By: Matt Vines, Assistant Sports Information Director
NATCHITOCHES – Call it reunion weekend for Northwestern State tennis.
Close to 20 former NSU tennis players are expected to be in attendance this weekend as the Lady Demons continue their five-match homestand against Texas State on Saturday and Stephen F. Austin on Sunday.
Both matches are slated for an 11 a.m. start as NSU (2-2) is aiming for its first winning streak of the season.
NSU's connection to Texas State is through Bobcat head coach Tory Plunkett, who began her playing career as a Lady Demon and was a two-time Gulf Star Conference champion in 1985-86.
Plunkett finished her career at TCU, where she earned All-America status in 1988 and was a two-time All-Southwest Conference selection.
Plunkett, who is in her 18th season at Texas State, has the Bobcats (2-2) on a winning streak after 4-3 wins against SFA and Jackson State.
"We're excited to play at home with beautiful weather all week this week, and playing at home allows us five days in a row where we can really hone in on the things we need to work on," said second-year NSU coach Jonas Brobeck. "It's going to be a battle this weekend, and we expect to have a great atmosphere for our alumni weekend.
"Texas State plays in a very good Sun Belt Conference, and Coach Plunkett is a former Lady Demon that knows her stuff. SFA is a familiar foe that used to be in the Southland Conference, and we know that they will bring a good team in here."
NSU has won the last four meetings against Texas State, including a 7-0 victory in Natchitoches in 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the season in mid-March.
Against SFA, NSU has won three of the last four meetings. The Ladyjacks (3-2) are in the first year of Western Athletic Conference membership and have won three of their last four matches, including wins against Louisiana Tech, Alcorn State and UL Lafayette.
The Lady Demons are full strength again after injuries and COVID-19 protocols impacted their first home weekend.
With just five available players, NSU pulled out a 6-1 win against ranked NAIA member Loyola-New Orleans on Feb. 5. The weekend was supposed to feature four matches, but NSU played Loyola just once and are planning to reschedule the doubleheader against LSU-Alexandria.
"Everyone is back from that interesting situation, and I think a lot of teams will have to go through that this year unfortunately," Brobeck said. "The challenge of playing with one less player is quite a bit because you forfeit No. 3 doubles and No. 6 singles.
"The girls who are out there have to do everything they can. It was great to see Patrycja Polanska back competing, it shows you the type of person she is and how much she loves tennis. Seeing her compete that way is unbelievable."
Polanska, who was unable to compete in the fall season because of a wrist injury, was playing in her first match in nearly 11 months and logged her first win in nearly a year.
The return of the senior from Poland coupled with the return of Dorota Szczygielska and Ayu Ishibashi allows Brobeck his full complement of players for the first time this season.
"It's super important at our level as a mid-major to be deep," Brobeck said. "You can't have holes in your lineup, and everyone needs to compete at a high level and put a point up for your team.
"We have a very solid team at every spot, and we can compete well in both singles and doubles."
Freshman Tjasa Klevisar kept her singles record unblemished with a big comeback against Loyola, winning the match (2-6, 7-5, 10-6) after trailing in the second set 2-0 and 4-2 in the tiebreaker.
Klevisar is 2-0 in the No. 2 slot with two unfinished matches, joining No. 3 singles player Mariella Minetti (2-0) as undefeated singles players who have competed in multiple matches.
"I just started to play my game, the way I was supposed to start the game," said Klevisar, one of three NSU newcomers who have worked their way into the singles rotation. "I adapted to what my opponent didn't like, and I just played it point by point to turn the match around.
"It's great to play at home because we're used to the court, and you have your fans to support you and cheer for you. It gives you the energy to play, and I experienced that in my match Saturday. We're really excited to play at home for five straight matches."
