NATCHITOCHES — The Northwestern State tennis team celebrated Senior Day in style Wednesday afternoon, defeating Lamar 5–2 at the Jack Fisher Tennis Complex.

The Demons (11-7, 7-2) honored seniors Zoi Spyrou, Lolita Hukasian and Sofi Garcia prior to the match, then followed with a strong performance across the lineup to secure the conference victory.

"It was a very special day for us, honoring our seniors," head coach Marcos Morelli said. "I thought the team did a really good job bouncing back from Monday."

The Demons set the tone early in doubles play.

Martina Acebedo Bonocore and Athina Grigoriadou opened with a 6-2 win over Arina Gudovskaya and Eva Gumenyuk at the No. 3 position. Honoka Umeda and Garcia followed with a 6-4 victory against Asta Miettinen
and Luana Paiva at No. 1 to clinch the doubles point.

Pika Doberlet and Hukasian completed the sweep at No. 2, edging Martina Alcaino and Savannah Bijlsma in a 7-6(4) tiebreak to give the Lady Demons a 1-0 lead heading into singles.

"Doubles was a big focus for us coming in, especially starting with the right energy," Morelli said. "We're improving, but there's still room for growth as we prepare for the conference tournament."

The Demons carried that momentum into singles play.

Umeda delivered a dominant 6-0, 6-1, win over Gudovskaya at No. 1 to extend the lead. Garcia followed with a flawless 6-0, 6-0, victory against Bijlsma at No. 4, continuing her strong play on Senior Day.

Acebedo added another point with a commanding 6-0, 6-2 win over Alcaino at No. 3, giving the Demons the match-clinching victory at home.

"We talked about bringing energy from the very beginning and maintaining our process from start to finish," Morelli said. "At this level, the details matter so much, and energy is a very important one."

Lamar (9-10, 2-7) responded at No. 6, where Varvara Popadina defeated Lija Mumlek 6-4, 7-6(2) to get the Cardinals on the board.

Hukasian then delivered a key win at No. 5, defeating Gumenyuk 6-4, 7-5 to secure the match-clinching point for NSU.

"Our seniors have done such a great job as leaders," Morelli said. "Naturally, the rest of the team wants to compete for them, for each other, and for the program. It made today a very special day for everyone."

The Cardinals added one more point at No. 2, as Luana Paiva outlasted Grigoriadou in a three-set battle, 6-1, 2-6, 7-6(2), but the result came after the Lady Demons had already secured the team victory.

With the regular season winding down, NSU sits second in the Southland Conference standings and now turns its attention to the conference tournament, set to begin April 19 in Beaumont, Texas.

NSU 5, LU 2
Northwestern State Lady Demons - Natchitoches, Louisiana
Northwestern State - Jack Fisher Tennis Complex

Singles
Honoka Umeda (NSU) def. Arina Gudovskaya (LU-W) 6-0, 6-1
Luana Paiva (LU-W) def. Athina Grigoriadou (NSU) 6-1, 2-6, 7-6 (2)
Martina Acebedo Bonocore (NSU) def. Martina Alcaino (LU-W) 6-0, 6-2
Sofi Garcia (NSU) def. Savannah Bijlsma (LU-W) 6-0, 6-0
Lolita Hukasian (NSU) def. Eva Gumenyuk (LU-W) 6-4, 7-5
Varvara Popadina (LU-W) def. Lija Mumlek (NSU) 6-4, 7-6 (2)

Doubles
Honoka Umeda/Sofi Garcia (NSU) def. Asta Miettinen/Luana Paiva (LU-W) 6-4
Pika Doberlet/Lolita Hukasian (NSU) def. Martina Alcaino/Savannah Bijlsma (LU-W) 7-6 (4)
Martina Acebedo Bonocore/Athina Grigoriadou (NSU) def. Arina Gudovskaya/Eva Gumenyuk (LU-W) 6-2

Orders finished: doubles (3, 1, 2); singles (1, 4, 3, 6, 5, 2)
Northwestern State (11-7, 7-2)
Lamar (9-10, 2-7)