The 2022 season was a promising one for the NC State men’s tennis team. With exciting matches and moments from beginning to end, this year’s campaign allowed the Pack’s young core to emerge and ultimately find success in the regular season and beyond as the squad continues to establish itself in the upper echelon of college tennis and cultivate a winning culture.
After completing the regular season with a 20-10 record and finishing with a program-high No. 18 ranking, NC State made an impressive postseason run in the NCAA Championships that started when the Pack earned the right to host in the first round of the tournament. The historic season and run was capped off with NC State’s signature win over No. 19 Middle Tennessee. The nearly six-hour thriller resulted in a Wolfpack victory, advancing the team to the Round of 16 for the first time since 2007. Despite losing to No. 1 TCU in that round, NC State certainly made the 2022 season one for the books with these achievements.
To help achieve the historic season, six of those 20 wins came against ranked opponents. Despite the above average overall record, NC State went 6-6 in conference play against a slew of powerful ACC foes. Tennis powerhouses such as Wake Forest, Duke, UNC-Chapel Hill and more gave the Pack its fair share of tough matchups. While these conference performances showed some of NC State’s flaws as a team, they also shined a light on the impressive young talent that made the Wolfpack a formidable opponent in its own right when firing on all cylinders.
NC State saw its fair share of ups and downs in the regular season, but staying consistent was its biggest struggle. The challenging slate of ACC opponents gave the Pack fits at times, such as a stretch in March where NC State lost to Florida State, Miami and Wake Forest in three straight conference matchups. Two matches later, however, NC State downed then-No. 6 South Carolina in an impressive 4-1 win. These streaky stretches for the Pack showed that if a level of consistent play is established, wins, more importantly conference wins, would come.
This is further evidenced by NC State’s performance against its biggest rivals in the 2022 season. Matches against both Duke and UNC showed why NC State earned its right to host in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Pack battled the Tar Heels three times this season, beating the Heels 4-3 in Chapel Hill early on, but losing in both its regular season finale and in the ACC Championships 4-3. All three matches were some of the best all season in terms of excitement and intensity, all coming down to the final court to decide the winner.
NC State’s performance against Duke saw the Pack’s best played match all season. In the Wolfpack’s merciless 4-0 win over the then-No. 19 Blue Devils late in the season, NC State was truly able to show the impressive potential of its young, talented and ambitious roster.
While NC State’s lineup was led by its more experienced players, it was this young core that had such a crucial impact on the Pack’s season. Multiple stalwarts of the Wolfpack’s singles lineup were either sophomores or freshmen, all of which made their marks on the 2022 campaign. Sophomore Luca Staeheli, redshirt freshman Braden Shick and freshmen standouts Fons Van Sambeek and Damien Salvestre are sure to be the future for NC State men’s tennis.
Shick and Van Sambeek, both playing singles and doubles, played important roles in every match this season. But it was Salvestre, who specialized in singles, that consistently stole the show with his impressive play every single week for NC State. Already playing a crucial role in the lineup, Salvestre brings a physically dominant, energetic and powerful play style and is perhaps the Pack’s biggest asset going forward into future seasons.
Set to lead the Pack next year, juniors Martins Rocens and Robin Catry were also critical in NC State’s success in 2022. Playing both singles and doubles, the soon-to-be seniors will continue to bring leadership, experience and great play for the Pack. Rocens and Catry will have to step up however, with multiple team veterans such as senior Rafa Izqueirdo Luque and graduate student Collin Shick all moving on from the team due to their expiring eligibility.
Despite these departures, the NC State men’s tennis team is still in position to improve. With no lack of impressive, young talent on the roster, the Pack is more than equipped to build on the success found in the 2022 season. While this success will be limited to the consistency displayed from match to match, NC State is sure to keep evolving in all aspects of play in future seasons.
