FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (March 24, 2021) – Entering the week with the two highest win totals in the Big Sky Conference this season, the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (7-4) and Idaho State Bengals (7-6) will face off Friday afternoon in a match crucial to each team's postseason aspirations.
With just two of the four teams from the Big Sky's newly created South Division set to move on to the conference tournament in Phoenix, each of the three matches carries significant weight.
"After getting the victory on the road against a conference opponent, I feel like we have momentum going into this Friday and we are excited to play at home," said NAU head coach
Ewa Bogusz.
Holding a 26-match win streak against Idaho State dating back to 1993, and riding a 15-match win streak in Flagstaff, NAU will defend both at 2 p.m. in the Aquatic and Tennis Complex. Before arriving in Flagstaff, the Bengals spent two days in Phoenix, dropping a pair of matches against the Grand Canyon Lopes.
Currently on an eight-match win streak of her own in singles play, freshman
Gina Dittmann will look to defend it against the Bengals after earning her second Big Sky Player of the Week honor this season. Beating Pacific's Klara Kosan, who at the time ranked No. 70 in the ITA's singles rankings, and Sacramento State's Jayden Nielsen in straight sets last week, Dittmann will now move on to possibly face Idaho State senior Hristina Cvetkovic.
With last season's meeting between the schools canceled, Cvetkovic last faced the Lumberjacks in 2019 while playing No. 1. Cvetkovic has played at the top spot in the Bengals' lineup for much of her career and holds a 4-5 record this season.
Freshman Hana Cho and junior Alexandra Arkhipov have split time at No. 2, where
Ellie Millard enters for the Lumberjacks on a three-match win streak across NAU's recent road trips. Arkhipov played at No. 3 in her only meeting against the Lumberjacks during the 2019 season and is
Five players have played at No. 3 for Idaho State, with Cho's 3-2 record at the spot currently leading the way. Just as Dittmann and Millard do,
Mimi Bland enters on a win streak at No. 3 for the Lumberjacks. With seven straight victories, Bland has not lost to a player outside the Pac-12 or on her home court this season.
The back half of both Idaho State and NAU's lineups is a bit less predictable entering Friday's match. Four players have spent time at No. 4 and 5 this season for the Bengals, with three holding multiple matches at No. 6.
Wherever she ends up in the lineup, Idaho State freshman Lola O'Lideadha will enter with an impressive record and win streak. Earning nine straight victories to build up a 9-2 record this season, Lola O'Lideadha has primarily alternated between No. 4 and No. 6 during the win streak.
Along with her sister Sol O'Lideadha, Lola O'Lideadha also holds an 8-3 record in doubles with the freshmen pair winning eight straight matches before dropping their two against Grand Canyon this week.
Elinor Beazley and
Ava Neyestani enter Friday with winning records, at 6-4 and 6-5 respectively this season, while playing between No. 4 and No. 6 this season.
Aleksandra Buczynska also earned her first victory of the season last week against Sacramento State, clinching the team victory at No. 4 in her second match of the year.
Friday's match will begin NAU's final stretch of the regular season, with five matches scheduled for the next four weeks. Following the quick stop back in Flagstaff, NAU will play a pair of matches in El Paso, Texas on April 9 and 10 against the New Mexico State Aggies and UTEP Miners.
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