NATCHITOCHES – With the NCAA Women's Tennis Team Championships just three days away, Northwestern State tennis coach Patric DuBois and four members of the team gathered at Tuesday's media day in the Stroud Room to discuss their success thus far and their excitement for Friday's match against No. 9 Alabama.
 
The Lady Demons (14-7) will face Alabama (19-5) in the first round of the NCAA's on Friday afternoon at the Alabama Tennis Complex in Tuscaloosa at 1 o'clock.
 
NSU will practice in Natchitoches through Wednesday before departing for Tuscaloosa on Thursday morning.
 
DuBois noted that the team's match up against then No. 45 LSU earlier this season, which the Lady Demons lost in a 4-3 nail-biter, could be a helpful factor heading into Friday's competition.
 
“The SEC is the strongest tennis league in the country,” said DuBois. “I think having played LSU earlier this season, and having played them well, will definitely be helpful when we match up against Alabama.”
 
Senior captain Andrea Nedorostova and junior Polina Konop expressed how steady improvement and teamwork have played a role in raising the team's overall confidence levels.
 
“Right now we are feeling confident because we have nothing to lose,” Nedorostova said. “We are going up against the No. 9 team so we are just going to go out there and play our best. We all feel relaxed because we know we have gotten better with each match.”
 
“We have been working hard and practicing a lot to get to this point,” said Konop. “My teammates have been amazing and I think we have been great as a team which is a big part of what has led to our success this year.
 
“We are ready and excited to play Alabama. We are going to battle it out and try our best to win.”
 
Live scoring for Friday's match will be available on RollTide.com along with a tournament central page. Fans can also follow Alabama's Twitter feed, @AlabamaWTN, for play-by-play information.