FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (January 25, 2024) – NAU Men's Tennis team will make history this week as the only Lumberjack team to compete at the ITA Kickoff in program history.
The ITA Kickoff Weekend draft took place in June of 2023, where NAU was placed in Charlottesville, taking on the No. 3 Virginia Cavaliers in the first match, while FAU and Pennsylvania will compete as well in the four-team bracket. The winners of the first two Saturday matches will face off on Sunday while the losing teams will take on one another as well.
The Lumberjacks have held a 3-1 start to the season, with their one loss coming to Arizona State. NAU is coming off a home-opening doubleheader to Western New Mexico, sweeping both matches 7-0 in Flagstaff. Four Lumberjacks have started the season 2-0 in singles play, with newcomer
Semen Agynskyy earning wins at the No. 4 and No. 6 positions
Piotr Galus at the No. 2 and No. 3,
Jakub Prachar at the No. 5 and No. 6, and
Lance Urlaub at the No. 5 and No. 6.
Doubles duo
Dani Torres and
Maciej Ziomber lead the team in doubles play with a 3-0 start to the season as a pairing, picking up wins to Wichita State, ASU, and WNMU, while holding each opponent to four points or less.
Virginia will enter the weekend with a 3-1 record, suffering its first loss on Jan. 21 to No. 5 South Carolina in a tight 4-3 match in favor of the Gamecocks. The Cavaliers won three-straight prior, with a 6-1 win to Liberty, 7-0 win to James Madison, and a 4-3 win at No. 3 Texas. In this week's rankings, Virginia moved from No. 1 to No. 3, as released by the ITA.
Leading Virginia, Chris Rodesch was named ACC Men's Tennis Player of the Week on Jan. 23 after taking down the 2023 ITA Player of the Year and No. 1 ranked Eliot Spizzirri of Texas in a 6-3, 6-3 match, marking the highest-ranked victory of his career and third career victory over a top-five player.
Rodesch was also honored with ACC Doubles Team of the Week alongside partner Jeffrey von der Schulenburg after the two recorded back-to-back victories at the No. 2 against Texas and South Carolina.
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