TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – With senior captain Andrea Nedorostova and junior Polina Konop leading the way the Northwestern State women's tennis team is prepared to take on No. 9 Alabama in the first round of the NCAA Women's Tennis Team Championships on Friday at the Alabama Tennis Complex at one o'clock.
 
The Lady Demons (14-7) earned an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament after winning the Southland Conference Tournament on April 28 while Alabama earned at at-large bid after compiling an impressive 19-5 record against some of the toughest teams in the nation.
 
“We had a good practice today at UA,” said Lady Demon head coach Patric DuBois. “We are ready to come out and compete at a high level tomorrow.”
 
If the Lady Demons defeat Alabama they will advance to Saturday's second round match to play the winner of the Memphis/Florida State contest, which takes place at 10 a.m. on Friday.
 
The Crimson Tide barely edged out NSU 5-4 in the only other dual match meeting between the two programs in 1981.
 
Both teams faced LSU earlier this season with the Lady Demons falling 4-3 and Alabama coming out on top in a 6-1 decision.
 
Konop and Tatiana Larina lead the team in singles action, each sporting a 16-5 record predominately at the No. 1 and 2 positions, respectively.
 
Konop has teamed up with freshman Natalya Krutova in the No. 2 doubles spot for a 16-4 record. The duo is currently on 10-match winning streak and went undefeated in Southland action.
 
Nedorostova and Larina lead the team in doubles competition with a 17-3 record at the No. 1 position.
 
A tournament central page and live scoring for Friday's match will be available on RollTide.com. Fans can also find play-by-play information on Alabama's Twitter feed, @AlabamaWTN.