BEAUMONT, Texas – No. 2 Northwestern State opened Southland Conference Tournament play with a strong 4-1 victory over No. 7 UTRGV on Sunday at the Beaumont Municipal Tennis Center, securing a spot in the semifinals, behind a decisive performance in doubles and controlling singles play.

The Demons (12-7) set the tone early by claiming the doubles point, winning two of the three matches in convincing fashion.

The All-SLC pairing of Sofi Garcia and Honoka Umeda delivered a 6-3 win over Maria Bakhtina and Hitakamya Narwal on court one, giving NSU early momentum.

Head coach Marcos Morelli emphasized the importance of the early edge, noting that "doubles was very important to set the momentum."

After UTRGV answered with a 6-1 win on court two, the point came down to court three, where Martina Acebedo Bonocore and Athina Grigoriadou stayed composed and closed out a 6-2 victory over Rhea Makesar and Madeleine Joffe to secure the doubles point.

With the 1-0 lead, NSU carried that energy into singles, where it quickly took control of the match.

Garcia was dominant on court five, cruising to a 6-2, 6-0 win over Madeleine Joffe to extend the lead to 2-0. Morelli praised her performance, saying she, "had a great process from start to finish."

Freshman of the Year honoree Acebedo followed with another strong performance, defeating Maria Bakhtina 6-2, 6-2 on court four, putting NSU within one point of clinching the match. Morelli credited her consistency to "her grit and the way she enjoys competing."

UTRGV got on the board on court three, where Rhea Makesar defeated Maria Farina 6-2, 6-1, but Northwestern State quickly responded.

Grigoriadou sealed the match for NSU on court two, earning a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Hitakamya Narwal to clinch the 4-1 team win.

Two matches went unfinished at the time of the clinch.

On court one, Umeda had the early lead after a 7-5 first set and was tied 2-2 in the second before play was halted, while Pika Doberlet was in a tight battle on court six, leading 6-4, 3-3.

With the win, Northwestern State advances to the next round of the Southland Conference Tournament, setting up a matchup against No. 3 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Monday at 2 p.m.

"Every match is a battle," Morelli said. "We're looking forward to the next one. The girls have worked hard since the fall. They're ready and excited for tomorrow's match."

#2 NSU 4, #7 UTRGV 1
Southland Conference Tournament - First Round
Lamar Cardinals - Beaumont Municipal Tennis Center

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

Doubles
Sofi Garcia/Honoka Umeda (NSU) def. Maria Bakhtina/Hitakamya Narwal (UTRGV) 6-3
Luna Buijtenhuijs/Valentina Urraco (UTRGV) def. Pika Doberlet/Lolita Hukasian (NSU) 6-1
Martina Acebedo Bonocore/Athina Grigoriadou (NSU) vs. Rhea Makesar/Madeleine Joffe (UTRGV) 6-2

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