CEDAR CITY, Utah – For the first time in program history, the Northern Arizona University women's tennis team captured the 2016 Big Sky Conference regular season championship with a 7-0 sweep over Southern Utah University. The Lumberjacks finished 10-1 in conference matches and improve to 17-7, tying Head Coach Kim Bruno's winningest season in 2013. Northern Arizona locked in its No. 1 seed in the Big Sky Conference Tournament, which will take place in Gold River, Calif. April 29-May 1.

"From the beginning of the season, I knew our team had the talent," Bruno said. "But this took a lot of work and belief in what we are doing at NAU. Anyone who has watched us this season has seen us blossom into a championship team. The close points that used to give us problems early in the season, we look forward to now. It's a different mentality and culture."

"There are no words to describe what we did," senior Jordan Denesik said. "This team is so dedicated to keeping this momentum going. We're going to continue to get better every time we step on the court and know that no match will be an easy one. A regular season championship is fantastic; now we're going for the next one."

Doubles play set the tone from the start as all three pairs finished with a victory. Hailey Rochin and Eirene Granville took down Southern Utah's Evgenia Marushko and Teresa De Enrique first in a 6-1 decision. Hanneke Lodewijks and Blanka Szavay followed suit at line one, moving to 13-4 on the season, where they won 6-3 to clinch the doubles point. Denesik and Marta Lewandowska also won on court three 6-3.

In singles action, Lewandowska dominated on court three to give NAU its first singles point and a 2-0 lead. The junior topped De Enrique without dropping a single point 6-0, 6-0. Szavay finished next to capture her 15^th win of the season to just eight losses. She took down Marushko 6-4, 6-4 to position Rochin for the clinch at court four. For the first time this season, Rochin did exactly that by defeating SUU's Emily Lemmon 7-5, 6-3 and giving NAU a 4-0 lead.

Rounding out the final three points for the Lumberjacks were Denesik, Lodewijks and Granville on courts five, one and six respectively. Denesik, in her final season for Northern Arizona, capped off an incredible conference season going a perfect 11-0 with a victory over Laura Martin. Denesik grinded out a close one after dropping the first set, but went on to win 5-7, 6-3 (10-5). Lodewijks and Granville each would drop a set as well, but walked away victorious to complete the sweep.

"We know what we've accomplished and it's time for us to showcase our accomplishments heading into the tournament," Bruno noted. "If we believe in ourselves and let our rackets do what they've been doing all year, we should be in good shape. But it's still a fresh start and we have to be ready for that."

The 'Jacks will make the trek to Gold River, Calif. next week for the Big Sky Conference Tournament for their second shot at a championship this season. With a No. 1 seed, Northern Arizona will have a first-round bye and play on Saturday, April 30.

Results

Doubles

1. Hanneke Lodewijks/Blanka Szavay (NAU) def. Veronika Rogova/Laura Martin (SUU) 6-3
2. Hailey Rochin/Eirene Granville (NAU) def. Evgenia Marushko/Teresa De Enrique (SUU) 6-1
3. Jordan Denesik/Lewandowska (NAU) def. Emily Lemmon/Charity Sagiao (SUU) 6-3

Order of finish: 2, 1, 3

Singles

1. Hanneke Lodewijks (NAU) def. Veronika Rogova (SUU) 4-6, 6-4, (11-9)
2. Blanka Szavay (NAU) def. Evgenia Marushko (SUU) 6-4, 6-4
3. Marta Lewandowska (NAU) def. Teresa De Enrique (SUU) 6-0, 6-0
4. Hailey Rochin (NAU) def. Emily Lemmon (SUU) 7-5, 6-3
5. Jordan Denesik (NAU) def. Laura Martin (SUU) 5-7, 6-3, (10-5)
6. Eirene Granville (NAU) def. Charity Sagiao (SUU) 6-2, 4-6, 6-2

Order of finish: 3, 2, 4*, 5, 1, 6

*Clinched the match