DENTON, Texas -- The culture of excellence in the Northwestern State Lady Demon tennis program sets a standard embraced by the 2015 team and new head coach Olga Bazhanova.
 
After all, Bazhanova helped re-establish it, first as one of the better players and competitors in program history from 2009-12, and for the past two years as an assistant coach.
 
Three All-Southland Conference performers, and two more players, from last year's conference championship team are back this year. Among them are Academic All-Southland selections Natalya Krutova and Tatiana "Tanya" Larina, and the 2013-14 female Southland Conference Steve McCarty Citizenship Award winner, Amy Williams.
 
And Patric DuBois, who steered the program to two regular-season conference titles, a conference tournament crown, NCAA tournament trips in 2010 and 2013, consistent ITA All-Academic Team achievements and a 127-52 overall mark and a 66-22 Southland slate in the previous eight seasons as head coach, remains involved as director of tennis and assistant coach to his protégé, Bazhanova.
 
So there's a crystal clear grasp of the level of expectation in the program, and the understanding that the road toward a Southland crown includes lining up against challenging non-conference foes to forge the most capable Lady Demon squad for the all-important conference matches and league tournament.
 
This weekend, NSU (0-3) plays two more nationally-prominent teams, No. 70 North Texas (2-6, but 0-4 vs. ranked teams) on Saturday at 11 and SMU (3-0) Sunday at 10, in its early-season series of tests. Last year, NSU edged SMU 4-3 while going 20-5 on the season and capturing the Southland title.
 
"Our schedule is very tough. We have teams that are nationally-ranked who will give us good competition, for us to improve. This will only help us to be prepared for the conference matches. Individually, our girls have some good wins already in the fall and we are working towards getting all the things together in the right place at the right time," said Bazhanova.
 
Flipping the coaching roles was something DuBois envisioned since Bazhanova transitioned from player to coach. Her mental game and competitiveness as a player was exceptional, and it translated very well to coaching. With his primary job on campus being director of the beautiful, impressive Wellness and Recreation Complex, DuBois wasn't ready to leave coaching but he was proud to have an impressive former player to take over the head coaching role.
 
For Bazhanova, the transition has gone smoothly but not without increasing the level of challenging responsibilities.
 
"I have been part of this program for a while now and each step has been totally different. It is definitely more difficult being a coach, because as a player, you only have to manage yourself. As an assistant coach and now head coach, you have to manage girls who have different personalities, different goals, and you have to focus on each individual's needs for the best interests of the team. Each girls wants to win, wants to improve, but it takes time, and hard work, too," she said.
 
Her 2015 seniors, Larina and Williams, were once her teammates.
 
"My last year playing was when Tanya and Amy were freshmen. They're wonderful girls and they are team players, and great leaders. We have a really young team, and they set a very good example for the other girls," said Bazhanova.
 
Larina is a two-time first-team All-Southland No. 1 doubles performer whose relentless play was vital in NSU's 2013 Southland Tournament championship, earning the Lady Demons their second NCAA Tournament appearance in four years.
 
Krutova was a first-team All-Southland selection in singles and doubles in 2014, after earning all-conference doubles honors in her freshman year. Her 2014 All-Southland doubles partner was 2015 sophomore Kateryna Piatakova.
 
Although she didn't win all-conference honors, sophomore Aliona Ladutska proved a strong addition to the program last season and has developed into a quality doubles partner for Larina, with their No. 1 doubles draw win at the Florida Gulf Coast Invitational to prove it.
 
The 2015 team is quite young. Six of the eight able-bodied players (Williams unfortunately will miss playing her senior year due to hip surgery) are sophomores or freshmen (4).
 
Along with redshirt freshman Polina Ivanova, newcomers Emily Kerr, Barbora Kollarova and Maria Vlaskina appear capable of giving NSU one of the deepest and most competitive lineups in school history. If NSU can develop and even prosper at times during its challenging non-conference slate, there's every reason to expect the Lady Demons to be in the thick of the conference title chase, and to be primed for the Southland Tournament in late April.