FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (January 26, 2023) - After a 2-0 start to the season, NAU will host another doubleheader on Saturday in the tennis complex, free for the public to attend. The Lumberjacks will take on Mesa CC at 10 a.m. MST, and Denver at 4 p.m. MST. The afternoon match will include a pizza giveaway for fans.
The Lumberjacks earned their hot start to the season after sweeping Arizona Christian twice in Flagstaff last Saturday. Facundo Tumosa, Piotr Galus, and Alex Groves all earned singles victories in both matches, as they lead the team in singles play early on this season. Groves and Galus paired up for both matches, earning both wins at the No. 1 spot, as the only doubles pairing to play both matches together.
Mesa CC will be starting their season on Saturday, coming off a strong fall season for the thunderbirds. MCC attended a handful of invites this past fall, showing strength at the Arizona Christian Invite in late October to close out the fall slate. Sophomore Hung Pham ended the invite with a perfect record against ACU and Ottawa.
The last time the Lumberjacks and the Thunderbirds met on the courts was in February of 2022. NAU earned a clean sweep 7-0 win in Flagstaff as the No. 68 ranked team by the ITA rankings. Groves, Dani Torres, and Morgan Donovan all secured singles victories for NAU in the win.
Denver will be heading to Flagstaff to take on the Jacks in an afternoon match, entering with a record of 1-2. The Pioneers win came to UC Davis last weekend after dropping the season opener to SMU. Denver won in 5-2 fashion, while falling to Rice in their following competition in a close 4-3 match.
Denver is led by Nicolas Herrero Cuesta who is primarily playing at the No. 1 position. The Junior has won two out of three singles matchups in dominant fashion, including a 6-1, 6-2 victory against UC Davis. Paired with doubles partner Daniel Sancho Arbizu, the duo is 1-1 in doubles play with a win coming to Rice in the team's most recent matchup.
The last time the Jacks and the Pioneers played one another was back in February of 2022, where the Pioneers earned a 5-2 victory. The Jacks earned the doubles point after Tumosa and Eban Straker-Meads picked up a victory to Denver's No. 32 doubles pairing James Davis and Matt Summers. Maciej Ziomber and Daniel Dillon brought in a 6-2 victory at the No. 3 position to secure the doubles point. Ziomber went on to win his singles matchup at the No. 4 position, earning the Jacks their second point in the match.
The morning match against Mesa CC will have live stats here, and the afternoon match against Denver will have live stats available here.
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