BEAUMONT, Texas — Northwestern State tennis continued its impressive weekend at the Joe Pyburn Invitational on Saturday, advancing five players to the championship round after another strong day in both singles and doubles play.

"We had a really solid process in singles today," head coach Marcos Morelli said. "The girls handled the different moments in the match well. That's what we've been working on all fall, staying in the point and competing the same way no matter the score."

In Flight A, senior Zoi Spyrou delivered one of the day's biggest wins, rallying for a 4-6, 7-5, 10-4 victory over Louisiana Tech's Diana Starodubtseva to book her spot in Sunday's championship against La Tech's Nina Skoric.

In Flight B, freshman Martina Acebedo Bonocore continued her momentum from Friday, knocking off Southeastern's Adriana Tirado Marin 6-3, 6-3 to reach her flight final.

Teammate Honoka Umeda withdrew in her semifinal match against Southeastern's Aitana Darder after a strong showing through the tournament.

Athina Grigoriadou added another straight-sets win in Flight C, defeating Southeastern's Paige Duncan 6-3, 7-5 in a back-and-forth match to advance to the championship round.

Maria Farina received a bye in the Flight C West bracket, moving directly to her flight's final.

In Flight D, Lolita Hukasian rebounded from a close loss Friday with a determined performance, winning 6(9)-7, 6-3, 10-3 against Lamar's Varvara Popadina to advance to her championship match.

"We had a couple of girls who had to come from behind, and they all represented Northwestern State the right way," Morelli said. "That's the part I'm proud of. They stayed disciplined, trusted what we're teaching and closed out matches."

NSU also put together a productive day in doubles, moving two pairs into the West-stage finals and another into the East final after strong performances.

In Flight B East, the duo of Spyrou and Acebedo Bonocore powered through with two dominant performances, first beating Louisiana Tech's Mio Kozaki and Nina Skoric 6-2 in the quarterfinals, then rolling past Lamar's Savannah Bijlsma and Asta Miettinen 6-1 in the semifinals.

The pairing of Umeda and Grigoriadou reached their Flight A West final after falling 7-5 in the first round to Louisiana Tech's Isabella Walker and Southeastern's Paige Duncan. They advanced to the West final after their next opponents withdrew.

After a first-round loss in the quarterfinals of Flight B East, Farina and Hukasian secured a hard-fought 7-5 win against Southeastern's Adriana Tirado Marin and Mariam Tetradze to earn their spot in the West doubles championship.

"There is still work to do in doubles," Morelli said. "But they're getting better in their process. We want to see more first-serve percentage, better positioning, and more communication. Even in the backdraw, we value those wins because they translate to the spring."

With five singles players and three doubles pairs reaching their respective finals, NSU enters the final day in Beaumont with momentum across every bracket.

"This whole fall has shown improvement from every one of the girls," Morelli said. "They committed to the process from the start, and weekends like this are the result."
Results
Northwestern State Lady Demons
Joe Pyburn Invitational
Beaumont, Texas

Singles Semifinals (Saturday)
Flight A – East
Zoi Spyrou (NSU) def. Diana Starodubtseva (LATECH) 4-6, 7-5, 10-4
Flight B – East
Aitana Darder (SLU) def. Honoka Umeda (NSU) withdrew
Martina Acebedo Bonocore (NSU) def. Adriana Tirado Marin (SLU) 6-3, 6-3
Flight C – East
Athina Grigoriadou (NSU) def. Paige Duncan (SLU) 6-3, 7-5
Flight C – West
Maria Farina BYE, advanced to championship
Flight D – West
Lolita Hukasian (NSU) def. Varvara Popadina (LU) 6(9)-7, 6-3, 10-3

Doubles Quarterfinals
Flight A – East
Isabella Walker (LATECH)/Paige Duncan (SLU) def. Honoka Umeda/Athina Grigoriadou (NSU) 7-5
Flight B – East
Zoi Spyrou/Martina Acebedo Bonocore (NSU) def. Mio Kozaki/Nina Skoric (LATECH) 6-2
Diana Starodubtseva/Maria Tsironi (LATECH) def. Maria Farina/Lolita Hukasian (NSU) 6-2

Doubles Semifinals
Flight B – East
Zoi Spyrou/Martina Acebedo Bonocore (NSU) def. Savannah Bijlsma/Asta Miettinen (LU) 6-1
Flight A – West
Honoka Umeda/Athina Grigoriadou (NSU) def. Nahia Echaide Gonzalez/Kanupriya Rajawat (LSU-A) ret.
Flight B – West
Maria Farina/Lolita Hukasian (NSU) def. Adriana Tirado Marin/Mariam Tetradze (SLU) 7-5