PHOENIX, Ariz. (May 1, 2021) – Riding the momentum of a dominant run through doubles play, the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks cruised past the Portland State Vikings for a berth in the Big Sky Conference championship match.
Maciej Ziomber and
Chris Steele opened the day with a quick 6-1 victory on Court 3, with
Dominik Buzonics and
Alex Groves locking up the doubles point at No. 1 with a 6-3 win. Steele and Ziomber carried over the momentum from their victory into singles with both winning in straight sets before
Eban Straker-Meads locked up the 4-0 win.
"We always talk about it, it's the momentum," said NAU head coach
Maciej Bogusz. "It really got us going. Chris and Maciej winning easily, that was definitely a great start to the match. The best start to the match that we could possibly imagine and we just carried on from there."
With Idaho State rolling past Idaho in the other semifinal Saturday morning, the championship match will be a rematch between the Lumberjacks and Bengals. NAU came away with a 6-1 win in Flagstaff at the end of March, sweeping singles play after dropping the doubles point.
Saturday's sweep on Courts 1 and 3, as well as a 4-3 lead at No. 2, let the Lumberjacks open the tournament on a high note. While Steele and Ziomber have only paired together twice this season, both matches in the past eight days, Bogusz said he is confident any of the team's pairings can succeed no matter their in-match experience together.
"Obviously it's tough to do it when you don't have much experience together, but all the guys know our strategy in doubles," Bogusz said. "They all know their targets and know how we play, so it doesn't really matter who we put together. They all know where they are supposed to be hitting their shots."
Fresh off his first career postseason victory in his first match, Ziomber soon gathered another. After Steele wrapped up Court 4 with a 6-3, 6-3 win, Ziomber added yet another win to his impressive freshman season. With a 6-0, 6-3 win, Ziomber improved to 10-4 this season with his third consecutive victory.
A week after the Lumberjacks won the doubles point in Phoenix against Grand Canyon before falling 5-2, Bogusz watched his team take hold of the match after being staked to the point advantage.
"That's what we talked about last weekend at GCU, we won the doubles point but we didn't really carry that momentum from doubles to singles," Bogusz said. "That was one of the goals today."
With Buzonics leading in his third set at No. 3 and Groves closing in on a victory on Court 6, Straker-Meads stepped up for the clinching point as he topped Portland State's Matteo Fortini 6-1, 7-5 with a tight battle in the deciding set.
"Eban can beat anybody, he is such a strong No. 1," Bogusz said. "It is just good to see him playing really good to end the season. He's really liking the courts here and thriving in this environment."
Looking to defend their 2019 title, NAU's return to the championship match is scheduled for 8 a.m. against Idaho State at the Phoenix Tennis Center. Fans welcome to attend the match provided they wear masks while in the facility.
NAU is seeking its second berth in the NCAA Tournament following its 2019 title. Sunday provides another postseason rematch, with the Lumberjacks and Bengals facing off in the 2019 semifinals ahead of NAU's championship victory against Portland State.
