FARMINGTON, Utah (December 18, 2023) – Despite receiving just two of the nine possible first-place votes in the 2024 Big Sky Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, Northern Arizona women's tennis is projected to finish atop the conference for a sixth consecutive season.
Northern Arizona finished with 58 total points, just one point ahead of second-place Sacramento State and two points ahead of last season's conference champion, Weber State. Both Sacramento State and Weber State earned more first-place votes in the poll, with four and three, respectively.
In Big Sky Conference match play last year, Northern Arizona won each of its eight regular-season contests with fellow conference competitors before having its 15-match Big Sky dual meet win streak snapped by Weber State in the finals of the Big Sky Conference Championships 2-4.
All told, NAU finished the 2022-2023 season with a 13-7 record, featuring winning records both at the NAU Tennis Complex (6-2) and away from Flagstaff (5-3).
The Lumberjacks are returning five players from the conference runner-up team, including Big Sky Conference Freshman of the Year in Patrycja Niewiadomska. The now-sophomore from Bielsko-Biala, Poland, ended last season with a perfect 8-0 record in singles matches against conference competition.
Overall, Niewiadomska was 16-4 across 20 matches in singles during the 2022-23 campaign. This included a win over No. 53 Colorado State, which saw the Lumberjacks as a team receive their first ranking from the ITA following the Colorado State matchup.
Also earning Big Sky All-Conference honors was Ana Karen Guadiana Campos, who was selected to be a part of the first team for her 11-8 singles record. Guadiana Campos caught fire at the end of the year, closing the season on a six-match conference winning streak.
Along with Niewiadomska, Ava Neyestani was selected to the Big Sky All-Conference Second Team in singles. Neyestani was a centerpiece at No. 2 singles for the Lumberjacks, not dropping a single conference singles match.
As a team, the women's tennis program received its highest-ever ranking from the ITA on Feb. 28, 2023, when they were ranked as the No. 52 team in the country, nearly 20 spots higher than their previous program-best ranking of No. 71.
Preparing for the upcoming spring season, NAU Women's Tennis kept busy this fall, hosting the Lumberjack Invite, traveling to Las Vegas, and participating in the UNLV Watanabe Classic.
At UNLV, the team was victorious in 14 of the 21 matches, with Niewiadomska Daryna Shoshyna and Dolavee Tumthong winning a singles flight in Sin City.
Individually in the fall, Niewiadomska represented Northern Arizona at the ITA All-American Championships in Cary, North Carolina, which features the best collegiate tennis players in the country.
To stay up to date with NAU Women's Tennis, follow the Lumberjacks on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook.
