The No. 26 N.C. State men’s tennis team season came to an end in Athens, Ga. this weekend. The Wolfpack beat the Oregon Ducks Saturday in the first round of the NCAA Championships, 4-2, but lost to the No. 10 Georgia Bulldogs with a score of 4-1 the following day.
The Pack faced Oregon on Saturday afternoon at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex. The State team opened the match by securing the doubles point for the 20th time of the season.
State’s No. 2 team consisting of senior Sean Weber and freshman Nick Horton, ranked No. 57 in the nation, defeated sophomore Daan Maasland and junior Joey Swaysland.
The No. 3 team of junior Austin Powell and sophomore Simon Norenius secured the doubles point by defeating junior Daniel Sardu and freshman Jayson Amos, 8-7.
No. 2 Powell, ranked No. 56 in the nation, dealt the first blow to the Ducks in singles after overpowering his opponent 6-4, 6-4.
Oregon answered by winning the next two matches. After a 2-2 tie on the afternoon, the Wolfpack closed out the match after accruing two match points from No. 3 Horton, 7-6, 6-3, and No. 6 sophomore Thomas Weigel, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1.
After emerging victorious from the Oregon match, the Pack advanced to the round of 32 to face Georgia, which was supported by a home crowd.
The Bulldogs went on the attack on Sunday afternoon, clinching the first point with well-fought doubles play.
Georgia’s No. 3 team of senior Garrett Brasseaux and sophomore Nick Wood defeated Norenius and Powell, 8-2.
The Bulldogs clinched the doubles point directly after, as the No. 1 team consisting of sophomore Ben Wagland and senior Hernus Pieters, ranked eighth in the nation, defeated junior Robbie Mudge and freshman Ian Dempster, ranked 29th in the nation, 8-5.
In singles, No. 6 Weigel was first off the court after winning 7-5, 6-4, and attaining the Pack’s only match point of the day.
After Weigel’s victory, the Wolfpack failed to hold on to the 1-1 tie and nose-dived to lose three straight matches, ending their hopes of advancing to the Sweet 16.
“Gotta give credit to Georgia’s game,” Wolfpack head coach Jon Choboy said. “They went after us and we didn’t respond as quickly as we needed to.”
Georgia’s No. 3 sophomore Ben Wagland, ranked 82nd nationally, defeated Horton 6-3, 6-3. No. 2 senior Garrett Brasseaux, ranked 70th nationally, overcame Powell 6-3, 7-6. The Bulldogs sealed the deal after No. 1 sophomore Austin Smith, ranked 23rd nationally, defeated Mudge 6-4, 1-6, 6-3.
“I ended the season pretty well with those two wins,” Weigel said. “I’m pretty happy for myself, but obviously I’m very unhappy that we lost.”
Three members of the Pack will return to Athens on May 21 to compete in the NCAA Individual Championships. Mudge and Dempster will compete in the doubles tournament, while Powell will be tested in the singles competition.
