in dual matches.
Despite the team losses last weekend, Sam Bertram also picked up a victory in singles. The senior is 5-5 on year and 4-2 in dual matches. His energy and encouragement has proven to give the Broncos a necessary spark at just the right times on the courts during competition.
Freshmen Max Heerinckx and Sebastien Mathieu will look to capture their first collegiate singles victories when they compete in the latter half of the Santa Clara lineup.
In doubles, the Broncos received their first win from the recently assembled pairing of Khacharyan and Khmiadashvili. The pairing of Eastern Europeans is 1-1 on the season after downing Nebraska's No. 1 duo 6-4.
At the No. 2 position, Osintsev and Bertram have quietly racked up a 4-2 record this season, including a 2-1 mark in dual matches. This past weekend, the tandem also defeated a Nebraska pairing by a score of 6-4.
The Broncos are 3-1 on the year when they win the doubles point.
Holding steady at 99 career victories, head coach Derek Mills needs one more victory to eclipse the 100 career mark.
Sacramento State
The Hornets enter this weekend with a 2-4 record, including a 1-3 mark playing away from home. Sacramento State jumped out to a 2-1 start to the season but has lost its last three contests against the University of California, Davis, Stanford University and the University of the Pacific.
Before the Hornets make their way to Santa Clara, they will challenge Weber State University today at 1 p.m.
Sean Kolar, holding a 2-3 record on the season, leads the Hornets at the No. 1 singles position. The 6-foot, 1-inch junior was a first team all-Big Sky Conference selection two years ago but missed last season due to injury.
At the No. 2 position, Sacramento State has relied on Niranjan Ram who also boasts a 2-3 record playing at that position. The 2014 first team all-Big Sky Conference selection led the squad with a 14-10 record last year. Next door on Court 3, Roy Brandys is 1-3 at that position. The two have switched off and played at both positions so far this dual match season.
At the back end of the Hornets' singles lineups, five Sacramento State competitors have combined for an overall record of 4-14.
In doubles, the Sacramento State squad has combined to compile a 5-10 record in the dual match season. The Hornets have sent out three different tandems at the No. 1 position. Sean Kolar and Marek Marksoo have been the most reliable tandem for the Hornets to date. The junior and senior duo is 2-2 on the year.
Be sure to check on SantaClaraBroncos.com for more on Santa Clara's performance against Sacramento State. Stay up to date with everything men's tennis on Facebook, Instagram @santaclaramtennis, and Twitter @SCUmtennis. Go Broncos!
