NATCHITOCHES — Northwestern State tennis closed out its weekend home stand in dominant fashion Sunday afternoon, defeating Nicholls 6–1 at the Jack Fisher Tennis Complex.

The Lady Demons (8–4, 4–0) secured the doubles point and won five of six singles matches to remain unbeaten in Southland Conference play.

"It was another good collegiate match," head coach Marcos Morelli said. "We knew Nicholls was going to come motivated and well coached. I'm proud of the girls and how they handled the adversity today."

NSU set the tone early in doubles play.

Maria Farina and Lolita Hukasian delivered the first result of the day at the No. 2 position, cruising to a 6–0 win over Blanca Losada and Noemie Piquet. 

Martina Acebedo Bonocore and Athina Grigoriadou followed with a 6–4 victory at No. 3 doubles against Julia Bordiginon and Jada Iverson to clinch the doubles point for the Lady Demons.

The No. 1 pairing of Honoka Umeda and Sofi Garcia completed the doubles sweep, edging Paulina Villegas and Aada Inna in a tight tiebreaker, 7–6, to give NSU a 1–0 lead heading into singles play.

Nicholls (3-5, 0-2) struck first in singles.

At the No. 1 position, Villegas defeated Umeda 6–2, 6–4 to even the team score at 1–1.

Despite the early push from the Colonels, Morelli said the message to his team was simple.

"It was about defending our home court," Morelli said. "We knew Nicholls was coming to make a statement, and we had to stay focused on the details and handle our business here."

From there, the Lady Demons took control of the match.

Hukasian quickly regained the lead for NSU with a commanding 6–2, 6–2 victory over Iverson at No. 6 singles. Garcia extended the advantage with a 6–2, 6–4 win against Amal Grube Andersen at No. 5.

Grigoriadou followed with another strong performance at No. 3 singles, defeating Piquet 6–2, 6–3 to put the Lady Demons within a point of the team victory.

Morelli credited the team's depth and support for helping the Lady Demons maintain momentum throughout the match.

"We talk a lot about competing as a team and supporting each other," Morelli said. "When everyone competes the way they are capable of, you usually find the four points somewhere. That's what the girls have been doing."

Farina clinched the match for Northwestern State at No. 2 singles, dispatching Inna 6–0, 6–4, to secure the 5–1 team lead.

Acebedo closed out the afternoon with a 6–4, 6–4, win at No. 4 singles over Bordiginon to complete the 6–1 victory for the Lady Demons.

Morelli emphasized that despite the strong start to conference play, the team remains focused on improvement.

"We're off to a good start, but there are still a lot of things to work on," Morelli said. "This is a very tough conference, and every match is a battle."

NSU 6, NICH 1
Northwestern State Lady Demons - Natchitoches, Louisiana 
Northwestern State University - Jack Fisher Tennis Complex

Singles
Paulina Villegas (NICH) def. Honoka Umeda (NSU) 6-2, 6-4
Maria Farina (NSU) def. Aada Inna (NICH) 6-4, 6-4
Athina Grigoriadou (NSU) def. Noemie Piquet (NICH) 6-2, 6-3
Martina Acebedo Bonocore (NSU) def. Julia Bordiginon (NICH) 6-4, 6-4
Sofi Garcia (NSU) def. Amal Grube Andersen (NICH) 6-2, 6-4
Lolita Hukasian (NSU) def. Jada Iverson (NICH) 6-2, 6-2

Doubles
Honoka Umeda/Sofi Garcia (NSU) def. Paulina Villegas/Aada Inna (NICH) 7-6(2)
Maria Farina/Lolita Hukasian (NSU) def. Blanca Losada/Noemie Piquet (NICH) 6-0
Martina Acebedo Bonocore/Athina Grigoriadou (NSU) def. Julia Bordiginon/Jada Iverson (NICH) 6-4

Orders finished: doubles (2, 3, 1); singles (1, 6, 5, 3, 2, 4)