The No. 23 NC State men’s tennis team has kick-started its season with an undefeated 4-0 record after taking down Elon, USC Upstate, Northwestern and No. 17 Michigan.
The Wolfpack will be taking its talents to the 2020 ITA Kickoff Weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia this upcoming weekend, beginning with a match against Utah State Saturday at 10 a.m.
Utah State
With only two matches under the Aggies’ belt, NC State will head into the matchup with the upper hand. While Utah State’s most successful singles and doubles players have had a victorious year thus far, the Pack is not to be underestimated.
Felipe Acosta is by far the Aggies’ top competitor in the singles round after displaying his talents against Grand Canyon’s Can Franke with a dominating score of 6-2 and 6-0. Although Acosta fell to an opponent from Idaho in three sets, he was able to pull out a massive 6-2 scoring lead before the match ended.
Acosta has not only become a vital asset to Utah State in the singles sets, but also in doubles with his partner Javier Ruiz. The duo has a current record of 2-0, with 6-4 and 6-3 wins over Grand Canyon and Idaho, respectively. While the duo was competing this past fall, they ended 2019 with a 5-2 record as partners, ready to continue their winning streak for the remainder of the season.
NC State
Senior Alexis Galarneau has defended his name and ranking since last season, when he finished with the highest-ever final ranking as a Wolfpack singles competitor at No. 26.
So far this season, Galarneau has dominated the court, taking down his opponents one by one with an overall singles record of 3-0. The senior wiped the floor with Elon, winning 7-5 and 6-1, then went on to finish out a tight match against top-ranked Michigan 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 before taking over Northwestern in its most recent matchup 7-5 and 6-0.
Along with Galarneau’s winning record in the singles department, he and his partner, junior Robert Turzak, have become unbeatable so far this season. Climbing their way to the top with a record of 4-0 on the season, this duo has become NC State’s most powerful doubles group across the board.
Virginia/Memphis
When the Pack finishes play against Utah State Saturday morning, it will either face Virginia or Memphis depending on the outcome of both matchups.
The Cavaliers sit at 2-1 this season, while the Tigers have begun their season with a 0-2 record heading into the weekend tournament. The consolation match will begin Sunday morning at 10 a.m., while the championship match will take place at 1:30 p.m.
