FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (March 28, 2019) – A Saturday doubleheader lies ahead for the Northern Arizona women's tennis team with the Lumberjacks set to host Portland State and UTEP in the Aquatic and Tennis Complex at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. respectively. Admission is free for all fans and the first 100 fans will receive an "Axe-ing for Trouble" tank top starting at the morning match until supplies last.
The Lumberjacks are aiming to build on their positive vibes gained from their 4-3 victory over Idaho State last Thursday, which snapped their four-match losing streak. The 'Jacks improved to 5-8 overall and 2-1 in conference play leading into their Big Sky matchup against Portland State to begin Saturday's twin bill.
"The team played well last Thursday; it was huge for us," said head coach
Ewa Bogusz. "They worked out some things and we won because of their hard work. They put the work in and we saw the results of that and we want to build on that. We're ready for Saturday."
Junior
Chiara Tomasetti led a quartet of Lumberjacks at the top of NAU's lineup with victories against the Bengals in singles play to guide the 'Jacks to their second conference win of the season. Tomasetti, sophomore
Ellie Millard, freshman
Adrianna Sosnowska and freshman
Emilie Haakansson earned victories at the No. 1 through 4 spots to help NAU overcome losing the doubles point.
Tomasetti remains perfect in dual matches with a conference-leading 12-0 mark at the No. 1 singles position. Ten of her dozen victories have come in straight sets and she has already leapt to fifth all-time in program history with 21 career singles wins at No. 1 to date.
Behind her in the lineup, Millard has won two of her last three matches at No. 2 including earning the match-clinching point against Idaho State. Playing primarily at No. 3, Sosnowska ranks second on the team with an 8-4 singles record, while Haakansson is third with a 7-4 record primarily at No. 4.
The Lumberjacks are 11-7 in singles play in their three conference matches thus far and are an even 35-35 overall as a team.
NAU will continue to look to improve in doubles where the 'Jacks are 16-20 overall as a team, although they are 5-4 in conference play. The Lumberjacks have dropped the doubles point in five straight matches, but that did not deter them from ultimate success versus the Bengals by picking up the four singles wins.
"We've been doing a lot of video review and every day we're making small steps towards improving our doubles," Bogusz said. "Hopefully going forward, if we do the right things we'll see progress."
Tomasetti and Sosnowska lead the team with a 7-6 doubles record, spending all but one match this season at the No. 1 position. Millard and senior
Hanneke Lodewijks are 4-4 as the Lumberjacks' No. 2 pair while Haakansson and sophomore
Madi Moore are 3-6 at No. 3. Both NAU's No. 2 and 3 tandems are 2-1 in conference play.
The Lumberjacks will take on Portland State first on Saturday having won four in a row, including last season's 6-1 win in Portland, and 17 of 18 all-time. The Vikings are 2-7 overall and 1-6 in the Big Sky. Portland State defeated Northern Colorado on the road, 5-2, on Tuesday which snapped a 17-match conference losing streak.
Eszter Zador is the Vikings' lone player with more than three singles victories in dual play, compiling a 6-2 record. Zador is 5-1 at the No. 4 spot in the Portland State lineup. Lotti Meszaros, Nina Nikitovic and Alli Valk each have three singles wins on the season.
Portland State has struggled in doubles with just a 6-17 team record. Milenkoski and Nikitovic are a perfect 2-0 at the No. 1 position atop the doubles lineup.
UTEP has lost six of its last seven matches and carry a 4-11 record into Saturday. The Miners are 1-10 away from home, but do lead the all-time series with the Lumberjacks by a slim 14-13 margin. NAU has defeated its foe from the Conference USA in each of its last two head-to-head meetings including a 5-2 victory last season in El Paso.
The Miners are led by Kirsten Prelle, who has been playing well this season at the No. 1 singles spot. Prelle owns a team-best 8-5 record with Erandi Martinez next on the team with five wins at No. 3.
In doubles, UTEP is paced by Vanessa Valdez and Yvette Van Oijen, who is 6-5 this spring. The pair has split time at No. 1 and 2 with four of their six wins coming on the second court. Each of UTEP's three primary doubles pairs have four wins or more.
