BEAUMONT, Texas – Northwestern State tennis turns its focus to postseason play with a Southland Conference Tournament quarterfinal matchup Sunday morning in a highly-competitive bracket.
The Lady Demons start Sunday at 10 a.m. at the Thompson Family Tennis Center on the campus of Lamar, entering as the No. 2 seed. They face No. 7 seed UT-Rio Grande Valley in the opening round.
NSU closed the regular season second in the conference standings after a split final week.
The Lady Demons dropped a narrow 4-3 decision to UIW before responding with a 5-2 Senior Day victory over Lamar, a result that stabilized momentum heading into the postseason.
That response has been a recurring theme this season — the ability to reset quickly after tight losses and avoid extended slumps. In a tournament format where margins shrink and momentum matters more with each point, that trait may be just as important as seeding.
On Feb. 28, NSU earned a 4-3 road win in Edinburg, Texas. UTRGV claimed the doubles point in that matchup, setting up a tightly contested singles slate that ultimately came down to the final court.
The strong SLC season payoff along with the No. 2 seeding is a strong showing on the All-Southland Conference teams.
Martina Acebedo Bonocore was chosen Southland Conference Freshman of the Year and earned All-SLC recognition at No. 4 singles and No. 3 doubles.
Acebedo is the first first Lady Demon to earn the award since Tatiana Larina in 2012.
Acebedo delivered one of the most consistent seasons in the conference, finishing with a 13-2 overall singles record and an 8-1 mark in SLC play.
Her only two losses came against elite competition, falling to No. 12 LSU and conference champion McNeese.
She also earned the honor in doubles alongside Athina Grigoriadou, at the No. 3 position. The duo went 10-4 overall and 6-2 in conference play.
Sofi Garcia joined Acebedo as an All-SLC selection in singles, earning honors at the No. 5 spot after a dominant campaign. Garcia went 7-1 at No. 5 and 8-1 in conference.
Garcia also earned All-SLC recognition in doubles, teaming with Honoka Umeda at the No. 1 position. The pair finished 6-5 overall and 6-3 in conference play.
