BEAUMONT, Texas – Looking for its first NCAA Tournament berth in 20 years, the No. 1 seed Nicholls State University women's tennis team got off to a rough start by losing the doubles point to No. 3 Northwestern State in the Southland Conference Tournament championship match, but two quick wins in singles evened the score before the Lady Demons outlasted the Colonels in a pair of three-set battles to win the title, 4-2, Sunday at the Beaumont Municipal Tennis Center.
 
The Colonels, which shared the regular season title with Stephen F. Austin at 10-1 in league play, finished the season with an impressive 20-5 overall record. The title was the Colonels' first since 1995 and the 20 wins were the most for the program since the conference began using head-to-head competition to determine victories.
 
The Lady Demons (16-8) turned the tables on the Colonels this time around by taking the doubles point. Nicholls, which had won doubles in 11 of 13 Southland matches this season including on April 9 at NSU, was defeated on the No. 3 and 1 courts to fall behind 1-0. Kateryna Nakonechna and Isla Brock dropped the No. 3 court to Aliona Ladutska / Emily Kerr, 8-5, before Stephanie Barnett and Klara Skopac were unable to hand NSU's No. 1 duo of Tatiana Larina / Natalya Krutova their first conference loss of the season, falling 8-6. Marie Aubert and Milou Pietersz trailed 7-5 on the No. 2 court when play was suspended.
 
In singles, NSU wasted no time in extending its lead with a straight-set victory on the No. 5 court in the battle of Katerynas as Piatakova won 6-0, 6-2 over Nakonechna. But two of the most consistent Colonels this season, Aubert, the team's lone senior, and Brock were able to quickly tie the match win their own two-set wins. Aubert disposed of Ladutska at No. 3, 6-3, 6-1, while Brock stayed undefeated in Southland play with a 7-5, 6-2 win over Barbora Kollarova.
 
The final three singles courts would need three sets to determine a winner. Pietersz took the first set for the Colonels on the No. 4 court against Polina Ivanova, 7-6, but Barnett and Skopac were defeated in their first sets on the No. 1 and 2 courts, respectively. Barnett bounced back with a 6-4 win over Larina and Skopac won 6-4 as well; however, Ivanova defeated Pietersz, 6-3, to push all three matches into a third set.
 
On the No. 1 court, Larina raced out to a 3-1 lead in the decisive set before Barnett stormed back with four consecutive points. With Barnett leading 6-5 and one point away from tying it up, Krutova and Ivanova finished their matches almost simultaneously with 6-2 wins to clinch the championship for Northwestern State.
 
Despite being unable to finish her match, Barnett, the 2015 Southland Conference Women's Tennis Player of the Year, closed out her season with an 18-3 record. Brock, a second-team selection, finished her singles season at 18-1, while Aubert posted a mark of 17-5. In her four seasons at Nicholls, Aubert tallied an incredible 61-23 record in singles, playing all but seven matches in the top half of the lineup.
 
Northwestern State 4, Nicholls 2
Singles
1. Stephanie Barnett (NICH) vs. Tatiana Larina (NWLA) 4-6, 6-4, 6-5, unfinished
2. Natalya Krutova (NWLA) def. Klara Skopac (NICH) 7-6, 4-6, 6-2
3. Marie Aubert (NICH) def. Aliona Ladutska (NWLA) 6-3, 6-1
4. Polina Ivanova (NWLA) def. Milou Pietersz (NICH) 6-7, 6-3, 6-2
5. Kateryna Piatakova (NWLA) def. Kateryna Nakonechna (NICH) 6-0, 6-2
6. Isla Brock (NICH) def. Barbora Kollarova (NWLA) 7-5, 6-2
 
Doubles
1. Tatiana Larina/Natalya Krutova (NWLA) def. Stephanie Barnett/Klara Skopac (NICH) 8-6
2. Marie Aubert/Milou Pietersz (NICH) vs. Kateryna Piatakova/Polina Ivanova (NWLA) 5-7, unfinished
3. Aliona Ladutska/Emily Kerr (NWLA) def. Kateryna Nakonechna/Isla Brock (NICH) 8-5
 
Match Notes:
Northwestern State 16-8
Nicholls 20-5
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1); Singles (5,3,6,2,4)
2015 Southland Conference Championships
Nicholls - #1 Seed
Northwestern State - #3 Seed
Northwestern State earns Southland's automatic bid to NCAA Championships