Lady Demons lose war of attrition, drop thrilling conference opener against Lamar

NATCHITOCHES – The Northwestern State tennis team was unable to survive what would prove to be a drawn-out affair against Lamar.

NSU secured a doubles victory off two strong performances from the No. 2 and No. 3 courts (Judit Castillo Gargallo/Viktorie Wojcikova, Emilija Dancetovic/Dorota Szczygielska). Lamar, however, would not go down as easily as it would seem.

Singles proved to be a challenge for the Lady Demons. Early on, Patrycja Polanska and Dorota Szczygielska were defeated in straight sets. Emiliija Dancetovic only gave up three total games to her opponent (Elena Rubio), resulting in a quick sweep to the tune of 6-2, 6-1.

Viktorie Wojcikova dropped her first set against Elena Rodriguez 2-6. In the second, she would again have a slow start, falling behind 0-2. She played the majority of the set behind, up to a 3-4 tally, then proceed to win the next four games to take the set and tie the match.

In the deciding set for Wojcikova, neither competitor would easily give up the victory. After falling 0-1, Wojcikova took three straight games, climbing to a 4-2 lead in the match. Beyond that, neither side would give up two consecutive games, leading to a Wojcikova 6-4 victory.

Judit Castillo Gargallo and the match on court five against Ana Jolic would ultimately be the deciding factor. Mariella Minetti’s defeat (6-0, 5-7, 3-6) would tie the day’s match at 3-3, leaving Castillo Gargallo’s as the final match of the day.

Castillo Gargallo would handily secure the first set, winning 6-1. Jolic then responded to tie the match with a 5-7 victory, leaving the final set as the decider of the team match. Castillo Gargallo and Jolic would go into a deep tiebreaker round, in which Jolic would ultimately edge out Castillo Gargallo, winning the day for Lamar 4-3.

The Lady Demons face a quick turnaround as they prepare to host Texas A&M Corpus-Christi on Sunday at 11 a.m.

Tennis Match Results
Lamar University vs. Northwestern State
2/26/2021 at Northwestern State
(Jack Fisher Tennis Complex)

Singles Competition:
1. Bianca Vitale (LU) def. Minetti, Mariella (NSU) 0-6, 7-5, 6-3
2. Wojcikova, Viktorie (NSU) def. Elena Rodriguez (LU) 2-6, 6-4, 6-4
3. Natalia Molina (LU) def. Szczygielska, Dorota (NSU) 6-4, 6-3
4. Alba Perez (LU) def. Polanska, Patrycja (NSU) 7-5, 6-0
5. Ana Jolic (LU) def. Castillo, Judit (NSU) 1-6, 7-5, 7-6 (8-6)
6. Dancetovic, Emilija (NSU) def. Elena Rubio (LU) 6-2, 6-1

Doubles Competition:
1. Minetti, Mariella/Polanska, Patricja (NSU) def. Natalia Molina/Alba Perez (LU) 6-4
2. Wojcikova, Viktorie/Castillo, Judit (NSU) def. Natalia Molina/Elena Rodriguez (LU) 6-3
3. Szczygielska, Dorota/Dancetovic, Emilija (NSU) def. Jayci Wong/Elena Rubio (LU) 6-3

Match Notes:
Lamar: 3-2
Northwestern State: 1-1
Order of Finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (4,6,3,2,1,5)
Match concluded at 5:44 p.m.
Attendance: 38

PHOTO CUTLINE: Lady Demons drop 4-3 thriller to Lamar.