OGDEN, Utah (January 8, 2019) – The three-time defending Big Sky regular season champion Northern Arizona women's tennis team is the preseason conference favorite according to the 2019 Big Sky Women's Tennis Preseason Poll released on Tuesday. The Lumberjacks received eight of 11 first-place votes by the league's head coaches.
Led by first-year head coach
Ewa Bogusz, the 'Jacks earned a total of 98 points to narrowly edge out Idaho for the preseason poll's top spot. The Vandals, who totaled 93 points, have defeated the Lumberjacks in the Big Sky Championship match each of the last three seasons.
The Lumberjacks have won 31 consecutive Big Sky regular season matches dating back to Feb. 14, 2016. After posting a 10-1 conference record to win its first of three Big Sky regular season titles that season, NAU has gone a perfect 11-0 in league play in each of the last two seasons.
The preseason favorite is loaded with talent with Bogusz – who served as the team's assistant coach last season – returning all six of her primary players from a year ago. Junior
Chiara Tomasetti leads the pack after an impressive fall season where she posted a 16-4 singles record and became the first player in program history to win the ITA Mountain Regional Singles Championship.
Tomasetti, a two-time All-Big Sky First Team singles selection, begins the spring ranked No. 75 nationally in the Oracle/ITA Division I Women's Rankings.
Four of NAU's six returners garnered all-conference accolades last season. Along with Tomasetti, senior
Hanneke Lodewijks was also named to the All-Big Sky First Team in singles. Lodewijks, one of two Lumberjack seniors this season, was the only 'Jack to earn a first team nod in both singles and doubles.
Lodewijks and sophomore
Ellie Millard were named to the All-Big Sky Doubles First Team, while Tomasetti and sophomore
Madi Moore were selected as a doubles pair to the all-conference second team.
NAU also returns senior
Eirene Granville and sophomore
Cora-Lynn von Dungern, while adding freshmen
Emilie Haakansson and
Adrianna Sosnowska to its roster this season.
Behind NAU and Idaho, Sacramento State placed third in the Preseason Poll followed by Eastern Washington, Weber State and Idaho State in order. Southern Utah came in seventh to lead the second half of the conference with Montana, Montana State, Northern Colorado and Portland State occupying the final four spots.
The top six teams will qualify for the Big Sky Championship tournament set to take place at the Phoenix Tennis Center in Phoenix from April 25-27.
The Lumberjacks will open their spring season this weekend at SMU's Metroplex Mania in Dallas, Texas.
