2-9 Team
Gary Hardamon

Lady Demon Tennis Drew Bartlett - Sports Information GA

Campaign for fifth-straight SLC tournament final appearance begins Saturday

Lady Demon Tennis Drew Bartlett - Sports Information GA

Campaign for fifth-straight SLC tournament final appearance begins Saturday

HUNTSVILLE, Texas  – The Northwestern State tennis team, looking to get back to the Southland Conference Women's Tennis Tournament final for a fifth-straight year, carries a seven-match winning streak into a pair of opening conference matches this weekend at Sam Houston State on Saturday and Lamar Sunday.

The Lady Demons (7-3) only returned three players from the 2016 team that got hot at the right time and carried a four-match winning streak into the SLC tournament. Northwestern State eventually lost in the finals to Texas A&M – Corpus Christi, but the final appearance meant four consecutive for the Lady Demons.

If the Lady Demons are able to reach the SLC Tournament final this season, they will tie former Southland member, Texas-San Antonio for most consecutive appearances.

Saturday's match against the Bearkats (4-6, 1-0 conference) is scheduled for 10 a.m. and the Sunday match versus the Cardinals (4-2) is scheduled for a 12 p.m. first serve.

Head coach Olga Bazhanova is ready for the challenge of opening conference play on the road.

"It's going to be tough with our first conference matches away," she said. "Both are talented, well coached teams – we just have to play tough, smart and consistent."

Sophomore Iryna Vardanian, playing in the No. 2 singles position, leads the team with a 6-1 record in singles. In doubles a duo also has six wins with a 6-2 record. Another returner, junior Polina Ivanova, has teamed with newcomer Emilija Dancetovic to lead the charge for the Lady Demons in the midst of the win streak.

"Every year is different, every year we have new challenges," Bazhanova said. "I'm happy about where we are right now – we just have to keep improving and stay positive."

Freshmen stepped up time and time again in a challenging non-conference schedule that included one SEC competitor - LSU, two Sun Belt members – UL Lafayette and Texas State, two American Athletic Conference members – Tulane and SMU, and three Conference USA members – Southern Mississippi, Louisiana Tech and UTSA.

Dancetovic has laid claim to the title of top newcomer, clinching the match point three times and the doubles point with Ivanova four times already this spring.

Fellow freshmen Kateryna Avram, Vladislava Litvinova and Judit Castillo have combined for another four clinching points in doubles and singles.

Northwestern State returns home next weekend for conference matches against McNeese State (5-6) on Saturday and Nicholls (5-2) on Sunday.

Follow updates all season on Twitter @NSUdemonsWTN. 
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Players Mentioned

Polina Ivanova

Polina Ivanova

5' 9"
Redshirt Junior
Iryna Vardanian

Iryna Vardanian

5' 5"
Sophomore
Kateryna Avram

Kateryna Avram

5' 6"
Freshman
Judit Castillo Gargallo

Judit Castillo Gargallo

5' 4"
Freshman
Vladislava Litvinova

Vladislava Litvinova

5' 7"
Freshman
Emilija Dancetovic

Emilija Dancetovic

5' 10"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Polina Ivanova

Polina Ivanova

5' 9"
Redshirt Junior
Iryna Vardanian

Iryna Vardanian

5' 5"
Sophomore
Kateryna Avram

Kateryna Avram

5' 6"
Freshman
Judit Castillo Gargallo

Judit Castillo Gargallo

5' 4"
Freshman
Vladislava Litvinova

Vladislava Litvinova

5' 7"
Freshman
Emilija Dancetovic

Emilija Dancetovic

5' 10"
Freshman