BEAUMONT, Texas – Lamar University took an early lead and held on to defeat Northwestern State, 4-3, Saturday afternoon at the Thompson Family Tennis Center. The victory moved LU to 9-7 (.562) on the season and moved the Cardinals ahead of Northwestern State in the conference standings.
 
The Cardinals wrapped up the doubles point after the duo of Megan Do and Leah Kuruvilla defeated NSU's Tjasa Klevisar, 6-1, at the No. 1 spot to secure the point. Northwestern State suffered an injury at No. 6 singles and the Cardinals immediately grabbed a two-point lead.
 
Freshman Natalia Turczuk put the Cardinals on the verge of the overall win with her straight sets decision at No. 5 singles. Tuczuk bested Umeda, 6-1, 6-1, to give Big Red a 3-0 lead. The Demons eventually got on the scoreboard with a victory at No. 1 singles, but Lamar didn't allow a run to get started. Freshman Marika Mueller put an end to any thoughts of a rally with her hard fought, three-set victory over Sara Erenda, 4-6, 6-3, 6-0, at the No. 2 position.
 
The Demons closed the day with victories on the final two courts but it was after the overall team victory had been decided.
 
Lamar returns to action Tuesday when it hosts Fordham. The match against Fordham will begin at 2 p.m. from the Thompson Family Tennis Center.