Box Score CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The Northwestern State tennis team scored a measure of revenge in its opening-match of the Southland Conference Tournament on Friday morning.
 
The fourth-seeded Lady Demons (13-8) came out strong, sweeping away No. 5 seed NJIT, 4-0. A season ago, NJIT upended Northwestern State in the second round of the conference tournament.
 
With the win, Northwestern State advances to Saturday's semifinals to face top seed Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at 10 a.m.
 
"We are so proud of how the girls competed today," said head coach Jonas Brobeck. "We took care of business against a very strong NJIT team."
 
The pairing of Dorota Szcygielska and Sofi Garcia gave NSU the start it sought, cruising to a 6-0 win at No. 3 doubles before NJIT's Sandra Dehambazov and Laura Wipfli squared the doubles point with a 6-3 win against Paige Wise and Mariella Minetti at No. 2.
 
NSU pulled out the doubles point as the No. 1 pair of Ayu Ishibashi and Tjasa Klevisar erased a 4-1 deficit by winning the final five games.
 
Ishibashi built on that momentum at No. 2 singles, posting a straight-set 6-2, 6-0 win against Shivani Ingle – one of two straight-set singles victories for NSU.
 
Garicia improved to 12-7 in singles this season, sweeping Wipfli 6-3, 6-1 at No. 4 singles.  
 
Renske Ubachs clinched the win for the Lady Demons with a three-set win at No. 6 against Irene Cocero. Ubachs won the final two games of a back-and-forth first set (6-4) before falling 6-1 in the second set.
 
Down 3-1 in the third set, Ubachs won five consecutive games to defeat Cocero. 6-3, and send the Lady Demons to the semifinals to face the tournament host Islanders (23-2), who went 7-0 in conference play this season, including a 4-3 win against NSU in Corpus Christi on March 26.
 
"We played well against them in the regular season," said Brobeck. "We lost the doubles point against them, so that is where our main focus has been."
 
 
Northwestern State 4, NJIT 0
SINGLES:
1.Tjasa Klevisar (NSU) v. Sandra Dzhambazoy (NJIT) 6-4, 6-6 UNF
2. Ayu Ishibashi (NSU) def. Shivani Ingle (NJIT) 6-2, 6-0
3.Paige Wise (NSU) v. Joletta Budiman (NIT) 6-1, 2-6, 5-4 UNF
4.Sofi Garcia (NSU) def. Laura Winfli (NJIT) 6-3, 6-1
5.Mariella Minetti (NSU) * Shalom Salvi (NJIT) 6-7(5-7), 6-0 UNF
6.Renske Ubachs (NSU) def. Irene Cocerg (NJIT) 6-4, 1-6, 6-2
Order of Finish: 2, 4, 6 
 
DOUBLES:
1.Tjasa Klevisar/Ayu Ishibashi (NSU) def. Shivani Ingle/Irene Cossro (NJIT) 6-4
2. Sandra Dzhambazoy/Laura Winfli (NJIT) def. Paige Wise/Mariella Minetti. (NSU) 6-3
3.Dorota Szezygielska/Sofi Garcia (NSU) def. Shalom Salvia/Joletta Budiman (NJIT) 6-0
Order of Finish: 3, 2, 1