The No. 6 NC State women’s tennis team earned its spot in the quarterfinal round of the 2022 NCAA Championships with a crushing 4-0 win over No. 11 California on Saturday, May 14.
The Pack brought out its best tennis when it counted the most against the Golden Bears and put on one of its most dominant performances all season. NC State excelled in all facets of the match, comfortably winning the doubles point and cruising through three singles matches to advance to the quarterfinal round of the tournament for the second straight season.
After winning the doubles round, NC State was able to put on a singles clinic, especially on courts five and six, which were occupied by sophomores Amelia Rajecki and Sophie Abrams, respectively. Abrams put the Pack up 2-0 with her 6-2, 6-1 win and Rajecki followed Abrams shortly after with her near-flawless 6-0, 6-1 win that put NC State in position to clinch the match.
Freshman Priska Nugroho was able to finish off the dominant 4-0 victory with her 7-6 (7-2), 6-1 win on court three. The freshman standout has been one of the most important parts of the lineup for the Wolfpack all season long, and after winning her first set via tiebreak, she cruised through her second set, securing NC State’s spot in the next round.
“In the second set, I think I just went for it from the beginning,” said Nugroho. “I think I really pressed her, and I’m happy that I could close it out.”
NC State’s usual doubles success was found once again against California early on in the match. The Pack has made a routine of establishing 1-0 leads in a majority of its matches, and today was no different. The reigning No. 1 ranked doubles pair of graduate student Jaeda Daniel and senior Nell Miller secured a 6-3 win on court one just as Nugroho and Abrams took a matching 6-3 win on court three.
While Abrams, Rajecki and Nugroho quickly earned the Pack a quick 4-0 clinch, the rest of the singles lineup battled in their matches. Daniel was on the verge of closing out her match on court one with a win, while Miller and sophomore Abigail Rencheli fought after both losing their respective first sets.
This high-level performance from NC State has been engineered all season long through hard work, training and a rigorous ACC match schedule. As one of the best teams in the nation all season long, the Pack seems to be hitting its stride at just the right time, continuing to find impressive levels of success in postseason play. But despite the win against California, head coach Simon Earnshaw still believes that the NC State women’s tennis squad is just on the verge of realizing its true potential.
“The problem is that improvements don’t happen overnight,” said Earnshaw. “Hopefully we’re seeing three full weeks of hard work, looking at what we’re doing and what we needed to do better, and I mean, I think we can still play better. I still don’t think we’ve played our best match, but this one was nice. I think it definitely feels good.”
As NC State prepares to travel to Urbana, Illinois for the final rounds of the NCAA Championships, the Pack also prepares to face one of its most fearsome opponents yet, one it has already faced this season. No. 6 NC State and No. 4 Duke are set to meet in Illinois in the quarterfinal round, and having already met once this season, the Pack is eager for a rematch with the Blue Devils after a tough 4-3 loss the first time around.
“I’m very excited to play them,” said Nugroho. “Last time we played, I thought it was a very good match. We lost pretty hard, but I’m very excited and I’m very happy to play them again.”
While the Wolfpack keeps adding on to one of its most successful seasons in program history, a showdown with the rival Blue Devils is sure to be one of the most highly anticipated, season-defining matches of the year as the ACC powerhouses go head-to-head.
With postseason glory and the fate of its season on the line, NC State will face off against Duke on Friday, May 20 in Urbana, Illinois with a chance to advance to the semifinal round of the 2022 NCAA Championships.
