NATCHITOCHES – The Northwestern State Lady Demons are set for one of their toughest challenges of the season as they take on defending Southland Conference champion Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in a highly-anticipated league matchup. 

The match begins on Monday at 11 a.m. at the Jack Fisher Lady Demon Complex. 

The Lady Demons (3-5, 3-0) enter the matchup on a high note after an impressive 5-2 victory over UTRGV in their last outing. 

"We need to focus on us," says head coach Marcos Morelli. "A good process in doubles and consistency in singles will be huge for us this season." 

In doubles play, NSU secured the early advantage with two dominant wins. 

Pika Doberlet and Tjasa Klevisar took care of business at No. 1 doubles with a commanding 6-1 victory over Rhea Makesar and Mariia Bakhtina. 

Maria Farina and Sofi Garcia sealed the doubles point with a 6-2 win over Yaiza Vazquez and Kristal Dule at No. 2 

The momentum carried into singles, where standout performances led the Lady Demons to victory. 

Zoi Spyrou earned a straight-sets win at No. 1 singles, defeating Yaiza Vazquez 6-4, 6-3. 

Maria Farina delivered a gutsy three-set triumph at No. 4 singles, winning 7-6 (7-5), 2-6, 17-15 over Madeleine Joffe. 

Ayu Ishibashi fought off a late push from Hitakamya Narwal to win 6-2, 7-5 at No. 5 singles. 

Sofi Garcia sealed the match, defeating Mariia Bakhtina in a hard-fought 7-5, 7-6 (7-4) victory at No. 6. 

The Islanders (12-1, 2-0) have picked up right where they left off last season, boasting a near-perfect record. They continued their dominance in their last match, defeating Southeastern 7-0. 

"They are a very tough team," says Morelli. "They are very well coached. We will focus on what we can control in this match. It's an important match, but still early in the season. We need to work hard and keep it one match at a time." 

With AMCC's history of success and Northwestern State's recent momentum, this match promises to be one of the most exciting battles of the season. 

The Lady Demons welcomes a few familiar faces.  

Olga Bazhanova Moore, member of the N-Club Hall of Fame and former coach for the Lady Demons, is an Associate Head Coach for the Islanders.

Moore played at NSU, racking up 64 career doubles wins, the sixth-most in program history and 47 singles victories, currently 16th in history. In her first year as coach for the Lady Demons in 2015, she led the team to a conference championship. 

Moore won the SLC Championship as a player back in 2010, bidding an NCAA tournament bid. In 2013, she was an assistant coach for the Demons when she made it back to the big dance.

Following Monday's match, Rhode Island comes to town on Wednesday for an 11 a.m. first serve, led by former Northwestern State head coach Jonas Brobeck at the helm. Brobeck was with Lady Demons as an assistant coach in 2018-2020, then promoted to head coach in 2020-2022.

Brobeck led the Lady Demons to an undefeated conference record and, the ultimate prize, winning the Southland Conference in 2022.