NAU Looks to Snap Two-Match Losing Skid in California
/ February 27, 2015
Northern Arizona (2-4, Big Sky) at Loyola Marymount (2-5, WCC)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 28
Time: 10 a.m.
Location: Los Angeles, Calif. – LMU Tennis Center
Northern Arizona at No. 60 UC Irvine (4-8, Big West)
Date: Sunday, Mar. 1
Time: 10 a.m.
Location: Irvine, Calif. – Newport Beach Tennis Club
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – The Northern Arizona men's team is back on the road looking to snap a two-match losing skid when they travel to California with a matchup against Loyola Marymount and UC Irvine. This will be the seventh and eighth straight match on the road to start the 2015 season.
Despite dropping two matches last weekend, the Lumberjacks did receive a strong performance by senior Jordan Gobatie as he went undefeated, with a perfect 4-0 record. Against New Mexico, the Lumberjacks' lone win in singles came from Gobatie at the No. 3 position in a three-set match against Rodolfo Jauregui. Gobatie dropped the first set 6-4 but rallied in the last two sets 7-6, 1-0 (11-9) for his first winning streak in singles this season. Along with Alexandre Locci, Gobatie took down Jauregui and Augustus Ge from New Mexico 6-3 for the Lumberjacks' lone win in doubles.
Against Air Force, Locci and Gobatie got NAU their first win on the day on court two with a 6-3 victory over Andrew Parks and Max Olson. The senior from Riverside, Calif. extended the Lumberjacks' lead to 3-2 with his third straight win in singles defeating Jack McCullers 6-4, 6-4.
Series
This will be the 11th time Loyola Marymount and Northern Arizona will square off as the two schools have both won five matches each. NAU will face UC Irvine for the fourth time with UC Irvine winning all three matches.
Coach Kroll Quote of the Week
"I hope we step our game up and play towards our ability this weekend. We came out a little flat against Air Force and I expect us to raise our level of play against two very good opponents in Loyola Marymount and UC Irvine who is nationally ranked."
Scouting Loyola Marymount
The two wins Loyola Marymount has recorded this season have some Northern Arizona connections as the Lions have defeated Big Sky member Sacramento State and in-state opponent Grand Canyon. Both victories were a 7-0 sweep in Los Angeles, Calif. but currently the Lions are on a three-match losing streak with each loss by a score of 4-3. Leading the Lions in wins this is season is Errol Smith and Charles Boyce both with five wins. Smith is 5-1 at the No. 1 position while Boyce is 5-1 on court two. Loyola Marymount received one ITA Southwest Region ranking in doubles as Todd Volmari and Boyce came in at No. 10.
Scouting UC Irvine
Just nearly over a month into the season and UC Irvine has had a busy schedule already playing 12 matches all throughout the Southwest. NAU and UC Irvine have played similar opponents in Arizona and New Mexico. Irvine loss one match to UofA and also defeated the Wildcats in the same weekend. At the Arizona Kick-off Classic, UC Irvine suffered a loss to New Mexico. UC Irvine has the 16th best player in the Southwest Region, Nico Mertens, and the 18th best player in Tyler Pham. Pham joins Jonathan Hammel as the sixth best duo in doubles play in the Southwest Region.
Follow NAU Men's Tennis on Facebook
Follow NAU Men's Tennis on Twitter
