LAFAYETTE -- Despite being down a player, the Northwestern State tennis team pushed UL Lafayette to the brink Wednesday only to fall 4-3 to the Ragin' Cajuns.
 
The Lady Demons (0-3) picked up their first points of the season with singles' wins by Polina Mutel in the No. 1 slot, Ela Iwaniuk in the No. 4 position and Emilija Dancetovic in the No. 5 spot.
 
But ULL (4-0) clinched the win in the final singles match to finish as Kateryna Avram couldn't force a third set in a 6-4, 7-5 loss to Dana Radovanovic.
 
ULL's Floraine Picaut topped Polina Ivanova in the No. 2 slot (6-4, 6-1) for its only other singles point in which a match was actually played.
 
NSU forfeited a point in the No. 6 position with an injury to Judit Castillo, who has missed the first matches of the season.
 
The forfeiture of the third doubles match also affected NSU in the tie-breaker.
 
NSU's Mutel/Ivanova drummed ULL's Abby Johnson/Kelly Drew in 6-2 fashion.
 
But the Ragin Cajuns secured the doubles' point with a Picaut/Radovanovic victory over Iwaniuk/Avram (6-3) to add to its forfeiture point in the No. 3 doubles position.
 
In NSU's singles wins, Mutel beat ULL's Drew (6-4, 0-6, 6-4); Iwaniuk topped Johnson (7-5, 6-1 and Dancetovic handled Marina Rod. Garcia (6-3, 6-1).
 
The Lady Demons continue its seven-match road trip to start the season when they to Ruston on Tuesday to face Louisiana Tech (1:30 p.m.) and Grambling (3 p.m.).


Tennis Match Results Northwestern State vs Louisiana Jan 31, 2018 at Lafayette, La.
(Cajun Courts) Louisiana 4, Northwestern State 3

Singles
1.    Polina Mutel (NSU) def. Kelly Drew (LA) 6-4, 0-6, 6-4
2.    Floriane Picaut (LA) def. Polina Ivanova (NSU) 6-4, 6-1
3.    Dana Radovanovic (LA) def. Kateryna Avram (NSU) 6-4, 7-5
4.    Ela Iwaniuk (NSU) def. Abby Johnson (LA) 7-5, 6-1
5.    Emilija Dancetovic (NSU) def. Marina Rod. Garcia (LA) 6-3, 6-1
6.    No player (LA) def. No player (NSU), by forfeit

Doubles
1.    Polina Mutel/Polina Ivanova (NSU) def. Abby Johnson/Kelly Drew (LA) 6-2
2.    Floriane Picaut/Dana Radovanovic (LA) def. Ela Iwaniuk/Kateryna Avram (NSU) 6-3
3.    No player/No player (LA) def. No player/No player (NSU), by forfeit

Match Notes:
Northwestern State 0-3
Louisiana 4-0
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (6,2,5,4,1,3) T-2:30  A-75