NATCHITOCHES—The Northwestern State tennis team aims to build off the big win at Houston when it comes home for a four-match homestand, beginning this weekend when it hosts Alcorn and Texas State on Friday and Saturday.

The match against Alcorn is at 11 a.m. on Friday and the match against Texas State will take place on Saturday at 11 a.m.

NSU (3-3) is coming off its best win to date at Houston. After losing four first sets, the Lady Demons came back to win four of the singles matches to win 4-3.

Junior Patrycja Polanska secured the clinching point in come-from-behind fashion in the win against the Cougars. She enters the match at 3-2 on the season, splitting time at the No. 3 and 4 positions.

"On one hand, it is difficult because you're playing the last match and everyone is watching," Polanska said. "On the other hand, you have so much support from teammates, and I know I have to do my best to win the match. It's a good feeling."

Senior Judit Castillo Gargallo has earned three victories in her last four matches, including against Houston, in which she emerged with a three-set triumph. In her career, she has amassed 45 career singles wins, which is tied with Adna Curukovic (2008-11) for 19^th in program history.

Mariella Minetti has enjoyed a solid start to her Lady Demons career at the top spot in the rotation with four wins in six matches.

"Mariella has progressed quite a bit," coach Patric DuBois said. "We see that potential in her and the talent level she has.

After the loss in Lafayette, we had a talk and she said she was committed to do things the way she was capable of in terms of the process. She was able to come out and execute against a quality No. 1 for Houston."

Her two losses are to opponents who are a combined 9-1 on the season, including one who is ranked in the top 40 nationally. The freshman is coming off a straight sets victory against Houston's Mimi Kendall-Woseley, who had won three consecutive matches entering the contest.

Three NSU players won in three sets, including two in comeback fashion. Polanska was one and the other was senior Ela Iwaniuk, who has evened her record at 3-3 at the No. 2 spot. Her 34-16 career 68 percent singles record is currently 16^th in singles winning percentage in program history.

Freshmen Dorota Szczygielska and Olivia Alfredsson enter as the No. 3 and 5 singles players, respectively, and Szczygielska was the lone Lady Demon to earn a victory at UL Lafayette.

The senior No. 1 doubles team of Iwaniuk and Emilija Dancetovic has performed well, despite a 3-3 record. Dancetovic has won 37 career doubles matches, which ranks one shy of the top 25 in school history.

Alcorn (0-7) has not won a point in seven contests so far this season, being outscored 37-0. The last time out, the Lady Braves fell at Ole Miss 4-0.

This will be its third match against Southland competition so far in 2020, falling 7-0 on the road against both Stephen F. Austin and Southeastern Louisiana.

The two schools have met once before, a 4-0 NSU victory in Natchitoches in 2016.

Texas State (2-1) has played three Southland opponents so far, emerging victorious at Stephen F. Austin and at home against UIW and dropping one at Sam Houston State. The Bobcats play at Prairie View A&M on Thursday before coming to Natchitoches to play both NSU and Alcorn.

Texas State is coached by former Lady Demons legend Tory Plunkett, who went 34-7 in singles in her two seasons at NSU, with her .829 winning percentage in singles ranking second in program history. Her 30-10 doubles record ranks 15^th all-time in doubles winning percentage at NSU.

"They're going to be a really good doubles team," DuBois said. "Tory was a doubles All-American (at TCU) herself and coaches that aspect very well. They have quality throughout their lineup and have good depth."

NSU owns a 20-13 record against the Bobcats and is enjoying a current three-match winning streak. That includes a 4-2 Lady Demons victory in San Marcos, Texas, this past season.

Oddly enough, the Bobcats have a 7-7 record in Natchitoches, as opposed to a 13-6 record elsewhere.

At singles spot No. 1, Hana Kvapilova has not lost a match yet this year, while Rishona Israel-Lewis is 2-0 at the No. 2 slot in the singles rotation

These are the first two matches of four consecutive contests at the Jack Fisher Tennis Complex for NSU. The Lady Demons host Southern Miss and UTSA next weekend before conference play begins Feb. 28 at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.