NATCHITOCHES – An intense 6-4 victory at No. 3 handed visiting UL Monroe the doubles point Wednesday and a pair of tight triumphs lower in the singles lineup clinched a 4-2 win for the unbeaten Warhawks that spoiled the home opener for Northwestern State.
 
ULM (4-0) got a 6-4 victory in the No. 3 doubles match by Martina Husarova and Ioana Popescu over newcomers Polina Mutel and Alzbeta Veverkova to go up 1-0 on the scoreboard, but NSU (0-3) bounced back to take a 2-1 lead with singles wins at the top of the lineup. The Warhawks evened the score with a straight set win in the third position, then closed out the match with a pair of lengthy decisions at Nos. 4 and 6.
 
"It was a tough match. Our girls played pretty good in the windy conditions, and the other team played well. They kept lots of balls in play and we couldn't adjust and got frustrated a bit," said second-year Lady Demons coach Olga Bazhanova. "We improved in today's match and we'll move forward."
 
NSU senior Natalya Krutova and freshman Iryna Vardanian swept their singles and doubles contests. They teamed for a 6-4 win at No. 1 doubles over Pauline Van Herck and Patricia Villar. Krutova was the first to finish a singles victory, prevailing 6-3, 6-2 at No. 1 over Van Herck a few minutes before Vardanian finished a 7-5, 6-1 decision at No. 2, topping Husarova.
 
Krutova's sweep moved her into a tie for ninth on the school career singles victory rankings, raising her total to 51-17, tied with Daniela Posada (51-26 from 2006-09).
 
After a 6-1, 6-3 victory by Tiffany Mylonas over Mutel tied the match 2-all, two lengthy singles contests went the visitors' way in quick succession. Luana Stanciu edged NSU's Barbora Kollarova 7-5, 6-4 at No. 6, and Villar completed a 6-2, 6-4 win at No. 4 over Veverkova to end the match.
 
The Lady Demons, with four newcomers on a seven-woman roster, had their most competitive showing yet as they progress toward the start of Southland Conference play at the end of the month. NSU is coming off its third NCAA Tournament appearance this decade as the Southland Tournament champion.
 
"Our team is pretty young, but the new girls have been here for a semester and know what it's about," said Bazhanova. "They want to win, they practice hard, and we're continuing to work on our approaches to get ready for the conference season.
 
"I believe everyone (played well). They showed good effort, good attitude, and yet, a little bit of luck would be helpful. Natalie played very well and Iryna did also. Doubles didn't finish well, but the process worked good, much better than last weekend, so we'll work and keep improving," she said.
 
NSU goes to Southern Mississippi Saturday, then is home next Friday and Saturday for matches against Texas-San Antonio, Texas State and Alcorn State at the Jack Fisher Tennis Complex.