Dramatic wins help Sac State men beat Montana

   Montana men's coach Kris Nord said Monday's loss at Sacramento State should have been closer than the score indicated.
   The Hornets defeated the Grizzlies 6-1 in a Big Sky Conference match at the Rio del Oro Racquet Club in Sacramento.
   "I felt like it should have been 4-3 instead of 6-1," Nord said on Montana's athletics web site.
   True, Sac State's Roy Brandys and Henrik Raag saved match points in victories at No. 2 and No. 6 singles, respectively.
   But Nord overlooked one detail. The Hornets (12-10, 7-1) played without their No. 1 singles player, Marek Marksoo, who has an ankle injury. Had Marksoo played, everyone else on the team ladder would have moved down one notch.
   Indeed, Sac State's only loss to Montana (5-6, 4-1) came at No. 1 singles as Aliaksandr Malko fell to Mikolaj Caruk 6-4, 6-4.
   Sac State (12-10, 7-1) has won a season-high five straight matches and eight of its last nine. The Hornets overtook Montana (5-6, 4-1) for second place in the Big Sky behind Idaho State (6-0) with two conference matches remaining.