Marksoo earns rare distinction for Sac State

Sophomore Marek Marksoo became the fourth man in
Sacramento State history to earn a national singles ranking.
2012 photo by Paul Bauman

   Being ranked No. 120 might not sound like much.
   But it's a big deal at Sacramento State.
   Marek Marksoo this week became the fourth man in school history to earn a national singles ranking. The Intercollegiate Tennis Association ranks the top 125 singles players from the 273 NCAA Division I tennis programs.
   Marksoo, a sophomore from Estonia, joined former Hornets Kiryl Harbatsiuk of Belarus (2008-11), Jason Smith of Davis (2009-11) and Anton Stryhas of Belarus (2007-10), according to Sac State.
   Marksoo is 14-3 in singles with an 11-match winning streak. However, he has missed the last seven matches with a sprained ankle. He began the season as Sac State's No. 2 singles player but replaced senior Aliaksandr Malko of Belarus at No. 1 three matches into the season. Marksoo has gone 13-2 since then.
   Earlier this year, Marksoo and Malko were ranked 80th in doubles. They also were the fourth doubles team in school history to receive a national ranking, joining Harbatsiuk-Stryhas, Harbatsiuk-Marko Starcevic and Starcevic-Holden Ching.
   In February, Marksoo became the first Hornet to play in the Davis Cup as Estonia lost to host Ireland 3-2 in the first round of the Europe-Africa zone. Marksoo, 19, lost to Sam Barry 6-2, 6-1, 6-3 in singles and paired with Vladimir Ivanov in a 6-4, 6-3, 3-6, 3-6, 9-7 loss to Barry and James McGee.
   Sac State (14-12, 9-1 Big Sky Conference) is off until April 21, when the Hornets end their regular season against Saint Mary’s at the Rio del Oro Racquet Club in Sacramento. The dual match is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.
   Sac State will host the Big Sky Conference Tournament on April 26-28 at the Gold River Racquet Club in the Sacramento area. The Hornets have clinched at least the No. 2 seed and will receive a bye in the quarterfinals.

COLLEGE RESULTS

Men

   No. 7 Pepperdine def. Saint Mary's 7-0 in Pacific Palisades. No. 1 singles: No. 16 Sebastian Fanselow (P) def. No. 100 Jesse Kiuru 6-2, 6-1. Team records: Pepperdine 20-4 overall, 6-0 West Coast Conference; Saint Mary's 9-11, 3-3.
   No. 16 Cal def. No. 73 Utah 6-1 in Berkeley. No. 1 singles: No. 35 Ben McLachlan (C) def. Dmytro Mamedov 6-2, 6-3. Team records: Cal 11-8 overall, 2-1 Pacific-12 Conference; Utah 11-10, 1-4.
   No. 41 Stanford def. Arizona 6-1 at Stanford. No. 1 singles: No. 39 John Morrissey (S) def. Kieren Thompson 6-4, 6-1. Team records: Stanford 9-9 overall, 2-3 Pac-12; Arizona 10-11, 0-5.
   Cal Poly def. UC Davis 5-2 in Davis. No. 1 singles: Andre Dome (CP) def. Toki Sherbakov 6-1, 6-3. Team records: Cal Poly 10-8 overall, 2-1 Big West Conference; UC Davis 6-10, 0-3.

Women

   No. 11 Cal def. No. 21 Arizona State 6-1 in Tempe, Ariz. No. 1 singles: No. 10 Anett Schutting (C) def. Jacqueline Cako 6-2, 6-1. Team records: Cal 13-5 overall, 7-1 Pac-12; Arizona State 15-4, 5-3.
   No. 13 Stanford def. No. 75 Arizona 7-0 in Tucson, Ariz. No. 1 singles: No. 27 Nicole Gibbs (S) def. Lacey Smyth 6-3, 6-1. Team records: Stanford 15-3 overall, 7-1 Pac-12; Arizona 9-12, 1-6.
    No. 66 San Jose State def. Texas-San Antonio 4-1 in Moscow, Idaho. No. 1 singles: Klaudia Boczova (SJS) def. Jacobea Junger 6-2, 6-0. Team records: San Jose State 15-5 overall, 7-1 Western Athletic Conference; Texas-San Antonio 6-12, 1-6.
   UC Davis def. Pacific 5-2 in Davis. No. 1 singles: Iveta Masarova (P) def. Megan Heneghan 6-1, 6-0. Team records: UC Davis 9-11 overall, 4-4 Big West; Pacific 8-12, 3-5.