PHOENIX, Ariz. (April 25, 2025) – The NAU Women's Tennis team beat the Montana State Bobcats, 4-2, to move on to the final of the Big Sky Championships. This was the second win against the Bobcats this season as the Lumberjacks beat them by the score of 6-1 in Flagstaff on March 7.
To start the day NAU took the doubles point by beating Montana State in two out of the three matches.
Daryna Shoshyna and
Elen Jantacova got a 6-3 win at the No. 1 position. The win came in just 39 minutes.
Ruslana Kovalenko and
Andrea Noguera confirmed that the Lumberjacks would win the doubles point, after they won in a tiebreak 7-6(8).
Laura Duhl and
Patrycja Niewiadomska went unfinished against the Bobcat duo of Hudson Hawkins and Marta Garcia-Reboredo as they were also in a tiebreak with the score at 6-6.
To start singles, NAU dropped two matches. Nia Gelashvili beat Noguera in straight sets on court three, 6-3, 6-1. Then, just seconds later Kovalenko fell to Hawkins in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3.
Duhl would tie the score up at two apiece after she won 6-4, 6-1 at the No. 3 position. Duhl won the match in 1:56. She has improved her record at the No. 3 spot to 9-3.
Jantacova battled back in her match after she was bageled in the first set. Jantacova hit the reset button and dominated the match from there on out winning, 0-6, 6-1, 6-3. The freshman put the Lumberjacks one point away from going to the finals.
Shoshyna finished the job to take NAU to the finals. Shoshyna dropped a very close first set, but pulled off the comeback to win 5-7, 6-1, 6-1. Shoshyna was named the Big Sky Women's Tennis MVP before the tournament began and proved why she earned it in this match.
NAU will play the final tomorrow against the Sacramento State Hornets with a spot at the NCAA Tournament on the line. If the Lumberjacks beat the Hornets, it would be their first appearance at the NCAA Tournament since 2022. NAU played Sac State earlier in the season as they grabbed a 5-2 victory in Flagstaff.
The final will be played at Phoenix Tennis Center in Phoenix, Arizona and begin at 8 a.m. on Saturday, April 26. To stay up to date with NAU Women's Tennis, follow the Jacks on X, Instagram, and Facebook.
