RUSTON—Northwestern State's Lady Demon tennis team, taking a break from its first-place standing in the Southland Conference, rebounded from its first loss in eight matches and dominated Louisiana Tech and Grambling in a non-conference doubleheader on Monday at the Louisiana Tech Tennis Complex.
 
The Lady Demons (13-6 overall) won 4-1 over Louisiana Tech (7-8), then rolled 4-0 past Grambling (5-13). NSU has won 12 of its last 14 matches.
 
Thirty minutes into the first pairing, against Louisiana Tech, all NSU doubles positions were ahead. No. 1 tandem Polina Mutel and Polina Ivanova finished first with a 6-2 triumph, and Judit Castillo and Kateryna Avram clinched the doubles point moments later with a 7-5 decision at No. 2.
 
"We came out strong in doubles against a solid Louisiana Tech team," head coach Patric DuBois said. "We continued to grind in singles and found a way to secure the team win."
 
Even though the Lady Demons only took three first-set victories, it was all they needed to post three straight-set wins and seal the deal.
 
Ivanova finished a 6-1, 6-4 triumph against Karla De La Luz, ranked No. 140-ranked in the U.S., and increased her overall singles record to 52-25 in the No. 2 position. The victory gets her one step closer to a 9^th placement for all-time most singles wins in Lady Demon history.
 
In the No. 4 position, NSU's Ela Iwaniuk dropped only two games to Claudia Oravcova in a 6-0, 6-2 domination. Louisiana Tech's Sonia Chen overcame Emilija Dancetovic 6-2, 6-1 in the No. 3 slot, Avram salted away the match outcome with a 6-4, 6-1 defeat over Andrea Perez-Lopez, No. 1-ranked in Mexico.
 
"The ladies did a great job of getting back to Lady Demon tennis today after a tough loss Friday," DuBois said, referring to a 4-3 defeat at Abilene Christian that spoiled NSU's undefeated Southland record (now 7-1).
 
With just a short break, NSU faced Grambling in a singles-only match for the second half of the day's double feature. This match would only include doubles play if the overall score required a tiebreaking doubles point.
 
The Lady Demons brought momentum to the court as they posted first-set wins in all six positions.
 
Clinching the win in nearly an hour, NSU recorded four straight set victories.
 
Iwaniuk led the scoring 6-1, 6-0 against Idah Longwe in the No. 4 slot, and Castillo followed shortly after with a similar 6-0, 6-1 triumph over Tanyaradzwa Magunje in the No. 5 position.
 
In the No. 6 position, Avram swept Danna Galeano 6-0, 6-0, and Mutel followed suit 6-0, 6-0 to capture the clinching point at No. 2 against Bryttish Burts.
 
"The girls turned around just an hour after their first match of the day, remained focused, and dug deep down physically to defeat Grambling," DuBois said.
 
The Lady Demons play their final two home matches this weekend. A pivotal match in the Southland standings comes on Saturday against the two-time defending league champion, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at 11 a.m. NSU's home slate wraps up Sunday against Incarnate Word, also at 11 a.m. at the Jack Fisher Tennis Complex.
 
Northwestern State 4, Louisiana Tech 1
Louisiana Tech Tennis Complex
Ruston, La.
 
Singles competition
1. Nadja Manjon (LT) vs. Polina Mutel 6-4, 4-6, unfinished
2. Polina Ivanova (NSU) def. Karla De La Luz 6-1, 6-4
3. Sonia Chen (TLT) def. Emilija Dancetovic 6-2, 6-1
4. Ela Iwaniuk (NSU) def. Claudia Oravcova 6-0, 6-2
5. Angela Lorenzo (LT) vs. Judit Castillo 6-4, 3-2, unfinished
6. Kateryna Avram (NSU) def. Andrea Perez-Lopez 6-4, 6-1
 
Doubles competition
1. Polina Mutel/Polina Ivanova (NSU) def. Karla De La Luz/Andrea Perez-Lopez 6-2
2. Judit Castillo/Kateryna Avram (NSU) def. Angela Lorenzo/Nadja Manjon 7-5
3. Claudia Oravcova/Sonia Chen (LT) vs. Emilija Dancetovic/Ela Iwaniuk 5-6, unfinished
 
Match Notes:
Northwestern State 12-6
Louisiana Tech 7-8
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (2,4,3,6)
T-2:34 A-44
 
Northwestern State 4, Grambling State 0
Louisiana Tech Tennis Complex
Ruston, La.
 
Singles competition
1. Polina Ivanova (NSU) vs. Yuliia Popova 6-3, 4-2, unfinished
2. Polina Mutel (NSU) def. Bryttish Burts 6-0, 6-0
3. Emilija Dancetovic (NSU) vs. Keren Happuch Muswere 6-0, 4-1, unfinished
4. Ela Iwaniuk (NSU) def. Idah Longwe 6-1, 6-0
5. Judit Castillo (NSU) def. Tanyaradzwa Magunje 6-0, 6-1
6. Kateryna Avram (NSU) def. Danna Galeano 6-0, 6-0
 
Match Notes:
Grambling 5-13
Northwestern State 13-6
Order of finish: Singles (4,5,6,2)
T-2:00 A-38