Both the NC State men’s and women’s tennis teams dropped their opening matches of the NCAA Tournament Friday night, with the women falling to Baylor 4-3 and the men losing 4-1 to California.
The Wolfpack women (17-15) came close to beating the Bears in Westwood, California, but dropped their four singles losses all in the third set. The Pack women captured the doubles point, as the duo of sophomore Anna Rogers and junior Claudia Wiktorin, and the pair of sophomore Adriana Reami and junior Amanda Rebol, both won their matches to secure the point.
In singles, NC State got straight-set wins from Reami (6-3, 6-0) and Wiktorin (7-6, 6-4), but fell in the final set of the other four matches to drop the first-round tilt 4-3. Rogers, freshman Taylor Bridges, junior Bianca Moldovan and senior Tayla Stenta all split the first two sets of their matchups, but none could win more than four games in the third set to push the Pack to victory.
While the season ends here for the Wolfpack as a team, it doesn’t end yet for two of its members. Wiktorin and Rogers, ranked 19th in the nation as a doubles pair, will compete in the NCAA Doubles Championships that kick off on May 24 in Winston-Salem.
On the men’s side of competition, the Pack (17-9) was much less competitive in its first-round duel with Cal. The Golden Bears won 4-1, ending NC State’s first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2015 in the opening stage.
The Wolfpack’s lone point was the doubles point, as NC State won both of the doubles matches that finished. Junior brothers Igor and Ivan Saveljic upset the No. 33 pair of Billy Griffith and J.T. Nishimura 6-2. Freshman Tadas Babelis and junior Georgiy Malyshev also won their doubles match 6-2.
In singles, Babelis, Ivan Saveljic, sophomore Alexis Galarneau and freshman Robert Turzak all lost their matches in straight sets, sealing the fate of the Wolfpack. Igor Saveljic and Malyshev both took their matches to the third set, but neither was finished with the Golden Bears sealing the win.
Galarneau will continue to compete for the Wolfpack men, as he will participate in the NCAA Men’s Tennis Singles Championships starting May 23 in Winston-Salem.
