THIBODAUX – Northwestern State women's tennis opened the Southland Conference Tournament with a gritty 4-2 victory over McNeese in Wednesday's quarterfinal round, advancing to the semifinals behind strong doubles play and clutch singles performances.

With the final two singles matches coming down to the wire, Lady Demons (10-7) received a crucial victory from Honoka Umeda to slam the door on any chance McNeese (19-7) had.

"I'm really proud of the girls—they competed with great energy in both doubles and singles," says head coach Marcos Morelli.

Aiming to win in straight sets, Umeda posted a comeback in the second set at the No. 3 singles position after winning the first via a tiebreaker to clinch it, coming through with a clutch 7-6 (7), 7-5 victory. Down 4-2 in the second set, she tallied five of the final six games to come out on top, including the final two to emerge victorious.

The triumph cut short a tight match at No. 1 as Tjasa Klevisar and Southland Conference Player of the Year Salome Fluri were tied in the third set when Umeda clinched the match for Northwestern State.

As big as Umeda's was to finish the match, the doubles had just as big of a victory to start the match off. The Lady Demons set the tone early, capturing the doubles point with commanding wins at No. 3 and No. 1.

Second-team All-SLC doubles standouts Ayu Ishibashi and Sofi Garcia showed exactly why they earned conference honors, putting on a clinic in doubles. The dynamic duo steamrolled first-team All-SLC pair Ana Hollweg and Elena Morales with a flawless 6-0 victory, making a bold statement to open the match.

Moments later, Klevisar and Maria Farina sealed the doubles point with a commanding 6-3 win on court 1, taking down Fluri and newcomer of the year, Stella Rundova. The Lady Demons' duo fell behind 2-1 early before rattling off four games in a row to seize control. The win gave Northwestern State an early surge of momentum and a 1-0 lead heading into singles play.

The No. 2 of Zoi Spyrou and Umeda was left unfinished, with NSU leading 4-3, with the point clinched in the Lady Demons' favor.

The battle only began as the Lady Demons and the Cowgirls duked it out in a singles brawl.

The Cowgirls responded fast with Martinez dropping Ishibashi in straight sets 6-2, 6-2, tying the score up at one apiece.

In a back-and-forth affair, Garcia came through in dominant fashion. The junior stormed past Rundova 6-4, 6-1 at No. 6 to give the Demons a 2-1 lead.

MCN's Morales wasted little time to respond, tying up the score 2-2 following a straight set victory over Doberlet at the No. 5 slot 6-3, 6-3.

Spyrou delivered a crucial win at No. 2, outlasting Erica Hagi in a tight second-set tiebreaker to earn a 6-3, 7-6(5) win and push the Lady Demons ahead 3-2.

That set the table for Umeda's critical win to move Northwestern State to the tournament semifinals, where it the has a rematch with rival Stephen F. Austin, the second seed. The Lady Demons fell in the regular season finale against the Ladyjacks, which earned SFA a share of the regular season title with Northwestern State and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

"The team is fired up for the rematch—we know it's going to be a tough battle, but they're ready to embrace the challenge," said Morelli. "I'm really proud of how everyone is competing. Tomorrow, it's about staying locked in, focusing on what we can control, and setting the tone early in doubles."

The rematch is set for 6 p.m. Thursday, with a trip to the SLC Championship on the line.

RESULTS
Northwestern State 4, McNeese 2
Women's Tennis at Thibodaux, LA - SLC Conference Tournament
Singles
Tjasa Klevisar (NSU) vs Salome Fluri (MCN) 6-0, 2-6, 4-4, uf
Zoi Spyrou (NSU) def. Erica Hagi (MCN) 6-3, 7-6(5)
Honoka Umeda (NSU) def. Ana Hollweg (MCN) 7-6(7), 7-5
Alexa Martinez (MCN) def. Ayu Ishibashi (NSU) 6-2, 6-2
Elena Morales (MCN) def. Pika Doberlet (NSU) 6-3, 6-3
Sofi Garcia (NSU) def. Stella Rundova (MCN) 6-4, 6-1

Doubles
Tjasa Klevisar/Maria Farina (NSU) def. Salome Fluri/Stella Rundova (MCN) 6-3
Honoka Umeda/Zoi Spyrou (NSU) vs. Erica Hagi/Alexa Martinez (MCN) 4-3, uf
Ayu Ishibashi/Sofi Garcia (NSU) def. Ana Hollweg/Elena Morales (MCN) 6-0

Orders of finish: Doubles (3, 1, uf) Singles (4, 6, 5, 2, 3, uf)