NATCHITOCHES – After helping start the day right for Northwestern State, freshman Polina Mutel was rock solid under pressure as she won the last two games in a three-set thriller and posted a 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory in the No. 3 match to give the Lady Demons a 4-3 triumph over visiting Southeastern Louisiana Saturday in Southland Conference tennis.

Mutel and fellow freshman Iryna Vardanian, along with sophomore Polina Ivanova, picked up points in both their doubles and singles matches to fuel NSU's win.

After the Lady Demons won for the sixth time in eight matches to improve to 7-9 overall and 3-3 in the Southland, coach Olga Bazhanova was pleased with her team's competitiveness against SLU (10-6, 5-3).

"It was a very tough match and all the girls competed very well. It came down to Polina at No. 3, and she battled to bring the final point to our team," said Bazhanova. "Southeastern is very talented, well coached, and most importantly, they fight. We had to outfight them today, which was very good for us."

Mutel said after losing the first set decisively to SLU's Dany Raygadas, a strategy shift helped make the difference.

"I started to put a lot of balls on the court, and played on the rise all the time. I played on the net, and it helped me a lot. I put a lot of pressure on my opponent, and I stayed strong mentally and physically," she said.

Mutel and Vardanian were 6-2 winners in the No. 2 doubles to start the action at the Jack Fisher Tennis Complex. Ivanova and Natalya Krutova clinched the doubles point with a 6-4 decision at No. 1 over Renee Villarreal and Dalina Dahlmans.

Villarreal topped Krutova 6-2, 6-4 in the No. 1 singles match to even the score at 1, then Vardanian answered with a 6-4, 6-3 victory at No. 2 over Dahlmans to put the Lady Demons back out front. Ivanova won an epic first-set tiebreaker against SLU's Lucia Bustamante in a 7-6 (12-10), 6-2 triumph at No. 4 and gave NSU a 3-1 lead.

The visitors drew even with a pair of lengthy straight-set wins in the bottom two singles matches, leaving Mutel and Raygadas to settle the match after they split the first two sets. Mutel admitted she enjoyed having her teammates on the courts supporting her with the day's outcome in the balance.

"It was a good feeling for me. I was really excited about it. I don't have any words to describe it better," she said. "It helped having my teammates out there cheering for me."

Bazhanova was pleased after the Lady Demons won for the second straight day against a conference foe with a winning record in league play.

"Natalie had a tough match against Southeastern's best player, Renee, who played very well. Iryna stuck to her game, was very focused, didn't let her emotions get the best of her. Polina Ivanova struggled a bit in the first set, but she took care of business and played well under the pressure in that set," she said. "I thought everybody played their best today and the outcome was one we earned."

NSU will play its next three on the road, beginning Wednesday at Abilene Christian, before wrapping up the schedule April 8-9 at home.

"All the girls are playing well in doubles, especially Nos. 1 and 2. The processes are improving, and the girls are moving very well and being more aggressive. We struggled at the beginning of the season but I see the improvement," said Bazhanova. "In singles, we are improving slowly and I hope the girls see that. As long as we stick with our process and do the things we talk about in practice, we will be successful."
 
Northwestern State 4, Southeastern Louisiana 3
Jack Fisher Tennis Complex, Natchitoches, LA

Singles competition
1. Renee Villarreal (SLU) def. Natalya Krutova 6-2, 6-4
2. Iryna Vardanian (NSU) def. Dalina Dahlmans 6-4, 6-3
3. Polina Mutel (NSU) def. Dany Raygadas 1-6, 6-4, 6-3
4. Polina Ivanova (NSU) def. Lucia Bustamante 7-6 (12-10), 6-2
5. Natalie Duran (SLU) def. Barbora Kollarova 6-3, 6-3
6. Madina Vorotnikova (SLU) def. Alzbeta Veverkova 6-3, 6-2

Doubles competition
1. Natalya Krutova/Polina Ivanova (NSU) def. Dalina Dahlmans/Renee Villarreal 6-4
2. Iryna Vardanian/Polina Mutel (NSU) def. Lucia Bustamante/Ceci Mercier 6-2
3. Ilijana Ivic/Barbora Kollarova (NSU) vs. Margaux Kaltenbacher/Dany Raygadas (SLU) unfinished

Match Notes:
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1); Singles (1,2,4,5,6,3)
Northwestern State 7-9, 3-3
Southeastern Louisiana 10-6, 5-3
T-2:30 A-101