THIBODAUX – For the second time in a week, the Northwestern State tennis team fell behind Stephen F. Austin 3-1. 
 
Once again, the Lady Demons (10-8) showed their resilience in coming back, but once again, the comeback fell just short in a 4-3 loss that ended their season in the Southland Conference Tournament semifinals. 

"SFA played aggressive and high-level doubles, setting the tone early," says head coach Marcos Morelli. "I'm proud of how our team competed across the lineup. Congratulations to SFA on a well-earned victory."
 
Trailing 3-1, the Lady Demons fought back to tie the match and set up a winner-take-all match for a spot in the title match, but SFA's Ksenia Mamontova outlasted Zoi Spyrou, coming back to win the final two sets after dropping the first one and earning the Ladyjacks a spot in the tournament title match, where it plays No. 1 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi as the Islanders also won 4-3 in its semifinal match with NJIT.  

Stephen F. Austin (16-6) came out firing, seizing early momentum by clinching the doubles point in commanding fashion. 

The electric duo of Kinsey and Mamontova stormed out to a blistering 5-0 lead against Lady Demons' Honoka Umeda and Spyrou, eventually closing out the match with a decisive 6-1 victory. 

Hot on their heels, the powerhouse pairing of Back and Rooth delivered another statement win, toppling the second-team All-SLC tandem of Sofi Garcia and Ayu Ishibashi 6-2. With that, the Jacks jumped ahead 1-0. 

The Demons found themselves down early, but not out. 

NSU fired back in style as Ishibashi answered the call with a clutch two-set triumph over SFA's Antonello Taco at the No. 5 singles spot, cruising to a 6-3, 6-2 win to swing the momentum and tie the match at 1-1. 

SFA's Cave slammed the brakes on the Lady Demons' rally, outdueling Umeda in straight sets at the No. 3 singles position, 6-4, 6-3, to reclaim a 2-1 edge in the match. 

Riding the wave of momentum, Rooth sealed the deal at the No. 4 spot with a commanding 6-3, 6-2 straight-sets win over Maria Farina, extending the lead to a 3-1 lead in favor of the Jacks.  
 
With their backs against the wall, the Lady Demons turned to a trusted veteran, and Garcia delivered. She halted the Jacks' momentum cold, steamrolling Paula Chavez in straight sets at the No. 6 spot, 6-4, 6-2, to slice the deficit to 3-2. 
 
With the match hanging in favor of the Jacks, the last two matches became key for the Lady Demons. 
 
Tjasa Klevisar kept the Lady Demons' fire burning, completing the comeback at the No. 1 spot with a clutch 7-5, 6-3 sweep over Back to knot the match at 3-all. 

The tie score set the stage for the winner-take-all match at the No. 2 position, which the Jacks won to win the tight match.  
 
Seniors Klevisar and Ishibashi played their last match for the Lady Demons but etched their names in the history books during their tenures. Ishibashi finished in the top five in win percentage in singles, while Klevisar's 43 wins in her doubles career ties her at number 20 in NSU history for doubles wins. 
 
With one more year to play, Garcia ends this season already in the history books, finishing in the top 10 in singles win percentage for a career. 
 
With history being made from all levels, Northwestern State concludes the season going 10-8, including the tournament, with an 8-1 record in the SLC, giving them a share of the SLC regular season title, the sixth time it's been done in NSU tennis history. 

"This was a strong year for our program," Morelli said. "Our seniors provided exceptional leadership, consistently emphasizing the importance of focusing on what we can control and setting a great example for the rest of the team. Their resilience and guidance truly led the way for our team."

RESULTS  
Northwestern State 3, Stephen F. Austin 4 
Women's Tennis at Thibodaux, LA - SLC Conference Tournament 
Singles  
Tjasa Klevisar (NSU) def. Felicia Back (SFA) 7-5, 6-3 
Ksenia Mamontova (SFA) def. Zoi Spyrou (NSU) 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 
Jemma Cave (SFA) def. Honoka Umeda (NSU) 6-4, 6-3 
Sonja Rooth (SFA) def. Maria Farina (NSU) 6-3, 6-2  
Ayu Ishibashi (NSU) def. Antonella Taco (SFA) 6-3, 6-2 
Sofi Garcia (NSU) def. Ana Paula Chavez (SFA) 6-4, 6-2 

Doubles 
Tjasa Klevisar/Maria Farina (NSU) vs. Jemma Cave/Ana Paula Chavez (SFA) 3-4 uf 
Avery Kinsey/Ksenia Mamontova (SFA) def. Honoka Umeda/Zoi Spyrou (NSU) 6-1 
Felicia Back/Sonja Rooth (SFA) def. Ayu Ishibashi/Sofi Garcia (NSU) 6-2 
 
Orders of finish: Doubles (2, 3, uf ) Singles (5, 3, 4, 6, 1, 2)