BEAUMONT, Texas— Finishing a four-hour semifinal match, Southland Conference Player of the Year Polina Mutel took control in the third set and provided Northwestern State's decisive point Saturday in a 4-3 victory over two-time defending champion Texas A&M Corpus Christi in the Southland Conference Women's Tennis Tournament.

Mutel's 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 victory in the No. 1 singles battle with Hortense Boscher advanced the Lady Demons (16-8) to the tournament finals and a matchup against No. 1 seed McNeese (17-3) on Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Beaumont Municipal Tennis Center. The winner advances to the NCAA Tournament.

It's the seventh time in nine opportunities this decade NSU has reached the championship match. The Lady Demons won in 2010, 2013 and 2015 and last played in the finals in 2016.

The Lady Demons are the only team to prevail against McNeese in the league's regular season, scoring a 4-3 victory in Lake Charles on March 9. The teams have not competed against one another in the conference tournament in at least the past decade. The Cowgirls dispatched fourth-seeded Sam Houston State 4-2 in their Saturday semifinal.

In the other semi, third-seeded NSU reversed a 4-3 loss to Southland co-champion and No. 2 seed AMCC (16-7) last Saturday in Natchitoches.

Mirroring its quarterfinal contest Friday against No. 6 Abilene Christian, NSU recovered from a 3-1 shortfall against the Islanders, capturing the last three singles matches. Polina Ivanova won at No. 2 6-4, 7-6 (3), then Judit Castillo squared the overall score 3-all with her 6-4, 6-4 triumph on the fifth court, setting the stage for Mutel to rise to the occasion.

"What a great college tennis match today," head coach Patric DuBois said. "Both teams gave everything they had for four hours. It was a shame someone had to lose. I am so proud of all the girls and how hard they fought today.

"Corpus Christi has such a strong team of fighters, a great coaching staff and tradition," DuBois added. "So this win was very impressive by our Lady Demons."

Mutel opened the third set strongly, surging to a 4-1 advantage and continuing to a 5-2 lead. Borcher gamely rallied but could not overcome the Southland Player of the Year.

"When the Lady Demons win, Mutel is usually one of those victories," DuBois said. "Polina did not play her best today, but she has ice in her veins and found a way to victory with the whole match on her shoulders. She has a toolbox full of things and used all of them today."

Ivanova, an honorable mention all-conference choice at No. 2 singles, started the comeback with her victory over All-Southland second-team recipient Jelena Dzinic, who had prevailed 7-5, 7-5 a week earlier in Natchitoches. Castillo, a second-team All-Southland pick at No. 5, topped the first-team selection, the Islanders' Marina Vicens Miquel.

Ivanova's triumph pushed NSU's only senior to seventh in all-time Lady Demon career singles wins, raising her four-year record to 56-26.

NSU began the afternoon well, claiming the doubles point. The Lady Demons' No. 2 partnership, Kateryna Avram and Castillo, overcame a 4-3 deficit to prevail 6-4.

Emilija Dancetovic and Ela Iwaniuk captured four of their last five games on the third court and won 6-3 to salt away the point, while Mutel and Ivanova were up 5-4 in the No. 1 match.

"Doubles was very tight and grueling again, playing in the heat and having to be very patient," DuBois said. "I was very proud of the ladies' patience and tenacity today. They stuck with the plan and executed."

The final score was the fourth consecutive 4-3 match involving NSU, which has played 10 such contests this season, winning six of them, splitting the last four but taking the two most valuable, their two tournament wins this weekend.
 

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Northwestern State 4, A&M-Corpus Christi 3

Southland Conference Tournament Semifinal

Beaumont Municipal Tennis Center

Beaumont, Texas

Singles competition

1. Polina Mutel (NSU) def. Hortense Boscher 6-3, 4-6, 6-4

2. Polina Ivanova (NSU) def. Jelena Dzinic 6-4, 7-6 (7-3)

3. Luna Dormet (AMCC) def. Emilija Dancetovic 6-0, 6-4

4. Louise Trigona (AMCC) def. Ela Iwaniuk 6-2, 7-5

5. Judit Castillo (NSU) def. Marina Vicens Miquel 6-4, 6-4

6. Carolina Bulatovic (AMCC) def. Kateryna Avram 6-0, 6-3

Doubles competition

1. Hortense Boscher/Luna Dormet (AMCC) vs. Polina Ivanova/Polina Mutel 4-5, unfinished

2. Kateryna Avram/Judit Castillo (NSU) def. Marina Vicens Miquel/Louise Trigona 6-4

3. Emilija Dancetovic/Ela Iwaniuk (NSU) def. Jelena Dzinic/Maria Maldonado 6-3

Match Notes:

Northwestern State 16-8

Corpus Christi 16-7

Order of finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (6,3,4,2,5,1)

T-3:46 A-137