FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (March 18, 2021) – Riding a four-match win streak into the weekend, the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (6-3) will get one more opportunity to prepare for their Big Sky Conference opener.
Traveling west to California, NAU will face the Pacific Tigers (2-5) in Stockton, Calif. on Friday ahead of a match against the Sacramento State Hornets (0-10) on Saturday. Both will begin at 12 p.m. with the Lumberjacks heading out of state for just the second time this season. The Hornets will also sneak in one last match before beginning their Big Sky schedule against the Lumberjacks, hosting William Jessup in Sacramento on Friday while NAU is in Stockton.
NAU and Sacramento State will be the first match in the Big Sky's South Division that also includes Idaho State and Weber State. The four schools are fighting for just two spots in the Big Sky Conference Tournament, which will come down to the three matches they will play against one another.
"We feel really good going into conference play, especially after the last match on the road when we showed a lot of toughness and maturity," said NAU head coach
Ewa Bogusz. "I know the players are excited and happy to compete, and they feel physically and mentally ready for what's to come."
Last year's meeting against the Hornets was canceled just a few days before it was set to take place, with the Lumberjacks winners in three of the past four matches. NAU fell 4-3 its last time in Sacramento, the final loss before rolling to 11 straight victories, a Big Sky Conference title and a NCAA Tournament berth.
Once again, NAU has just two players on its roster who have faced Sacramento State in the past in seniors
Ellie Millard and
Madi Moore. Likewise, Sacramento State returns just two players from that 2019 match, and it happens to be Millard and Moore's opponents from that day.
Jayden Nielsen held off Millard in a three-set, 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 victory at No. 3 while Moore beat Frana Ugarkovic 7-5, 6-1 at No. 6.
The Hornets are winless as a team this season, with just seven singles victories and five doubles wins entering the week. Nielsen is responsible for four of the wins in singles, all at No. 1 this year.
Just two weeks ago, Pacific handed Sacramento State a 6-1 loss in Stockton for its lone Division I victory this season. The Tigers have fallen 4-3 on the occasions this season, nearly taking matches against Nevada, Fresno State and UC Davis.
Ranked No. 70 in the Oracle ITA Division I Women's Singles Preseason Top 125, sophomore Klara Kosan enters the match with a 5-2 record at the top spot. Three of those wins came in three sets, with Nevada, Fresno State and San Jose State pushing the sophomore.
Kosan dropped just two singles matches as a freshman, a three-set decision against Arizona and a straight set match against NAU's
Chiara Tomasetti in Flagstaff.
Last year's 5-2 victory for NAU was the first meeting with Pacific since 2013, with the Lumberjacks sweeping the doubles point and taking the top four courts in the singles lineup.
Millard, Moore and
Elinor Beazley all won their respective doubles matches, with Millard also winning 2-6, 6-0, 6-0 at No. 3. In addition to Kosan, Pacific returns Dohee Lee, Zoe Eberle and Maya Lopez. Eberle has spent much of the season at No. 2 or No. 3 for the Tigers while Lopez is essentially locked in as the regular at No. 4.
For NAU,
Gina Dittmann enters the week on a six-match win streak and is 8-1 overall. Already 7-1 this year at the top spot in the order, Dittmann is closing in on 10th all-time for singles wins at No. 1. With Sharmin Siddique ranking 10th at 10 wins and Vickie Gunnarsson sitting in ninth with 12, Dittmann's seven remaining regular season matches, and possible Big Sky Conference tournament matches, puts the freshman in position to land in NAU's record book just one season into her career.
Mimi Bland also holds an extended win streak, with five straight victories at No. 3 dating back to Feb. 5. With a 3-1 record in singles last season, Bland is currently 10-3 in her singles career at NAU. Similar to Dittmann, Bland's seven wins on Court 3 have her five away from Johanna Vang and Millard's 12 that currently sits 10th all-time.
Additionally,
Aleksandra Buczynska made her season debut for the Lumberjacks last week in Las Vegas though her singles match at No. 5 did not finish before NAU clinched its 4-2 victory over UNLV.
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