EDINBURG, Texas – What better way to open Southland Conference play for Northwestern State than with a match that came down to the final court?

The Lady Demons (5-4, 1-0) earned a 4–3 victory over UTRGV on Saturday afternoon at the Orville Cox Tennis Center, securing the deciding point in the last singles match on court.

NSU dropped the doubles point in a tightly contested opening.

Honoka Umeda and Sofi Garcia provided the lone win for the Lady Demons with a 6–3 victory over Rhea Makesar and Barbara Martinez at the No. 1 position.

However, UTRGV (1-9, 0-2) responded with a 6–1 win at No. 2, and the decisive match came down to a tiebreak at No. 3, where Mariia Bakhtina and Hitakamya Narwal edged Martina Acebedo Bonocore and Lija Mumlek 7–6(4) to claim the doubles point.

Facing a 1–0 deficit, Northwestern State responded with composure.

"The girls fought hard and played as a team," head coach Marcos Morelli said. "I'm proud of their grit and character."

Garcia evened the match first with a dominant 6–0, 6–2 victory over Valentina Urraco at No. 6. Umeda followed at the top of the lineup, defeating Yaiza Vázquez 6–3, 6–1 to give NSU its first lead of the afternoon.

Acebedo extended that advantage with a composed 6–3, 6–1 win over Mariia Bakhtina at No. 5, putting the Lady Demons within a point of clinching.

UTRGV refused to go quietly.

Hitakamya Narwal defeated Athina Grigoriadou 6–2, 6–3 at No. 2, and Luna Buijtenhuijs topped Pika Doberlet 6–3, 6–3 at No. 4 to tie the match at 3–3.

That left the outcome in the hands of Maria Farina at No. 3.

In a tightly contested battle, Farina dropped the opening set in a 7–5(5) tiebreak but responded with poise, taking control in the final two sets to close out the match 6–4, 6–0 and seal the 4–3 team victory for NSU.

"Very proud of her," Morelli said. "She has come a long way, and today showed her composure and growth."

With the win, the Lady Demons begin Southland Conference play 1–0 and showed resilience in their first league test of the season.

"It was important, especially playing against a tough team like UTRGV," Morelli said. "Starting conference play with a road win means a lot."

NSU faces a quick turnaround, traveling to Corpus Christi on Monday for its second SLC matchup against Texas A&M–Corpus Christi, which shared last year's conference title with the Lady Demons. Doubles play is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m.

"Corpus is a very tough team," Morelli said. "We'll focus on us, compete hard, and stay committed to our process."

NSU 4, UTRGV 3
Northwestern State Lady Demons - Edinburg, Texas
UT Rio-Grande Valley - Orville Cox Tennis Center

Singles
Honoka Umeda (NSU) def. Yaiza Vázquez (UTRGV) 6-3, 6-1
Hitakamya Narwal (UTRGV) def. Athina Grigoriadou (NSU) 6-2, 6-3
Maria Farina (NSU) vs. Rhea Makesar (UTRGV) 5-7(5), 6-4, 6-0
Luna Buijtenhuijs (UTRGV) def. Pika Doberlet (NSU) 6-3, 6-3
Martina Acebedo Bonocore (NSU) vs. Mariia Bakhtina (UTRGV) 6-3, 6-1
Sofi Garcia (NSU) def. Valentina Urraco (UTRGV) 6-0, 6-2

Doubles
Honoka Umeda/Sofia Garcia (NSU) def. Rhea Makesar/Barbara Martinez (UTRGV) 6-3
Luna Buijtenhuijs/Valentina Urraco (UTRGV) def. Pika Doberlet/Maria Farina (NSU) 6-1
Mariia Bakhtina/Hitakamya Narwal (UTRGV) def. Martina Acebedo Bonocore/Lija Mumlek (NSU) 7-6(4)

Order on finish: doubles (2, 1, 3); singles (6, 1, 5, 2, 4, 3)