PHOENIX, Ariz. (April 26, 2025) – The NAU Men's Tennis team lost to the Montana Griz, 4-2 in the final of the Big Sky Championship.
The previous time NAU played Montana, they swept them, winning 7-0 in Flagstaff. The Jacks were looking to do the same in this championship matchup.
The Lumberjacks got the day started by doubles point by drafting the Griz in two of the three doubles matches.
Dani Torres and
Piotr Galus came away with a 6-3 win as the No. 1 duo. Torres and Galus had high energy throughout the entire match, helping them pick up three breaks in the match.
Takumi Katsuda and
Semen Agynskyy were dominant at the net in their match, using drop volley's and smashes throughout the match. Katsuda and Agynskyy secured the doubles point for NAU and won, 6-2.
In singles, it was close to nearly all the courts as four matches went into 3 sets. NAU and Montana split matches that ended in straight sets. Galus lost to Baltazar Wiger-Nordas in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4. Just a minute before that match ended
Jakub Volesky clinched a straight set win on court four, 6-3, 6-4. Volesky was the only Lumberjack to get a singles win.
Mati Lange lost in the third set of his match at the No. 6 spot in the lineup, 4-6, 6-4, 6-0, to Montana's Moritz Lesja. Lange's second set was strong but his Lesja stopped any momentum he had going into the third set.
Agynskyy battled with what appeared to be an ankle injury at the start of the second set. Agynskyy dominated the first set as he only dropped one game. Then in the first game of the second set, he injured his ankle. Agynskyy battled but it was not enough as he lost to Duncan McCall, 1-6, 6-2, 7-5.
Torres lost to Tom Bittner in three sets in what was a back and forth match. The first set went into a tiebreak which Bittner won, then Torres kept his hopes alive and won the second set. In the third set two late breaks from Bittner propelled him to victory, 7-6(4), 2-6, 7-5.
Head coach
Maciej Bogusz said that he was proud of his team on how they performed throughout the whole season.
"So proud of the guys," Bogusz said. "If you would have told me last summer that you're gonna have an undefeated season at home, undefeated in the conference going No. 1 and you're gonna be in the championship match, I would take that."
The Lumberjacks finished the season with a 17-9 record and went undefeated in the Big Sky during the regular season.
