OGDEN, Utah (May 3, 2019) – Junior Chiara Tomasetti's added another accomplishment to her record-breaking season on Friday when she was voted the Big Sky Women's Tennis Most Valuable Player in a release by the conference office. She was one of five Northern Arizona women's tennis players to receive all-conference recognition in the vote by the Big Sky's head coaches.
Tomasetti becomes the first Lumberjack to be selected Big Sky MVP since Yvonne de Waal in 2002. She is the fourth conference MVP in program history joining Yael Stuart (1998), Vickie Gunnarsson (1999) and de Waal. Furthermore, Tomasetti earned a spot on the All-Big Sky First Team for singles for the third time in her career, becoming just the fifth player in program history to be a three-time first team all-conference selection.
Freshman Emilie Haakansson was named to the All-Big Sky Second Team and senior Hanneke Lodewijks and freshman Adrianna Sosnowska were both on the honorable mention list. The all-conference accolades continued for Lodewijks as she was voted All-Big Sky First Team Doubles with sophomore Ellie Millard for the second consecutive season.
The postseason awards wrapped up with head coach Ewa Bogusz claiming Big Sky Coach of the Year honors. Bogusz, in her first season at the helm of the 'Jacks, is the third NAU head coach in program history to receive the honor following former coaches Mark Tichenor and Kim Bruno.
After becoming the first player in program history to win the ITA Mountain Regional Championship in the fall, Tomasetti posted a near undefeated season in the spring, leading the Big Sky with 21 overall victories on her way to being a unanimous first team selection. Tomasetti has already set a new single season school record for victories and she has done so exclusively at the No. 1 position in the NAU lineup.
Tomasetti's lone blemish on her 21-1 record was a three- set loss to Idaho's Marianna Petrei, but the Roesrath, Germany native got the last laugh by defeating Petrei in straight sets for the Big Sky Championship-clinching victory last weekend. On Friday, Tomasetti also dethroned Petrei as Big Sky MVP, denying her from becoming just the second four-time MVP in league history.
Haakansson garnered her first career all-conference honor on the second by matching Tomasetti's 9-1 record in conference for best on the team and carries a 14-5 overall mark into the NCAA Tournament starting on Saturday. Haakansson, out of Hellerup, Denmark, is 9-1 at the No. 5 position where she has settled into and stabilized the bottom of the Lumberjack lineup.
Likewise, Sosnowska also earned an All-Big Sky accolade in her freshman season. Sosnowska's 15 singles wins ranks only behind Tomasetti on the team with nine of her victories coming at the No. 4 spot. The Lodz, Poland product landed on the honorable mention list with a 15-6 record and 7-3 mark in conference play.
Lodewijks was the only Lumberjack to pick up all-conference awards in both singles and doubles. She posted a 6-3 singles record, all in Big Sky play, at No. 2 after missing the early portion of the season to earn an honorable mention nod.
The senior from Breda, Netherlands claimed a spot on the first team for doubles though, pairing with Millard for a team-high tying 13 victories. Lodewijks and Millard has won their last 10 matches and have been a driving force in NAU's turnaround in doubles from its early season struggles.
At 13-4 overall on the season, the Lumberjack tandem was 8-1 in league play. Lodewijks and Millard, from Southampton, England, has totaled 28 all-time victories across their two consecutive all-conference first team campaigns. They are one win away from taking over sole possession of second place all-time in program history for doubles wins as a pair.
Last month, Lodewijks – a four-year All-Big Sky selection – broke the program record for career doubles victories with her total currently sitting at 59.
Bogusz guided the Lumberjacks to their second all-time NCAA Tournament appearance and a sweep of the Big Sky regular season and conference championships in her first season as head coach. NAU went 9-1 in Big Sky play to capture its fourth consecutive regular season crown before winning the conference tournament for the first time in 20 years.
Elevated from assistant coach in the fall, Bogusz has led the 'Jacks (15-8) on an 11-match winning streak – tied for longest in program history – into their NCAA Tournament opener on Saturday versus UCLA, the No. 7 national seed, at 12 p.m. at the Los Angeles Tennis Center.
