BEAUMONT, Texas (WNTZ) — The Northwestern State women’s tennis team continued its strong fall form Saturday at the Joe Pyburn Invitational, advancing five players to the championship round after another dominant showing in singles and doubles play.

Head coach Marcos Morelli praised his team’s poise and progress throughout the tournament.

“We had a really solid process in singles today,” Morelli said. “The girls handled different moments in the match well. That’s what we’ve been working on all fall; staying in the point and competing the same way no matter the score.”

In Flight A, senior Zoi Spyrou led the way, rallying for a 4-6, 7-5, 10-4 victory over Louisiana Tech’s Diana Starodubtseva to secure her spot in Sunday’s final against La Tech’s Nina Skoric.

Freshman Martina Acebedo Bonocore carried her momentum from Friday into Flight B, defeating Southeastern’s Adriana Tirado Marin 6-3, 6-3 to reach her championship match.

In Flight C, Athina Grigoriadou posted another straight-sets win, outlasting Southeastern’s Paige Duncan 6-3, 7-5. Teammate Maria Farina advanced automatically in the Flight C West bracket with a bye.

Meanwhile, Lolita Hukasian rebounded from a narrow loss Friday to top Lamar’s Varvara Popadina 6(9)-7, 6-3, 10-3, advancing to the Flight D final.

“We had a couple of girls who had to come from behind, and they all represented Northwestern State the right way,” Morelli said. “They stayed disciplined, trusted what we’re teaching, and closed out matches.”

Northwestern State also excelled in doubles competition, moving three duos into their respective finals.

In Flight B East, Spyrou and Acebedo Bonocore powered through the bracket with two decisive wins – defeating Louisiana Tech’s Mio Kozaki and Nina Skoric 6-2 in the quarterfinals and rolling past Lamar’s Savannah Bijlsma and Asta Miettinen 6-1 in the semifinals.

The pairing of Honoka Umeda and Athina Grigoriadou advanced to the Flight A West Final after their opponents withdrew, while Farina and Hukasian earned a gritty 7-5 win over Southeastern’s Adriana Tirado Marin and Mariam Tetradze to clinch their spot in the Flight B West final.

“There is still work to do in doubles,” Morelli said. “We want to see more first-serve percentage, better positioning, and more communication. But they’re improving and even wins in the backdraw matter – they translate to the spring.”

With five singles players and three doubles teams advancing to championship rounds, Northwestern State enters the final day in Beaumont with momentum and confidence across all flights.

“This whole fall has shown improvement from every one of the girls,” Morelli said. “They’ve committed to the process from the start, and weekends like this are the result.”