RUSTON– Fresh off the excitement of a revenge win against NJIT, the Northwestern State tennis team finishes non-conference play with two weekend matches. 

The Lady Demons (7-4) returns to action with a trip to Ruston to face off in a non-conference match with Louisiana Tech (10-4). First serve is set for 1 p.m. at the Louisiana Tech Tennis Complex. 

"We are very excited to play a strong Louisiana Tech team tomorrow in Ruston," head coach Jonas Brobeck said. "As a team, we really took a big step in the right direction on Tuesday against NJIT and we will build on that against Tech."

Current Southland Conference Player of the Week, Tjasa Klevisar, has proven throughout the season to be the Lady Demons' most effective weapon in singles play. Klevisar is 8-3 in singles at Nos. 1 and 2. 

Doubles pairing Dorota Szczygielska and Renske Ubachs are 9-2 at Nos. 2 and 3, following a dominant win against Laura Wipfli and Sandra Dzhambazov of NJIT. 

Paige Wise has had a successful showing in her first season as a transfer after coming over from Fancis Marion University. For the Lady Demons, she has compiled a 4-2 singles record, playing at the No. 3 spot in the rotation. 

Wise, a sophomore from Ballito, South Africa, has a 3-2 doubles record with partner Sofi Garcia, playing primarily at the No. 2 doubles position. 

Garcia is 7-4 in singles, splitting time between the Nos. 2, 3 and 4 spots, including an impressive 4-1 mark at the No. 4 spot. 

The Lady Demons traditionally have enjoyed success against their in-state rival, owning a 42-12 mark against the Techsters in a series that began in 1977. Northwestern State won the previous meeting at home, a 4-3 match in 2022. 

Junior Leonie Schuknecht is 11-1 in singles at the No. 1 spot and 9-4 in doubles at No.1 with partner Najah Dawson. Schuknecht was the C-USA Athlete of the Month twice in a row in 2022. 

Following the match, NSU comes back home to host Alcorn State to cap off the non-conference portion of the schedule.

"Two quality matches this weekend for the Demons to prepare us for the start of conference play," said Brobeck.