SOUTHLAND TOURNAMENT PAGE | TOURNAMENT BRACKET THIBODAUX, La. – Looking to claim its first tournament title since 1995, the top-seed Nicholls State University women's tennis team will be making its second consecutive appearance in the Southland Conference Tournament as the Colonels take on No. 8 seed Southeastern Louisiana on Friday, April 24, at the Beaumont Municipal Tennis Center in Beaumont, Texas.
The match between Nicholls (18-4, 10-1 SLC) and Southeastern Louisiana (11-9, 3-8 SLC) is one of four to be played in the first round. First serve for their match is scheduled for 11 a.m. For the complete tournament page, please click here.
Nicholls broke a long postseason drought last season by earning the No. 4 seed, but came away without a win. This season, the Colonels head into the tournament as the favorite after going 10-1 in league play to earn a share of the Southland Conference regular season title. Nicholls and Stephen F. Austin both went 10-1, but the Colonels claimed the top seed after winning the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Ladyjacks.
Nicholls and Southeastern should be familiar with each other as the teams squared off in the regular season finale. The Colonels dominated the Lady Lions in the match, taking the doubles point and the first five singles matches before Southeastern earned a point on court No. 5.
The duo of
Stephanie Barnett and
Klara Skopac was recently named First Team All-Southland Doubles, but their match against Southeastern did not come into play as the Colonels won courts 2 and 3 to earn the point. In singles, Nicholls won the first two matches in straight sets to set up a clinching scenario for Barnett, the 2015 Southland Player of the Year, on the No. 1 court against previously undefeated Renee Villarreal. The duo entered the match with 10-0 records, all at No. 1, and it was Barnett who came out on top with a straight-set victory.
Barnett is one of two Colonels to go unbeaten in singles in Southland play, joined by No. 6 singles champion
Isla Brock, who was named second team singles. The lone senior on the team,
Marie Aubert, had a remarkable campaign in conference as well, going 9-2 with an 8-2 mark at No. 3 singles. Freshman
Milou Pietersz and Skopac each won six matches in conference, while
Kateryna Nakonechna and
Katia Jordan added two wins apiece.
In doubles, the Colonels went 20-6 in league play to win the doubles point in nine of 11 matches. The duos of Barnett/ Skopac and Aubert/Pietersz went 6-2, while Brock and Nakonechna posted a 7-2 record.
Southeastern is led by first team selection Villarreal, who finished second in the voting for player of the year. Villarreal went 17-2 in the No. 1 singles this season, with her lone conference loss coming against Barnett.
