FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (February 23, 2022) – Just four matches into their season, the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks meet an important challenge as they travel to Ogden, Utah to face the Weber State Wildcats.
Finalists at last season's Big Sky Conference Tournament, Weber State (4-4) finished second to Northern Arizona (1-3) in the conference's preseason poll and returns its same primary six players from a season ago. During the trip north, the Lumberjacks will also face the Utah Utes (9-1) for the first time in program history.
Weber State's match begins at 1 p.m. on Friday and will be just the second conference match of the season in the Big Sky. Utah's match is set for Sunday at 9 a.m. in Salt Lake City.
WEBER STATE
The Lumberjacks have won 19 consecutive matches against the Wildcats dating back to April 2006, including five matches in the Big Sky Conference tournament. After a 6-1 victory over Weber State in Flagstaff on April 17, 2021, Northern Arizona battled with the Wildcats for their second consecutive Big Sky title.
Down 1-0 following doubles play, the Lumberjacks evened the score at 2-2 before clinching the title thanks to victories by
Gina Dittmann and
Madi Moore.
This season, Weber State enters conference play at 4-4 with victories over Dixie State, UTEP, Nevada and Colorado Mesa. Last week, the Wildcats handed the Wolf Pack a 5-2 loss and beat Division II Colorado Mesa 7-0 in Ogden.
While Weber State's lineup has shifted, the primary six players remain the same. Sophomore Megan Davies holds a 2-0 record at No. 1 while sophomore Ana Morett is 1-3 at the top spot in the lineup.
Davies primarily played at No. 4 last season and lost a match at the ITA Mountain Regionals to
Elinor Beazley this past fall. Davies, 2-3, and Morett, 1-0, have also played at No. 2 along with Yuuna Ukita, last season's primary No. 1.
Pei-Hsuan Kuo, Megan Lombardi and Sicely Ferreira make up the back half of Weber State's lineup. Ferreira earned one of the team's two singles wins at No. 6 last season while Ana Morett came up with a win at No. 2 in the conference tournament.
UTAH
Sitting at 9-1 this season, the Utes had their nine-match win streak snapped last week with a 4-3 loss to the Denver Pioneers at home. Among their nine wins this season, Utah defeated Montana 7-0 on Jan. 22 and Idaho State 5-2 on Feb.4, both in Salt Lake City.
The Utes finished 7-14 last season, including an 0-10 record in the Pac 12 Conference. With Rice transfer Linda Huang atop the lineup this season, and holding a 7-3 record at No. 1, Utah shifted its returners around the order.
Emily Dush holds a 5-3 record at No. 2 followed by Lindsay Hung's 9-0 mark at No. 3 and Anastasia Goncharova's 9-0 record at No. 4.
Ava Neyestani faced Dush and Madeline Lamoreaux, primarily Utah's No. 5 this season, at the ITA Mountain Regionals and fell in three sets to both players.
Following the trip to Utah, Northern Arizona will travel to Wyoming for a match against the Cowgirls on March 3 in Laramie.
For updated scores and coverage of the NAU women's tennis team during the spring season, follow the team on
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