ST. GEORGE, Utah (March 7, 2020) – Northern Arizona men's tennis (6-7) won their first Big Sky Conference match today over the Southern Utah University Thunderbirds, 5-2.
"Once again, the team has shown resilience and grit," head coach
Maciej Bogusz said. "Our energy in singles was electric and I am very proud of every single one of the players for their efforts. The team keeps getting better and better."
The electricity the Lumberjacks brought in singles came through in their results, taking a win on five of the six courts. Finishing first,
Eban Straker-Meads took a 6-3 win in both sets over SUU's RJ Parker.
Daniel Dillon finished next, also winning in two sets of 6-3 and 6-2 against Jake Williams.
Continuing the streak, Facundo won 6-1 and 6-4 to Keonho Shin, followed by
Chris Steele's 6-3 and 7-5 win to Jose Ortega and clinching the win for the Lumberjacks.
Alex Groves and
Joachim Schaefer both battled to three sets in their respective matches, but Groves was able to pull the win over Nolan McCraig, 7-5, 6-7 and 11-9 in the tiebreaker.
Southern Utah took the doubles point over NAU, but the 'Jacks fought back on each court. Straker-Meads and Tumosa fell to Parker and Shin 5-7 while Steele and Dillon went 3-6 to Conor Tordoff and Ortega.
The 'Jacks will return for two home matches after not being in the tennis center since Feb. 9, where they found two 7-0 wins over Western New Mexico University. Northern Arizona will take on Louisiana for the second time this season on Friday, March 13 at 9 a.m. and the Air Force Sunday, March 15 at 9 a.m.
Doubles (3, 1)
Parker/Shin (SUU) def. Straker-Meads/Tumosa (NAU), 5-7
Williams/McCaig (SUU) vs. Groves/Schaefer (NAU), 5-6, unf.
Tordoff/Ortega (SUU) def. Steele/Dillon (NAU), 3-6
Singles (1, 5, 2, 4, 6, 3)
Eban Straker-Meads (NAU) def. RJ Parker (SUU), 6-3, 6-3
Facundo Tumosa (NAU) def. Keonho Shin (SUU), 6-1, 6-4
Alex Groves (NAU) def. Nolan McCaig (SUU), 7-5, 6-7, 11-9
Chris Steele (NAU) def. Jose Ortega (SUU), 6-3, 7-5
Daniel Dillon (NAU) def. Jake Williams (SUU), 6-3, 6-2
Conor Tordoff (SUU) def.
Joachim Schaefer (NAU), 6-3, 4-6, 2-6
