FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (March 25, 2019) – The Northern Arizona men's tennis team won its seventh straight match on the season as it took down Portland State 7-0. This marks the second straight match that the Lumberjacks did not drop a single point.
"It was a really good performance, and they're feeling good," NAU head coach
Maciej Bogusz said. "I'm proud of the guys who were behind a set or had tougher matches because they were able to adjust as the match went on. They found their composure which is good to see."
With the win, the 'Jacks move to 10-6 on the season and 6-0 in the conference. The 6-0 start in the Big Sky has NAU in a commanding lead of the conference with the next closest team being Sacramento State, who is 3-1. Following the loss to NAU, Portland State is now 9-5 on the year, and 4-3 in the conference.
"It's pretty early in the conference season to say which teams are at the top," Bogusz said. "Portland State is a talented team, and it's probably the best team they've ever had. Of course it's an excellent win, and it sends a message to our competition."
Similar to the previous six matches of the winning streak, Northern Arizona was able to start the match off against PSU by winning the doubles point. The Lumberjacks No. 2 and No. 3 doubles were able to win their matches, while the No. 1 doubles pair match was unfished. The duo of
Lucas Taylor and
Facundo Tumosa won the No. 2 doubles against Majeed Bukhari and Sam Roberts 6-2, while the No. 2 doubles of
Chris Steele and
Tom Fisher won their match 6-3 to seal the point for NAU.
In singles, all six Lumberjacks were able to take home a win on the day. The first match to finish was Tumosa at the No. 4 position where he took down Avery West. Following Tumosa's victory,
Ruben Montano won the No. 6 singles by a score of 6-1 and 6-2.
With Northern Arizona up 3-0 and only one point away from clinching the win, Fisher was able to win the No. 5 singles as he beat PSU's Roberts 6-4 and 6-2.
With the match in hand, the Lumberjacks No. 1, No. 3 and No. 2 singles players were able to win their matches.
Tim Handel won the No. singles match by taking down Matteo Forini 6-4 and 6-3, while Steel won the No. 3 singles match by a score of 2-6, 7-6 and 10-5. Taylor finished the day for NAU, as he won the No. 2 singles over Lucas Branco.
Looking Forward
Northern Arizona will be back in action on March 29 and March 30 where the team will take on California Davis and Sacramento State. The Lumberjacks will be looking to expand upon their impressive seven-match winning streak.
