NATCHITOCHES – The Northwestern State tennis team enters its final regular-season Southland Conference match against Southeastern Louisiana on Tuesday at 10:00 at the Jack Fisher Tennis Complex, with the chance to attain co-champion status and the overall number one seed in this year's conference tournament hosted by Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
 
Dropping just one conference match to McNeese State just a few contests ago, the Lady Demons (17-5 overall, 10-1 SLC) could potentially earn the program's fourth regular-season title, and the first since 2010. NSU currently maintains the same conference mark as Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, and will share the crown with the Islanders.
 
The Lady Demons picked up league wins over Lamar and Sam Houston State this past weekend to aid in their near-perfect Southland record.
 
Sophomore Natalya Krutova posts a 15-3 overall record, 9-1 in league play, appearing mostly at No. 3, to lead NSU in singles. She combines with freshman Kateryna Piatakova at No. 2 doubles for a 16-2 post, 10-0 in the Southland.
 
The Lady Lions (14-6, 6-5) claimed last season's tight 4-3 contest, and are led by Renee Villarreal and Valya Rusakova. Villarreal's 16-3, 9-2 singles mark is followed by Rusakova at 12-4, 6-3. The duo combine for the No. 1 doubles position and post a 6-2 overall mark, 5-2 in the Southland.
 
Depending on Tuesday's match results, the Lady Demons will begin single-elimination tournament play at 11:00 or two o'clock at the Thomas J. Henry Tennis Center in Corpus Christi, Texas.