Rainke Wins Season Opener | Arizona Tennis

Northern Arizona Tennis Falls to Arizona Wildcats in Season Opener, Eyes Home debut Against New Mexico State

the Northern Arizona University women’s tennis team experienced a challenging start to their 2026 season, falling 6-1 to the University of Arizona Wildcats on January 19th in Tucson. Despite the overall team loss, freshman Natalie Rainke secured a crucial victory in her first dual competition as a Lumberjack, offering a bright spot for the visiting team.

Wildcats Dominate doubles Play

Arizona quickly established control of the match by securing the doubles point. The Wildcats pairing of Martyna Ostrzygalo and Ciara moore narrowly defeated Elen Jantacova and Rainke in a close 7-5 contest. A dominant 6-0 win from Josie Usereau and Stephanie Shogreen over Leontina Stojanovic and Mia Wolter sealed the doubles advantage for Arizona. Though, Patrycja Niewiadomska and Andrea Noguera of NAU delivered a strong performance, defeating Danielle Tuhten and Maria Garcia wiht a score of 6-2.

Did you know? – The doubles point in collegiate tennis is frequently enough considered crucial, as winning it gives the team a one-point advantage heading into singles play. It can significantly impact team morale.

Singles Competition Sees Mixed Results

The Wildcats continued their momentum into the singles matches, clinching the overall victory with straight-set wins from Usereau, Garcia, and Moore. Niewiadomska demonstrated resilience on court one, battling through a three-set match before ultimately falling to Ostrzygalo 6-1, 0-6, 6-3.

Rainke’s performance on court three proved pivotal for NAU. She secured a hard-fought victory over Tuhten, taking the first set 6-3, dropping the second 2-6, and ultimately prevailing in a tiebreaker 10-8. “Rainke’s win was a testament to her fighting spirit and adaptability,” noted one observer.

The remaining singles matches saw Arizona secure comfortable victories: Moore defeated Noguera 6-2, 6-2; Usereau bested Jantacova 6-2, 6-2; Garcia defeated Stojanovic 6-1, 6-1; and Shogreen overcame Wolter 6-0, 6-3.

Pro tip – Tiebreakers in tennis are used to decide sets that reach a score of 6-6. The first player to reach seven points, with a two-point lead, wins the tiebreaker and the set.

Looking Ahead to the Home opener

NAU will return to the court on January 30th to host New Mexico State in their home opener. The match is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. and fans can follow the action via live stats.This match presents an opportunity for the Lumberjacks to rebound from their season-opening loss and build momentum as thay navigate the remainder of their schedule.

Why: the Northern Arizona University women’s tennis team began their 2026 season with a road match against the University of Arizona Wildcats.
Who: The Northern Arizona University Lumberjacks lost to the University of Arizona Wildcats. Key players included NAU freshman Natalie Rainke, who won her singles match, and Arizona players Martyna Ostrzygalo, Ciara Moore, Josie usereau, Stephanie Shogreen, and Maria Garcia, who all secured wins for their team.
What: The Lumberjacks fell to the wildcats with a final score of 6-1. arizona dominated the doubles play,winning two of the three matches. In singles, Arizona clinched the victory with wins in multiple straight sets, while Rainke provided NAU’s sole point.
How: Arizona secured the doubles point, giving them an early lead. They continued to dominate in singles, winning the majority of matches. rainke’s three-set victory was the only bright spot for NAU, but ultimately wasn’t enough to overcome Arizona’s overall