HAMMOND – The Northwestern State tennis team made quick work of Southeastern Louisiana in its Southland Conference opener on Saturday.
The Lady Demons topped the Lions, 6-1, with no matches reaching a third set and only one set needing a tiebreak.
Aside from SLU’s one point in the No. 1 singles slot, only in two of the remaining eight sets did the SLU opponent win more than two games.
“It’s super important to start 1-0 in Southland Conference play given that we have just six league matches,” said NSU coach Jonas Brobeck. “There was tough conditions today with the cold wind, but we handled those and playing on the road well.
“We got another good doubles point, and we have a long week to clean up some things in singles play this week leading up to a great test at UNO this weekend.”
NSU (8-4, 1-0 SLC) handled business up and down the lineup starting with freshman Ayu Ishibashi in the No. 4 slot.
Ishibashi, the reigning SLC Player of the Week, disposed of Sonya Kanarskaya 6-0, 6-1. Ishibashi is 6-1 in her last eight singles matches.
Wins in the No. 5 position by Viktorie Wojcikova and in the No. 6 slot by Thitirat Kanaphuet weren’t far behind.
Wojcikova improved to 7-3 overall with her 6-1, 6-2 win against SLU’s Bogi Csordas.
Kanaphuet logged her third win of the season in the No. 6 hole, besting Jordan Burdett 6-2, 6-1.
With the team victory already in hand, NSU tacked on the final two singles points with wins by Mariella Minetti (No. 3) and Tjasa Klevisar (No. 2).
Minetti squeezed by SLU’s Flory Bierma in the first set 6-4 before coasting 6-1. Minetti improved to a team-best 8-2 in singles.
Klevisar pieced together her second straight win with a 7-6, 6-2 decision against Paulina Paunova.
SLU picked up their only point in the No. 1 slot with Putri Insani topping Rozalie Dohnalova 6-3, 6-2.
The Lady Demons started by sweeping the doubles point, winning the first two doubles matches that finished.
The pairing of Ishibashi/Patrycja Polanska handled Burdett/Csordas 6-1, while Dohnalova/Wojcikova pushed by Kanarskaya/Paunova 6-2.
The SLU tandem of Bierma/Insani were leading Klevisar/Minetti 5-4 when the doubles point was decided.
NSU hasn’t dropped a doubles match in the four team matches.
PHOTO: Chris Reich/NSU Photographic Services
