HOUSTON – The Northwestern State women's tennis team barely missed another upset win Saturday, with a couple of tight singles matches going Houston's way in a 4-3 triumph over the visiting Lady Demons.
 
NSU (1-1), which opened last Sunday with a 4-3 win at Mississippi State, captured the doubles point to open the match, but UH (2-2) posted four singles wins. The clincher was a hard-fought 6-2, 6-4 victory at No. 3 by Houston's Celia Fraser over NSU freshman Tatiana Larina.
 
That came before Lady Demon senior captain Olga Bazhanova wrapped up a 3-6, 6-0, 6-1 win at No. 1 to finish play. NSU's other singles winner was freshman Polina Konop at No. 4, 6-3, 6-1.
 
Bazhanova/Konop opened the competition with an 8-3 triumph in the No. 1 doubles. Andrea Nedorostova and Larina claimed the doubles point by winning the last three games in the No. 2 match for an 8-5 victory.
 
“We won the doubles point and played pretty well in all three,” said Lady Demon coach Patric DuBois. “We just got off to a slow start today in all of our singles matches and unfortunately were not able to recover in four of them. 
 
“Olga Bazhanova got off to a slow start in singles before winning in three.  Polina Konop played a solid match, very long, tough match and not indicative of her final score.  We felt like Tatiana started playing much better in the second set and if she could have pulled it out, we liked our chances. 
 
“These things are going to happen with such a young team.  A lot of credit to UH as they played well and fought hard to pull out the victory,” said DuBois.
 
NSU will play on the road again next weekend in Hattiesburg, Miss., against 2011 Southern Conference champion Samford and the host Southern Mississippi team. The Lady Demons play at home for the first time on Feb. 25 against Louisiana-Lafayette.
 
Houston 4, Northwestern State 3
 
DOUBLES
1. Bazhanova/Konop (NSU) def. Hunter/Pozzan (UH), 8-3
2. Larina/Nedorostova (NSU) def. Phillips/Kazimieruk (UH), 8-5
3. Koenen/Ring (UH) def. Sardak/Williams (NSU), 8-3
Order of Finish: 1,3,2*
 
SINGLES
1. Olga Bazhanova (NSU) def. Bryony Hunter (UH), 3-6, 6-0, 6-1
2. Giorgia Pozzan (UH) def. Andrea Nedorostova (NSU), 6-1, 6-2
3. Celia Fraser (UH) def. Tatiana Larina (NSU), 6-2, 6-4
4. Polina Konop (NSU) def. Liselot Koenen (UH), 6-3, 6-1
5. Charlotte Phillips (UH) def. Amy Williams (NSU), 6-1, 6-3
6. Maja Kazimieruk (UH) def. Dana Sardak (NSU), 6-1, 6-1

Order of Finish: 6,5,4,2,3*,1
*Clinching point