FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- The Eastern Washington University women's tennis team could not pick up a second-straight Big Sky Conference road win on Sunday (March 26), as the Eagles fell at first-place Northern Arizona, 7-0, in the second match of their current three-match Big Sky road trip.
"We battled tough in doubles today, and I really think we had our chances in those matches," said head coach Dustin Henson. "Credit to Northern Arizona for playing smart in singles and knowing how to play well in their home conditions."
Eastern came into Sunday's match against the current Big Sky leaders on a bit of a roll, as they had won four of their last six matches, which included a pair of conference wins over North Dakota and Portland State. With the loss to the Lumberjacks, the Eagles move 4-10 on the spring and 2-3 in Big Sky matches, while Northern Arizona remains a perfect 6-0 in the Big Sky, while boasting the league's best overall record at 11-3.
"We were too tentative to start in singles and we just missed too many shots," added the head coach. "We made some adjustments in the second set of each match, but it wasn't enough to change the outcome."
Junior Janaya Smith played from the No. 1 singles spot for the third-straight match, and found a tough draw against Northern Arizona's Hanneke Lodewijks, who has already collected seven wins from the No. 1 spot this season for the Lumberjacks. Smith fell to Lodewijks 6-1, 6-2 to move to 1-2 on the season.
Sophomore Faye Worrall dropped just her second Big Sky match of the season with a 6-1, 6-1 loss to Chiara Tomasetti, who picked up a Big Sky-leading 12th victory.
Senior Erin Blessing and freshman Valentina Sottile, who both came into the match tied for the team lead with five wins on the year, each suffered a defeat against the Lumberjacks. Blessing fell in straight sets (6-0, 6-2) to Blanka Szavay in No. 3 singles action, while Scottile's three-match winning streak came to an end with a 6-1, 6-3 loss to Marta Lewandowska from the No. 5 slot.
The Eagles competed in doubles action, but ultimately fell to the Lumberjacks in all three matches. The No. 1 doubles team of Smith and Worrall fell to Szavay and Tomasetti, 6-3, while the No. 2 team of Blessing and Rachel Swindell dropped a 6-4 decision to Lodewijks and Brandy Walker. The team of Smith/Worrall move to 2-3 on the year, while Blessing/Swindell fall to 4-2 this season.
"We will learn from this and we'll respond well on the practice court as we prepare for Southern Utah."
Eastern Washington concludes its three-match Big Sky road trip this Thursday, March 30, at Southern Utah. First serve from Cedar City, Utah is set for 11 a.m. PT.
Northern Arizona 7, Eastern Washington 1
Singles competition
1. Hanneke Lodewijks (NAU) def. Janaya Smith (EWU) 6-1, 6-2
2. Chiara Tomasetti (NAU) def. Faye Worrall (EWU) 6-1, 6-1
3. Blanka Szavay (NAU) def. Erin Blessing (EWU) 6-0, 6-2
4. Brandy Walker (NAU) def. Rachel Swindell (EWU) 6-2, 6-3
5. Marta Lewandowska (NAU) def. Valentina Sottile (EWU) 6-1, 6-3
6. Hailey Rochin (NAU) def. Carolina Lopez (EWU) 6-1, 6-3
Doubles competition
1. Blanka Szavay/Chiara Tomasetti (NAU) def. Janaya Smith/Faye Worrall (EWU) 6-3
2. Hanneke Lodewijks/Brandy Walker (NAU) def. Erin Blessing/Rachel Swindell (EWU) 6-4
3. Marta Lewandowska/Eirene Granville (NAU) def. Katrina Domingo/Valentina Sottile (EWU) 6-3
