PHOENIX, Ariz. (April 26, 2024) – The Lumberjacks (17-6, 7-1) paved their way to a 4-1 victory over the Weber State Wildcats (10-13, 5-3) on Friday to advance to the 2024 Big Sky Championship.
With No. 2 doubles finishing up first, the Jacks would need to go back-to-back at courts three and one to close out the first point of the match.
Dani Torres and
Maciej Ziomber fell to Jordan Coutinho and Connor Kruger in a 6-2 final, while shortly after
Maikel De Boes and
Piotr Galus closed out their No. 3 matchup with Matteo Savio and Tuan Minh with a 6-4 advantage.
While the doubles point came down to court one,
Dominik Buzonics and
Jakub Prachar went back-and-forth with Weber State's duo of Tristan Sarap and Elyes Marouani in an intense match. As the match tied up at 6-6, Buzonics and Prachar stepped up to take the victory in tiebreak fashion with a 7-6 (7-5) final for NAU to grab the 1-0 lead.
The Wildcats grabbed their first and only point of the match with a 6-1, 6-1 victory by Connor Kruger at the No. 3 court while facing De Boes. NAU's
Dominik Buzonics would take the lead back for the Jacks at the No. 1 in a dominant 6-2, 6-1 finish against WSU's Sarap. Galus then tabbed the 3-1 lead with a 6-3, 6-2 victory at the No. 5, knocking Wildcat William Zulch.
Freshman
Semen Agynskyy clinched for the Lumberjacks, pulling off a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Minh at the No. 6 court to send the Jacks to the championship. Torres was up 5-4 in the third set at No. 2 against Marouani while Ziomber was up 2-1 in the third set against Coutinho at the No. 2, both matches went unfinished.
It has been 42 days since the Lumberjacks matched up with the Sacramento State Hornets (16-6, 7-1) in the regular season, where NAU brought in a 4-3 victory in California. The Jacks found quick success in doubles play in the March matchup between the two, where Torres and Ziomber brought in a 6-2 victory while De Boes and Agynskyy clinched with a 6-4 victory to move on to singles play.
In singles play, Torres, De Boes, and Ziomber all brought in victories to lift NAU to the 4-3 road win. The Hornets are coming off a 4-2 victory over Idaho State in today's semifinals matchup. Jan Silva and Adam Chodur clinched the doubles point for Sacramento State with a 6-4 final at the No. 3. The Hornets grabbed wins at the No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3 while dropping at No. 5 and No. 6. The Hornets are led by Big Sky MVP, Mark Keki, who plays at the top of the lineup with a 16-2 overall singles record, playing an undefeated regular season conference slate, going 8-0 against league opponents.
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