FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (January 25, 2023) – After facing the No. 19 team in the nation to open their season, the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks return to Flagstaff for their home opener against the Grand Canyon Lopes.
Entering the season with a 23-match win streak in Flagstaff, the Lumberjacks (0-1) will face the Lopes (0-4) for the third straight season and the fifth time in the past seven years. Northern Arizona beat Grand Canyon 5-1 in the regular season finale last spring as both the Lumberjacks and Lopes entered their respective conference tournaments as the top seeds. Set for an 11 a.m. start on Friday at the Aquatic and Tennis Center, Northern Arizona will look to improve on its 47-2 record since the facility opened in 2016.
The Lumberjacks fell 7-0 to the Arizona State Sun Devils to open the season last Saturday in Tempe, with four singles matches and one doubles coming against nationally ranked opponents.
Laura Duhl and
Patrycja Niewiadomska both pushed their second sets to 7-5, but ultimately fell in straight sets.
Duhl and
Elinor Beazley won a pair of games against the No. 9 doubles team in the nation but lost 6-2.
Sofia Markova and
Daryna Shoshyna also took two games in their match at No. 3, but it went unfinished with Arizona State clinching on at No. 1 and No. 2.
Four Lopes return from last season's meeting, including two-time WAC Singles Player of the Year Natasha Puehse.
Puehse enters the match 1-1 at No. 1 this season and 0-3 at No. 1 in doubles after playing No. 19 Arizona State, UC San Diego, Cal Poly and Arizona. Santa Strombacha, who played on Court 1 in singles during last season's meeting, is 2-1 at No. 2 and has paired with Puehse twice in doubles play.
Last season, Puehse finished 11-5 in singles with all 16 matches coming at No. 1 while Strombacha finished 11-5 at No. 3. Also returning from last season, Valentina Del Marco is 0-3 in singles but finished the 2021-22 season with a 4-5 record. Grand Canyon added four players to its eight-player roster, including three freshmen and Utah graduate transfer Madeline Lamoreaux. Lamoreaux, a native of Mesa, Ariz., finished 3-3 in singles and 3-7 in doubles last season.
Both Markova and Duhl won their matches at No. 2 and No. 3 respectively against the Lopes last season while
Ava Neyestani fell in a tiebreaking third set. Neyestani won in straight sets during the 2021 meeting in Flagstaff, with
Mimi Bland also earning a victory due to a retirement while she led 4-0 in the third set.
Northern Arizona's seven consecutive wins in the all-time series date back to 1997, with Grand Canyon only scoring two team points in a 5-2 loss during the 2017 season. The Lumberjacks have won 5-1, 4-0 and 6-1 in the past three seasons, and won 7-10 in 2010, 6-1 in 2001 and 9-0 in 1997.
Friday's match against Grand Canyon can be followed through live stats available
here.
For updated scores and coverage of the NAU women's tennis team during the spring season, follow the team on
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