The members of the N.C. State racquetball club have high hopes for the second half of the 2013-14 season as the team looks to win the Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Racquetball Conference title for a third consecutive season.
The Wolfpack plays in the MACRC with nine other schools, spanning a region from Delaware all the way to eastern Tennessee. Teams in the MACRC include ACC rivals Duke and UNC-Chapel Hill.
In the two conference tournaments in which the club has participated this season, first at Liberty University in October and UNC-Chapel Hill in November, the Pack delivered, earning seven first-place finishes in 11 total division events.
So far this season, the team leads in men’s overall point total, women’s overall point total and overall point total. Club president Jordan Matthews, a senior in biological engineering, said that the high scoring comes from consistent play at all levels.
“We usually have one person in the finals of each division,” Matthews said. “Sometimes both of the finalists will be from our team, so we rack up points that way.”
Looking forward, the team has two important events approaching this semester, both hosted at N.C. State. The first is the fifth annual Wolfpack Classic, a MACRC tournament that also features divisions that are open to the public. Matthews said that because of the expansion, he expects more than 200 participants in the event. The tournament is also the club’s primary fund-raising event.
The other spring competition is the National Intercollegiate Tournament. Last year, the State team competed in this tournament for the first time in school history, finishing in sixth place in the overall standings.
The team will look to end this season with an even better result, as the winner of the men’s and women’s singles in the hardest skill level will earn a spot on the U.S. Adult National Team. Last year, Matthews finished in fourth place at Nationals. The senior has had an impressive season so far and is currently ranked within the top 50 college players in the nation.
While the racquetball club is extremely competitive in tournaments and other events, not everyone in the club is an expert. Lexi Haggard, a junior in animal science, said students of all skill levels are encouraged to join the team.
“We’re a pretty open club,” Haggard said. “People of all experience can join, and we will help those who haven’t played before to get better.”
The club recruits mostly from the University’s racquetball courses, looking for players who have potential, but also players who simply want to improve their game. Katie Leonard, a junior in human biology, said her skill has improved due to the team’s support.
“When I joined, I had never played a racquet sport, so I had no idea what I was doing,” Leonard said. “If you show you have interest and you want to get better, [the coaches] are really good at one-on-one instruction.”
Leonard is now the club’s top female player, earning first place finishes in each of the team’s two tournaments this season.
Though the racquetball club is one of the biggest in the MACRC, the team is always looking for new members. Meetings for the club are on Mondays and Wednesdays at 7 p.m. at the Carmichael racquetball courts. Leonard said that, if nothing else, racquetball is a fun way to spend time.
“The racquetball community is really fun,” Leonard said. “[People at tournaments] remember who you are, and everyone is really hospitable. It’s a great way to make friends.”