Despite a strong showing in doubles play, the Northwestern State Lady Demons came up short Wednesday against Rhode Island, falling 4-2 at the Jack Fisher Tennis Complex.
“I think it was a good match,” Northwestern coach Marcos Morelli said. “I’m proud of how the team competed and the fight they showed in key moments.”
A short-handed NSU lineup captured both doubles matches and battled hard in singles action but could not overcome key setbacks in the non-conference match. The outcome snapped a four-match win streak for the Lady Demons (4-6), who lead the Southland Conference with a perfect 4-0 record in league contests.
The home team started the afternoon on a high note in doubles, securing the first point with back-to-back victories.
Due to injuries that left them unable to field a No. 3 team, the Lady Demons had to capture both matches to earn the opening point.
The tandem of Zoi Spyrou and Honoka Umeda displayed resilience at No. 1 doubles, overcoming a 3-0 deficit to edge out Nikki Fernando and Katharina Spieth 7-5 in a lengthy battle filled with momentum shifts. The Lady Demons duo took the final four games to clinch the doubles point.
Pika Doberlet and Maria Farina had displayed great chemistry and aggressive net play, cruising to a 6-2 win at the No. 2 spot.
The match became tied at 1-1 beginning singles after the Lady Demons defaulted at No. 6 since they were able to send out only five players. In her No. 3 slot, Farina was forced to withdraw due to injury and the Rams (9-2) took a 2-1 lead.
Spyrou fought through long rallies in singles play but fell to URI’s Spieth 6-4, 6-1 in the No. 1 spot as Rhode Island opened a 3-1 advantage.
In the No. 5 position, NSU’s Valeria Ortega put up a fight but ultimately fell 6-3, 6-1 to Anastasia Pettersson and the visitors clinched the match with their fourth point.
The lone singles victory came from Umeda, who delivered an impressive performance, controlling the second set for a 7-5, 6-1 triumph over Sophie Herrman.
Doberlet was in the middle of a tight battle with Grace Darcy, having claimed a first-set tiebreak 7-6 (7-0) and leading 3-2 in the second when the match was left unfinished at the No. 4 spot due to URI’s travel plans.
“Every match is important,” said Morelli. “Each one is an opportunity to improve. Today, we needed to be more consistent in singles, but overall, I’m proud of the girls. They competed hard and gave great effort.”
The Lady Demons travel to Stephenville, Texas, to take on Tarleton State in a non-conference 11 a.m. match Saturday.