NACOGDOCHES, Tex. – Polina Konop and Natalya Krutova led the Northwestern State tennis team as they defeated Lamar's duo 9-7 in flight A doubles play for a third place finish on Friday afternoon at the Stephen F. Austin Fall Invitational.
 
The Lady Demons were not able to finish the tournament on Saturday as play was cancelled due to weather.
 
Konop and Krutova defeated Louisiana Monroe's Medy Blankvoort and Silvia Turnova 9-7 in the first round. They fell to SFA's Malena Gordo and Laura Servise 8-6 in the second round before playing the third place match.
 
After falling to Houston's Jannson and Sanders, NSU's Daniela Simonova and Olga Leyshyna defeated two Jacksonville College teams in the flight B consolation bracket to take fifth place.
 
The Lady Demon doubles team took down JC's Hullet and Parker 8-1 as well as the team of Kirkpatrick and Sibley 8-1 to earn their fifth place finish.
 
Konop and Krutova also advanced to the championship bracket in singles play.
 
Konop went up against Lamar's Dariya Dashuntina in the first round of flight A singles play and advanced to the next round after defeating her 6-2, 7-5. She then fell to ULM's Blankvoort in three sets, 6-2, 4-6, 10-5.
 
Konop was set to play in the third place match against Houston's Celia Fraser before Saturday's competition was cancelled.
 
Krutova took down Houston's Maja Kazimleruk in the first round 6-2, 6-2 before dropping a match to Sam Houston State's Madeleine Mortimore, 3-6, 6-2, 10-6.
 
Krutova would have moved on to the flight B third place match against SHSU's Natalie Petaia had competition not been cancelled.
 
Northwestern State's Olga Leyshyna fell in the first round of flight C singles play as she matched up against SHSU's Kayla Stevenson, falling 7-5, 6-2.
 
Leyshyna moved on to the consolation bracket where she was taken down by McNeese State's Anastasia Surkova, 6-4, 6-3. She was set to play for seventh place before Saturday was called off.
 
The Lady Demons travel to Louisiana-Lafayette next weekend for the ULL Invitational. They return home Oct. 12 to host the Lady Demon Invite at the Jack Fisher Tennis Complex.