The NC State men’s tennis team is on the road for the rest of its season up to the ACC Championships. But before the Pack battles for a conference title, the team is traveling to Charlottesville, Virginia, to take on UVA on Friday at 3 p.m.
The Wolfpack (15-5, 5-4 ACC) had a tough encounter with the Cavaliers (11-9, 4-5 ACC) last season when it lost 7-0.
In retrospect, the Cavaliers were ranked No. 2 last season and since then, UVA has not been the same team it once was.
Despite not having the home court advantage this season, the Wolfpack does have the better overall and conference record, suggesting that the team is more than capable in facing the Cavaliers head on.
The Wolfpack has an advantage of its own that can prove to be useful in the upcoming match: the Pack has momentum due to its four-run winning streak while the Cavaliers are on a four-run losing streak. With the confidence and momentum, the Pack has a good chance at revenge against Virginia.
However, the winning streak has occurred on the Pack’s home court. Previously, the Pack had three games that were on the road and only manage to secure one of the three matches.
In the past four matches, the Pack has performed well, particularly in doubles. No. 49 sophomore Alexis Galarneau and redshirt junior Michael Ogden along with freshman Tadas Babelis and junior Georgiy Malyshev were able to win all four of their doubles matches. No. 67 juniors Ivan and Igor Saveljic won three of four of their doubles matches, so it is easy to have faith in the doubles matchups against the Cavaliers.
Also worth noting, Galarneau and Ogden recently defeated the No. 14 pair of sophomore Carlos Divar and senior Michael Kay from Georgia Tech.
The Wolfpack has only lost eight of the 24 singles matches over the past four contests. Four reliable singles players that NC State will need at their best are Ivan Saveljic, No. 37 Galarneau, Babelis and Malyshev. The four of them were able to successfully win at least three of the four past singles matches they competed in. Proving that they are consistent in their performances will be the upswing in the Pack’s momentum.
With the majority of the singles matches in the Pack’s favor recently, along with the positive atmosphere during the doubles competitions, the Wolfpack could give the formerly ranked No. 2 team a hard time on Friday on the Cavaliers’ home court.
