Box Score NATCHITOCHES – Northwestern State's four-match winning streak was snapped Sunday as Southern Miss grabbed a 4-1 victory over the Lady Demons.

The Golden Eagles (6-0) took two of three doubles matches and captured three of the four singles matches to clinch the win at NSU (5-3).

"Congrats to Southern Miss, I felt like they outcompeted us in some spots in singles, and that was the difference," said NSU coach Jonas Brobeck. "It wasn't so much about forehands and backhands today, they competed and wanted it more than us in some spots.

"They won a really close doubles point, and we have to figure out how to get a little quicker start."

The Lady Demons struck first in doubles as the No. 3 pairing of Patrycja Polanska and Ayu Ishibashi knocked off Southern Miss' Suhana Das and Clara Tardivel, 6-1.

But the Golden Eagles hung on in the other two courts, as Ebru Zeynep Yazgan/Alyssa Richter topped NSU's Rozalie Dohnalova/Viktorie Wojcikova (6-3) and Sarah Medik/Monique Burton fended off Mariella Minetti/Tjasa Klevisar (6-4).

"(Polanska and Ishibashi) did a great job, we just got behind a little bit in the other two doubles matches," Brobeck said.

Southern Miss took singles points on courts No. 1, No. 2 and No. 6 to secure the victory.

After Klevisar fell 6-0 in the first set on court two, she battled back in the second set but ultimately dropped 6-4 to Medik. The singles loss for Klevisar is the first of the season after posting a 4-0 mark.

Yazgan captured the No. 1 singles point with a 6-2, 6-3 win against Dohnalova.

Richer solved Polanska to the tune of 6-1, 6-2.

NSU scored on No. 3 with Minetti dominating Burton (6-2, 6-1). Minetti's singles win is the fourth in her last five matches.

"Mariella did a great job from start to finish, and I'm super proud of the way she played and continued to play when she got up," Brobeck said. "She never let up in her intensity when she got momentum, and she continued to be aggressive.

"I loved the way she finished her match after not having a great week last week. She went to work relentlessly in practice this week, she knew what she needed to work on, and that preparation showed in the result today."

NSU finished its five-match homestand 4-1 with Sunday's loss.

Now the Lady Demons get on the road for the next three matches, playing at ULM on Friday, at Houston on Feb. 28 and at Lamar on March 4.
 
Southern Miss 4, NSU 1

Doubles
Sarah Medik/Monique Burton (USM) def. Mariella Minetti/Tjasa Klevisar, 6-4
Ebru Zeynep Yazgan/Alyssa Richter (USM) def. Rozalie Dohnalova/Viktorie Wojcikova, 6-3
Patrycja Polanska/Ayu Ishibashi (NSU) def. Suhana Das/Clara Tardivel, 6-1

Singles
Yazgan (USM) def. Dohnalova 6-2, 6-3
Medik (USM) def. Klevisar 6-0, 6-4
Minetti (NSU) def. Burton 6-2, 6-1
Das (USM) led Ishibashi 7-5, 4-5 (unf.)
Tardivel (USM) led Wojcikova 7-5, 4-0 (unf.)
Richter (USM) def. Polanska 6-1, 6-2