Cheney, Wash. - The Eastern Washington University women's tennis team earned a significant victory in its Big Sky Conference opener against visiting Northern Arizona, 4-3, on Sunday, Feb. 7.

Eastern has now won four straight dual matches, as it now possess the most wins of any team in the Big Sky. EWU improves to 5-2 and 1-0 in league play, while Northern Arizona drops to 3-3 and 1-1 in league play.

The Eagles got off to a great start, securing the doubles point with two straight victories. The team of sophomore Janaya Smith and freshman Faye Worrall kicked off the match against NAU's top duo of Blanka Szavay and Hanneke Lodewijks, beating them in close tiebreaker 7-6 (7-5). The pairing of senior Moira Hedberg and junior Erin Blessing followed that up with a 6-3 win against Hailey Rochin and Marta Lewandowska, clinching the doubles point for the team.

In the singles contest, Eastern went an even 3-3 with Northern Arizona, clinching its first conference win of the season. Hedberg had a commanding victory Szavay 6-2, 6-2, playing in the number two spot, and junior Dani Young came out strong against Rochin, taking the victory 6-3, 7-6 (7-4). Facing off against Sara Brown, Worrall dropped the first set 3-6, but quickly recovered to deliver a stellar finishing performance, beating Brown out in the final two sets 6-3, 6-2. Sophomore Rachel Swindell came close in her match against Lewandowska, winning the first set 5-7, but dropping the next two 6-4, 6-4.

"We knew this match would be a battle but my message before the match was that we have to approach it like any other match: with full effort and energy from the first point to the last point", said Head Coach Dustin Hinson. This was Eastern's closest finish of the season, and gives the team a tremendous beginning to conference play. "We are doing a really great job of controlling the variables we can control and not letting the variables outside of our control get in our head. This is a great win for our program and gets us started with a 1-0 mark in conference play. This team is special. They have the work ethic it takes to be successful and I know they are going to fight with everything they have each time they step onto the court. That's refreshing to see as a coach and I'm proud to be fighting alongside them day in and day out. We have a long way to go yet this season and we are ready to continue working. This win is a nice boost to our momentum and keeps us hungry for more success."

Top performers for the Eagles so far this season include the doubles combo of Moira Hedberg and Erin Blessing, as the two upperclassmen have gone 6-1, with their only loss coming against Washington on the road. Faye Worrall leads Eastern in singles wins, going 5-2, and close behind her is Rachel Swindell with a 4-3 dual record.

EWU's next dual of the season will be a tough non-conference matchup on the road against Gonzaga, on Friday, Feb. 12, starting at 5 p.m PST.

Results:

Eastern Washington – 4
Northern Arizona – 3

Doubles:
1. SMITH, Janaya/WORRALL, Faye (EWU) def. Szavay, Blanka/Lodewijks, Hanneke (NAU) 7-6 (7-5)
2. HEDBERG, Moira/BLESSING, Erin (EWU) def. Rochin, Hailey/Lewandowska, Marta (NAU) 6-3
3. Denesik, Jordan/Brown, Sara (NAU) def. DOMINGO, Katrina/YOUNG, Dani (EWU) 6-3

Singles:
1. Lodewijks, Hanneke (NAU) def. SMITH, Janaya (EWU) 6-4, 6-3
2. HEDBERG, Moira (EWU) def. Szavay, Blanka (NAU) 6-2, 6-2
3. Lewandowska, Marta (NAU) def. SWINDELL, Rachel (EWU) 5-7, 6-4, 6-4
4. YOUNG, Dani (EWU) def. Rochin, Hailey (NAU) 6-3, 7-6 (7-4)
5. Denesik, Jordan (NAU) def. BLESSING, Erin (EWU) 6-4, 2-6, 6-1
6. WORRALL, Faye (EWU) def. Brown, Sara (NAU) 3-6, 6-3, 6-2