SAN MARCOS, Texas – Northwestern State's Tatiana Larina and Natalya Krutova collected straight-set singles victories, but Texas State nabbed victories in two of the final three singles matches Saturday to edge the Lady Demons, 4-3, at the Bobcat Tennis Complex on Saturday.
 
Larina swept Monica Pierott, 6-4, 6-0, while Krutova did the same to Ana Laura Gutierrez, 7-6 (4), 6-2, as the Demons (1-5) earned a split of the singles matches.
 
Larina and Krutova teamed up in doubles to defeat Gutierrez and Pippa Carr, 8-6, for NSU's lone victory in the doubles competition. Texas State's Pierott and Shannon Beckett edged Barbora Kollarova and Polina Ivanova, 8-6, and Katy Collins and Eva Dench grabbed an 8-2 win against NSU's Aliona Ladutska and Emily Kerr to clinch the doubles point.
 
Ladutska battled back after dropping the first set of her singles match against Carr before rallying for a 1-6, 7-5, 7-5 victory.
 
Texas State (3-3) earned singles wins by Dench over Kollarova (6-4, 6-2); Beckett against Ivanova (7-5, 3-6, 6-3) and Collins against Kerr (6-1, 6-1) to collect the team win.
 
"The girls fought hard today," first-year head coach Olga Bazhanova said. "It was a very close match. Our top two positions had great matches. Aliona is back on track and won the second and third sets."
 
The Lady Demons continue their trip through central and south central Texas on Sunday when they face Texas-San Antonio at 11 a.m.