SANTA CLARA, Calif. - After a rainout delayed their match back in February, the Broncos and Hornets from California State University, Sacramento are set to duke it out Wednesday afternoon at the Degheri Tennis Center.
The final mid-week match for the Broncos is set to get underway at 3 p.m.
The instate foes last faced each other in 2013 when 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 returns to the Degheri Tennis Center with a 6-12 record overall on the year, including a mark of 4-4 competing on its home courts.
This past weekend, the Broncos downed Saint Mary's College by a score of 4-3 to capture their first conference victory of the season but were outlasted by the University of the Pacific just a day later.
For the past three weeks, Ilya Osintsev has taken control of the No. 1 singles role for the Broncos. Posting a 3-1 record during that time, Osintsev has quietly put in solid performances to keep the Broncos within striking distance during their past dual matches. Competing against Sacramento State back in 2013, the lefty got the best of his Hornet opponent, rolling to 6-3, 6-1 victory. With one more victory, the senior will have 63 career singles victories which will put him tied for seventh place on Santa Clara's all-time singles wins list.
Next door on Court 2, Ashot Khacharyan has also posted a record of 3-1 since making the switch with Osintsev at the top of the Santa Clara lineup. The junior leads the squad with 16 singles victories and will look to continue his winning ways against the Hornets, a squad that he has fared well against during his time as a Bronco. 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.
After winning five out of his first six dual matches to open up spring play, Mikheil Khmiadashvili has faltered as of late, dropping four matches in a row. The sophomore will look to get on track against Sacramento State, a squad that he has never faced in his first two years on the Mission Campus.
Sam Bertram has picked up the squad as of late competing on Court 4. The senior dominated Jacob Lagman from Saint Mary's last Friday by a score of 6-2, 6-2 to clinch the Santa Clara victory and followed suit with a 7-6, 2-6, 1-0(9) performance against Daniel Alameh from Pacific just 24 hours later. The Melbourne, Australia native is now 9-10 overall this year and 8-7 in dual match play.
Santa Clara's final two singles competitors, freshmen Max Heerinckx and Sebastien Mathieu, will also look to get into the win column this Wednesday and contribute to the Bronco's seventh victory on the season.
In doubles, Santa Clara's top two tandems are riding high after finishing last weekend's action undefeated. Osintsev and Bertram, playing recently at the No. 1 position, lead the squad with a record of 7-5 overall while Khmiadasvhili and Khacharyan now sit even at 4-4.
Sacramento State
The Hornets will arrive on the Mission Campus boasting a record of 10-12 overall, including a mark of 2-10 competing away from home.
After winning three consecutive matches, Sacramento State dropped its last match against Portland State University by a one-point margin, 4-3.
Brandys, a senior from Random, Poland, has taken responsibility of the No. 1 singles position as of late, posting a 3-4 record at that spot. In his last outing, Brandys claimed the first set 6-4 against Portland State but dropped sets two and three by scores of 6-0, 6-3 respectively.
Kasparas, tallying a record of 5-15 on the year, has played primarily at the No. 2 spot in recent time. The lengthy freshman has lost two matches in a row and is just 3-7 in his last 10 outings.
Five different Hornets have played at the No. 3 position this year with Sean Kolar, the team leader with 10 singles victories, taking over duty in the last two matches. The 6-foot, 1-inch junior is an even 1-1 at that spot and is coming off a straight-set 6-2, 7-5 victory against Portland State. The changes in Sacramento State's lineup have also continued at the No. 4 singles spot with seven different Hornets splitting time at that position, combining to collect eight wins and 12 losses on the season.
Statistically, the No. 6 singles position has been Sacramento State's best spot on the season. Joaquin Marquez has spent some of his recent time playing in the final singles position for the Hornets. The junior has an unblemished mark of 6-0 competing at that spot and is currently riding a five-match winning streak.
In doubles, Brandys and Tom Miller have controlled the No. 1 singles spot in the past few matches. The senior pairing is 3-2 on Court 1 this season but is currently suffering through a two-match losing skid. In the past two matches, Kolar and Marek Marksoo have led the Hornets at the No. 2 position, splitting their two contests. Over the course of the year, 11 different Hornet tandems have played on Court 2 in doubles but have only mustered five wins. Zemaitelis and Christopher Clayton have picked up the slack on Court 3, racking up eight victories competing at that position. In their last outing, the Hornet pairing came away with a 6-4 victory.
