DENTON, Texas – Northwestern State women's tennis wrapped up Saturday play at the Diving Eagle Invitational with junior Honoka Umeda advancing to the B Draw championship match and four Lady Demons moving into Sunday's Round of 16 in the main singles draw. 

Umeda, who battled through two grueling super tiebreaks earlier in the tournament, will face UTA's Vanja Cado for the title Sunday at 9 a.m. 

In doubles play, Spyrou and Grigoriadou advanced to the B Draw semifinals before falling to UTA's Tasnime Ahamout and Natalia Gonzalez, 6-2. The duo then competed in the third-place playoff, dropping another 6-2 result to TJC's Sherin Scheerle and Dina Lipovski. 

Despite the setbacks, third-year head coach Marcos Morelli pointed to encouraging signs from the pair. "They are working on setting the tone early and keeping the energy high from start to finish," Morelli said. 

Morelli also emphasized the lessons being drawn from the level of competition at the tournament. "The players are working hard, and each of them is taking away multiple things to improve on from this tournament," he said. 

In the main singles draw, four Lady Demons remain in action Sunday. Maria Farina will meet ORU's Ava Goodell at 10 a.m., while senior Zoi Spyrou takes on ORU's Miranda Noor at 9 a.m. Freshmen Lolita Hukasian and Athina Grigoriadou also compete in morning matchups, with Hukasian acing TJC's Alix Dol and Grigoriadou battling TJC's Idom Cho, both at 9 a.m. 

Looking ahead to Sunday, Morelli stressed the importance of execution. 
 
"They know how important it is to use every opportunity to practice doing the right things, to stay disciplined and tough. We are all looking forward to tomorrow," he said. 

As the first fall tournament winds down, Morelli underscored the broader growth his squad is gaining. 

"Each player takes different lessons from this weekend, but overall, it was a great way to set the tone on the importance of being tough," he said. 

The Lady Demons return to action Sunday with Umeda playing for a draw title and four teammates seeking to advance in the main singles competition. 

University of North Texas - Diving Eagle Invite 
Saturday Results/Sunday Matchups 

Singles 
East 
B Draw Championship 
Honoka Umeda (NSU) vs. Vanja Cado (UTA) Sunday, 9 a.m. 

Main Draw 
Round 16 Singles 
Maria Farina (NSU) vs. Ava Goodell (ORU) Sunday, 10 a.m. 
Zoi Spyrou (NSU) vs. Miranda Noor (ORU) Sunday, 9 a.m. 
Lolita Hukasian (NSU) vs. Alix Dol (TJC) Sunday, 9 a.m. 
Athina Grigoriadou (NSU) vs. Idom Cho (TJC) Sunday, 9 a.m. 

Doubles 
B Draw Semifinals 
East 
Tasnime Ahamout/Natalia Gonzalez (UTA) def. Zoi Spyrou/Athina Grigoriadou (NSU) 6-2 
3-4 Playoff 
Sherin Scheerle/Dina Lipovski (TJC) def. Zoi Spyrou/Athina Grigoriadou (NSU) 6-2