NATCHITOCHES—Patrycja Polanska provided the clinching point as the Northwestern State Lady Demons tennis team won a thrilling 4-3 Southland Conference match against fellow league unbeaten Central Arkansas Saturday at the Jack Fisher Tennis Complex.

Following a 6-1 loss in the first set at No. 4, Polanska rebounded to win two tough sets against UCA's Marli Van Heerden, 7-5, 6-4, to clinch it for NSU with the Lady Demons trailing in the only other match still unresolved.

"After losing the first set, I knew I had to change something," Polanska said. "I had to focus on what I had to do. I knew I had to fight for every point and I couldn't continue to make the mistakes I made in the opening set."

The Lady Demons (10-2 overall, 4-0 Southland Conference) won their fourth consecutive match and 10th in their last 11. UCA slipped to 9-6 overall and 3-1 in the Southland.

"Patrycja's a fighter," head coach Patric DuBois said. "After losing the first set, she kept grinding and kept finding ways. She used all her tools and was able to grind out a very good win."

For the first time in conference play, NSU dropped the doubles point, but rebounded to win four of the six singles matches, after capturing five of the six first sets.

Junior Ela Iwaniuk and redshirt freshman Rhea Verma continued their strong play, as both won in straight sets at No. 5 and 3, respectively, and each improved to 4-0 in SLC action.

"It was so important to see those two win in the fashion they did," DuBois said. "To win in straight sets like they did gives confidence to their teammates who are out there battling on their courts knowing their teammates won their matches and it keeps them focused."

Verma defeated Mei Ishimura 6-1, 6-4 to tie up the score 1-1. After dropping her first set against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the conference opener, she has won eight sets in a row.

Iwaniuk has won all eight sets in conference matches. Saturday, she prevailed 6-3, 6-4 against UCA's Yada Vasupongchai, who had not lost in Southland action. Her victory put the Lady Demons in front 2-1.

Once again, NSU received help from the bottom of the rotation with a triumph from junior Judit Castillo Gargallo at No. 6, who won in straight sets over Rada Manataweewat 6-3, 6-3. Like Vasupongchai and Van Heerden, Manataweewat was given her first defeat in SLC play Saturday.

The three straight-set victories gave the Lady Demons a 3-1 advantage.

Senior Polina Mutel dropped a tough three-set match 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 to Chunxi Xin to draw UCA within 3-2, which set the stage for Polanska and Van Heerden's tense battle and an equally competitive contest at No. 2. There, UCA's Fuka Nonoyama fought off six match points in a second-set tiebreaker against Maria Skyba and finished a 4-6, 7-6 (9-7), 6-3 triumph a few minutes after Polanska's clincher.

The Bears claimed the doubles point with a 7-5 decision at No. 2 by Ishimura/Vasupongchai over Verma and Polanska. The Lady Demons got the edge via a 6-2 victory at No. 1 from Mutel and Skyba over Van Heerden/Xin, but UCA's Nonoyama/ Manataweewat topped Castillo Gargallo and Emilija Dancetovic 6-3 in the No. 3 match to square things.

"It's a nice win against a very good Central Arkansas team," head coach Patric DuBois said. "I thought we were evenly matched on every single court. There was a high level of tennis played today on each court and it was nice to get the win."

The Lady Demons host Louisiana Tech Thursday at 1:30 to start a stretch of three home matches in two days. They play Lamar on Friday at 11 a.m. before a visit later Friday from Prairie View A&M.

Northwestern State 4, Central Arkansas 3
Women's Tennis at Natchitoches, LA – Jack Fisher Tennis Complex 

Singles 
1. Chunxi Xin (UCA) def. Polina Mutel 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 
2. Fuka Nonoyama (UCA) def. Maria Skyba 4-6, 7-6 (9-7), 6-3 
3. Rhea Verma (NSU) def. Mei Ishimura 6-1, 6-4 
4. Patrycja Polanska (NSU) def. Marli Van Heerden 1-6, 7-5, 6-4 
5. Ela Iwaniuk (NSU) def. Yada Vasupongchai 6-3, 6-4 
6. Judit Castillo Gargallo (NSU) def. Rada Manataweewat 6-3, 6-3
 

Doubles 
1. Polina Mutel/Maria Skyba (NSU) def. Marli Van Heerden/Chunxi Xin 6-2 
2. Mei Ishimura/Yada Vasupongchai (UCA) def. Rhea Verma/Patrycja Polanska 7-5 
3. Fuka Nonoyama/Rada Manataweewat (UCA) def. Judit Castillo Gargallo/Emilija Dancetovic 6-3
 

Match Notes: 
Northwestern State 10-2, 4-0 Southland 
Central Arkansas: 9-6, 3-1 Southland 
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (3,6,5,1,4,2)
T-2:10 A-50