FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (April 25, 2019) – After finishing the regular season as the Big Sky's hottest team, the Northern Arizona women's tennis team hopes to continue to bring the heat in Phoenix starting Friday in the conference semifinal versus Southern Utah. The winner will advance to the championship match on Saturday. Both matches will be held at the Phoenix Tennis Center at 11 a.m.
Heading south on I-17, the 'Jacks bring with them the longest win streak in the Big Sky of nine and is the tournament's top seed. NAU (13-8 overall) secured its fourth straight Big Sky regular season championship with wins against Idaho and Eastern Washington last weekend, concluding the regular season with a 9-1 conference mark.
"We celebrated (last weekend), but we've prepared for Phoenix," said head coach
Ewa Bogusz. "We've been tested the entire season and we've played some tough matches that have prepared us for what's to come this weekend. I believe we can (win the tournament) this year."
NAU's victories versus Idaho, 4-3, and Eastern Washington, 6-1, capped a steady climb up the Big Sky standings and punctuated its current nine-match winning streak. All three teams began the final week of the regular season tied for first-place, but the 'Jacks defended their home court to clinch the top seed outright.
Now, the Lumberjacks will take aim at two more wins starting with Southern Utah to earn their second automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. In each of the past three seasons, NAU has come up just short of that elusive bid with losses to Idaho in the championship match. The Lumberjacks' lone NCAA Tournament appearance came 20 years ago in 1999.
"The ladies are playing with a lot of confidence right now," Bogusz said. "They know they still have to keep working because we're not done. Being mentally tough will pull us through this weekend. They're excited and ready to go."
NAU defeated Southern Utah, 6-1, in the teams' meeting in Flagstaff on April 7. The Lumberjacks claimed the doubles point and posted wins on five of the six singles courts to improve to 7-0 all-time versus the Thunderbirds.
Southern Utah, the tournament's fifth-seed, advanced to the semifinals with a dramatic 4-3 victory over No. 4 Eastern Washington. The Thunderbirds overcame losing the doubles point and eliminated the Eagles by winning the final two singles matches. Southern Utah is 13-10 overall and is led by Jessica Stefan's 18-4 singles record. Stefan accounted for the Thunderbirds' only point against the 'Jacks earlier this month.
Junior
Chiara Tomasetti paces four Lumberjacks in double-digit singles with a 19-1 record at No. 1. Although Tomasetti's season-long winning streak was snapped in the Idaho match last Saturday, she is still tied for the conference lead with 19 singles victories. With her next win, Tomasetti will also become the first player in program history to win 20 singles matches in a season.
NAU's freshmen dynamic duo of
Adrianna Sosnowska and
Emilie Haakansson will make their debuts in the conference tournament on the heels of impressive regular seasons. Sosnowska ranks second behind Tomasetti with a 14-6 record and Haakansson is third with a 13-5 mark as the team's primary No. 4 and 5 spots. Sophomore
Madi Moore reached double-digit victories last weekend and is 10-7 primarily at No. 6.
Senior
Hanneke Lodewijks and sophomore
Ellie Millard have won eight straight matches at No. 2 doubles and are 11-4 entering the tournament. Lodewijks and Millard will likely match up against Southern Utah's Daniela Cozzi and Ghita Nassik once again. The Thunderbirds' No. 2 tandem is a team-best 11-3 with one of their three losses to Lodewijks and Millard this season.
NAU has collected the doubles point in eight consecutive matches, which has directly correlated to the Lumberjacks' overall success over the last month. Sosnowska and Tomasetti lead the 'Jacks in doubles wins with a 13-8 mark at the top position.
Idaho and Weber State will battle in the other semifinal in a matchup between the second and third-seeded teams.
The Big Sky semifinal and championship matches are free for all fans to attend.
