NATCHITOCHES—Northwestern State grabbed four victories in singles, leading the Lady Demons to a 4-2 win against Southern Miss on Friday at the Jack Fisher Tennis Complex.

The triumph is the fourth consecutive for NSU (6-3), which improves to 12-8 all-time against the Golden Eagles. It is the second time this season the Lady Demons have won despite dropping the doubles point. It is the first loss for USM (5-1), which plays UTSA on Saturday.

"That was a solid team win," head coach Patric DuBois said. "After a tough start in doubles losing a tight point, I was very proud of the way the girls responded. The ability to respond the way they did starts in practice.

"We have eight solid players who push, compete and support each other every day. We look forward to another tough match on Sunday (against UTSA)."

Senior Judit Castillo Gargallo came through for the Lady Demons at No. 6, providing the clinching point in the win. She won the first set convincingly against Monique Burton 6-0, but had to come back to win the second set 7-5. Castillo Gargallo fell behind 5-2, but won five consecutive games to win the match and clinch it for NSU.

"During the second set, she was beginning to play more aggressive and I was playing more back," Castillo Gargallo said. "After I realized that and I was down 5-2, I decided to change. My approach was working and I did what I was doing in the first set. It was a great way to come back."

Castillo Gargallo, a Teruel, Spain, native, won her 47^th singles match against USM, which moves her into a tie for 16^th in program history for singles victories. One of the two she is tied with is former teammate Polina Mutel.

After USM earned the doubles point, NSU won the first set in five of the six singles matches. Ela Iwaniuk dominated at the No. 2 position, winning 6-1, 6-2, against Katia De La Garza. Her triumph tied the match at 1-1.

USM emerged with the victory at No. 5, but it was all Lady Demons from there on out. Mariella Minetti, the reigning Southland Conference Player of the Week, fell behind 4-3 in the first set, but then turned it on the remainder of the match. Minetti scored three straight to close out the first set. In the second set, she fell behind 1-0, but controlled the match after that and earned a decisive 6-2 win in the second to tie the overall match at 2-2.

Minetti improves to a team-best 7-2 on the season.

Juinior Patrycja Polanska earned her team-leading fourth consecutive win with a decisive 6-2, 6-2, victory at No. 4 over Warisara Lee. Polanska, a Zakopane, Poland, native, jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the opening set and never let Lee back in the set. In the second set, Polanska led 3-2 before finishing strong, winning the final three games to give NSU the lead.

That set the stage for Castillo Gargallo's comeback to earn the victory for the Lady Demons. With her leading 6-5 and freshman Dorota Szczygielska tied at 5-5 with Sarah Medik at No. 3, the race was on to see who would triumph for the clinching point.

Szczygielska won her first set 6-3 but fell behind 3-0 and 5-2 in the second. She came back to tie the match and was trying to complete a comeback of her own before Castillo Gargallo finished off the win for NSU.

Iwaniuk and Emilija Dancetovic dominated at No. 1 doubles, winning 6-0 over Burton and Medik. This is the 38^th doubles victory for Dancetovic, who moves into a five-way tie for 24^th in program history.

NSU aims to make it five in a row when it plays UTSA on Sunday at 11 a.m. before conference play begins with a trip to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi next Friday.
 
Tennis Match Results
Southern Miss vs. Northwestern State
Feb. 21, 2020 at Natchitoches, LA
(Jack Fisher Tennis Complex)
Northwestern State 4, Southern Miss 2

Singles
1. Mariella Minetti (NSU) def. Arina Amaning (USM) 6-4, 6-2
2. Ela Iwaniuk (NSU) def. Katia De La Garza 6-1, 6-2
3. Dorota Szczygielska (NSU) vs. Sarah Medik 6-3, 5-5 UF
4. Patrycja Polanska (NSU) def. Warisara Lee 6-2, 6-2
5. Ebru Zeynep Yazgan (USM) def. Olivia Alfredsson 6-0, 6-1
6. Judit Castillo Gargallo (NSU) def. Monique Burton 6-0, 7-5

Doubles
1. Ela Iwaniuk/Emilija Dancetovic (NSU) def. Monique Burton/Sarah Medik 6-0
2. Katia De La Garza/Warisara Lee (USM) def. Patrycja Polanska/Mariella Minetti 7-6
3. Arina Amaning/Ebru Zeynep Yazgan (USM) def. Dorota Szczygielska/Judit Castillo Gargallo 7-6

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