NEW ORLEANS – Tulane swept the Northwestern State women's tennis team Saturday afternoon, handing the Lady Demons (0-2) their second sweep and a 4-0 loss.

Tulane (5-0) grabbed a quick 1-0 lead over NSU by taking the doubles point with a pair of 6-1 wins on courts one and two. Freshmen duo Kateryna Avram and Vladislava Litvinova were in a battle on court three when the Tulane point was secured, as they were
down 5-3, resulting in an unfinished match.

In singles, sophomores Iryna Vardanian and Polina Mutel, and freshman Emilija Dancetovic were in tight matches when the match was called.

Vardanian dropped the first set to Kyla Klier in the No. 2 position, but rallied in the second set to force the third set that left a 6-1, 2-6, 1-1 unfinished result on the table.

Tulane is off to a rapid 5-0 start on the year with a chance to move to 6-0 by day's end. That hot start can largely be attributed to their ability to gain momentum early by picking up the doubles point in every match this season.

"Tulane has a strong team and they play aggressively with more consistency on pivotal points," said Bazhanova.

Head coach Olga Bazhanova laid out a demanding start to the season in order to prepare her young squad of only one upperclassman and three freshmen for the rigors of conference play later in the season.

"This is a positive step forward," Bazhanova said. "We have to keep improving in every match and practice in order to be prepared for conference play."

Conference play begins with a trip to Sam Houston State on March 4, but the Lady Demons will be on the road again next weekend with a trip to Southern Methodist in Dallas.
 

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Singles competition

Naz Karagoz (TLN) def. Polina Ivanova (NWST) 6-4, 6-4
Kyla Klier (TLN) vs. Iryna Vardanian (NWST) 6-1, 2-6, 1-1, unfinished
Sade Atkinson (TLN) vs. Polina Mutel (NWST) 6-3, 5-6, unfinished
Ivone Alvaro (TLN) def. Vladislava Litvinova (NWST) 6-1, 6-4
Elena Muller (TLN) vs. Emilija Dancetovic (NWST) 2-6, 6-4, 1-2 unfinished
Christina Sisti (TLN) def. Kateryna Avram (NWST) 7-5, 6-2

Doubles competition

Sade Atkinson/Kyla Klier (TLN) def. Iryna Vardanian/Polina Mutel (NWST) 6-2
Naz Karagoz/Elena Muller (TLN) def. Polina Ivanova/Emilija Dancetovic (NWST) 6-1
Christina Sisti/Ivone Alvaro (TLN) vs. Vladislava Litvinova/Kateryna Avram (NWST) 5-2, unfinished

Order of finish: Doubles (2,1); Singles (4,6,1)