BEAUMONT, Texas – Northwestern State expected a dog fight against former Southland Conference foe Lamar, and that's just what the Lady Demons got Friday.
NSU won the slugfest 5-2 at Lamar that lasted more than three-and-a-half hours.
With the match tied 2-2, NSU (6-4) closed out the win with three straight, three-set victories against Lamar (5-6).
Viktorie Wojcikova finished off Lamar's Elena Rubio 6-1, 3-6, 6-1 to break the tie at No. 5, improving to 5-1 in her last seven singles matches.
Rozalie Dohnalova provided the clinching point by knocking off Lamar's Elena Tairyan at No. 1 (6-2, 3-6, 7-5), snapping a two-match losing streak in singles.
And
Mariella Minetti capped the win with her own three-set victory at No. 3 (5-7, 7-5, 7-5) against Noelia Lorca in a match that went to extras in each set.
NSU recorded the first two points of the match by sweeping the doubles point and notching an
Ayu Ishibashi 6-0, 6-0 win on No. 4 against Alba Perez.
"We did a great job in doubles today, and we set the tone and brought that momentum into singles," said NSU coach
Jonas Brobeck. "Ayu was steadfast today, and she dictated from start to finish and stepped on the gas.
"We're happy with the win against a good Lamar team, but we've got to continue to get better at closing out matches when we're in charge."
The Lady Demons doubles pairing rolled 6-2 (Minetti/
Tjasa Klevisar over Lorca/Jolic), 6-0 (Wojcikova/Dohnalova over Perez/Jayci Wong) and 6-2 (
Patrycja Polanska/Ishibashi over Polevoi/Tairyan).
But the Cardinals won the next two points, earning victories on courts No. 2 and No. 6.
Klevisar fell to Ana Jolic (7-5, 2-6, 6-1) and Polanska couldn't pull out a victory at No. 6, losing Emmeline Polevoi by a score of 6-2, 6-1.
The last three NSU-Lamar meetings have been decided by a 4-3 score, but a 5-2 victory highlighted by a a pair of three-set victories to finish illustrates the competitiveness of the series. NSU has won three of the last four meetings.
NSU returns home Sunday to face Alcorn State at noon.
Alcorn State (3-7) has had some success against the SLC, topping Southeastern 4-3 in a recent meeting. The Braves are 2-1 in Southwestern Athletic Conference play and 1-2 against the SLC, falling twice to UNO.
NSU is 2-0 all-time against Alcorn State with the last match coming in 2020, a 7-0 decision.
