The Northwestern State tennis team celebrated Senior Day in style Wednesday afternoon, defeating Lamar 5–2 at the Jack Fisher Tennis Complex.
The Lady Demons (11-7 overall, 7-2 in the Southland Conference) 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.”
Smarting from a 4-3 upset loss at home Monday to Incarnate Word, the Lady Demons set the tone early in doubles play and rolled to a match win quickly in singles over Lamar (9-10, 2-7).
Martina Acebedo Bonocore and Athina Grigoriadou opened with a 6-2 win at the No. 3 position. Honoka Umeda and Garcia followed with a 6-4 victory at No. 1 to clinch the doubles point.
Pika Doberlet and Hukasian completed the sweep at No. 2, in a 7-6(4) tiebreak as the Lady Demons carried 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.”
NSU carried that momentum into singles play.
Umeda delivered a dominant 6-0, 6-1 romp at No. 1 to extend the lead. Garcia followed with a flawless 6-0, 6-0 victory at No. 4, boosting Northwestern ahead 3-0.
Acebedo added the clinching point with a commanding 6-0, 6-2 win No. 3, giving the Demons the match-clinching victory at home.
“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.”
NSU sits second in the Southland Conference standings and turns its attention to the conference tournament, set to begin April 19 in Beaumont, Texas, hosted by Lamar.
