FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (April 18, 2019) – The Northern Arizona women's tennis team concludes the regular season at home inside the Aquatic and Tennis Complex this weekend with eyes on clinching their fourth consecutive Big Sky regular season championship. The Big Sky's tri-leaders all converge in Flagstaff with NAU hosting Idaho on Saturday and Eastern Washington on Sunday with both matches at 10 a.m.
The Lumberjacks, Vandals and Eagles all currently sport 7-1 Big Sky marks, tying the three teams for first in the conference with two matches remaining.
The Big Sky regular season crown will not be the only thing up for grabs this weekend, as the top two seeds in next week's conference tournament have yet to be locked up. The three leaders, along with Weber State lurking at 7-2, are all in play for the two first round byes that come with being a top two seed.
"We're super excited to host Idaho and Eastern Washington this weekend on our courts," said head coach
Ewa Bogusz. "The ladies are ready to give it all we've got and they know what is on the line. Most importantly, they're peaking at the right time and getting better as the season progresses."
The Lumberjacks (11-8 overall) extended their conference-leading winning streak to seven matches with road wins at Montana State, 7-0, and Montana, 6-1, last weekend. NAU has also won five straight at home and is 7-1 on its home courts this season.
This weekend's matches will also mark the final two home contests for seniors
Hanneke Lodewijks and
Eirene Granville. Lodewijks and Granville have both been integral members of NAU's three consecutive Big Sky regular season championship teams and find themselves in the school record book.
During the Lumberjacks' last homestand, Lodewijks became the program's all-time leader in doubles wins and her career record is a sparkling 55-16 to date. Lodewijks also ranks third in overall career doubles win percentage at .775. Her next singles win will also push her into a tie for 10th all-time in career singles wins with a record of 46-25. Lodewijks' 30 career singles wins at No. 1 is second-most in program history.
Meanwhile, Granville has battled an injury that has kept her out for the majority of this spring's dual schedule. Still, Granville has starred at the bottom of NAU's singles lineup and is tied for sixth all-time in career singles win percentage of .667. Twenty-three of her 36 career singles wins have come at the No. 6 spot, which places her third all-time. She owns career records of 36-18 in singles and 23-12 in doubles.
"It's been so great to coach these two for two years," Bogusz said. "They have a lot of experience that they've passed on to their teammates. It was a joy to be around them."
Junior
Chiara Tomasetti leads the Lumberjacks in singles with an unblemished 18-0 record this season. Tomasetti is one win shy of tying the program record for singles wins in a season – a record she currently shares having won 19 matches as a freshman. She is one of two players, along with freshman
Emilie Haakansson, with perfect 8-0 records in conference play.
Haakansson and freshman
Adrianna Sosnowska are tied for second with 12 singles wins each, while sophomores
Ellie Millard and
Madi Moore have compiled eight singles victories.
Millard and Lodewijks have won their last six doubles matches, increasing their doubles record to 9-4. The Lumberjacks' No. 2 pairing is a team-best 6-1 in conference play. Tomasetti and Sosnowska continue to lead the team with a 12-7 doubles record this spring at No. 1.
Idaho is 11-6 overall this spring and leads the Big Sky with seven road victories. The 'Jacks have defeated the Vandals – the three-time defending tournament champions – 4-3 in each of their last three regular season meetings. NAU is 12-9 all-time against Idaho.
Marianna Petrei, the league's three-time Most Valuable Player, is Idaho's No. 1 singles player with a 12-3 record. Maria Tavares is tied with Petrei with 12 singles wins playing at No. 2. Petrei and Tavares also team up as the Vandals' No. 1 doubles pair with an 11-3 record.
Like NAU, Eastern Washington is 11-8 overall, but the Eagles are just 3-6 in true road matches. NAU defeated Eastern Washington, 5-2, last season in the Pacific Northwest and is 21-2 all-time versus the Eagles.
Madeline Lamoureaux leads five Eastern Washington players with at least eight singles wins, playing at No. 1. Lamoureaux is 12-7 overall and 7-1 in league play. She is paired with Rylee Braeden at No. 1 doubles with the duo registering a 13-5 record. Their 13 victories are second-most in the conference.
Tomasetti, Petrei and Lamoreaux represent the league's top three No. 1 singles players. Including Idaho's Laura Spataro, Saturday's matchup will feature all four of the Big Sky's undefeated singles players along with Tomasetti, Haakansson and Petrei. The quartet are all 7-0 or better in league play.
