No. 5 NC State men’s tennis earned its highest ranking in program history last week. Led by head coach Kyle Spencer and its trio of accomplished, impactful seniors, the Wolfpack is gearing up for its highest potential postseason run in recent memory. With only one match remaining in the regular season, the red-and-white has its first ACC title since 1979 firmly in its sights.
But the regular season finale will come against none other than the undefeated, undisputed No. 1 Wake Forest Demon Deacons in Raleigh on Saturday night.
A titanic clash of two of the best teams in the country, the ACC rivals will square off in what is easily the Wolfpack’s highest-anticipated regular-season match in years. Both teams hold undefeated conference records, and whether it’s in the fall, in ITA Indoor competitions or in the postseason, NC State and Wake Forest are no strangers to facing each other in high-stakes matchups.
“We’re playing for the ACC championship,” Spencer said. “I mean, I don’t have to tell anybody that — they can see the records. We’re both undefeated. We’re getting them at home. And the interesting part is that we see them all the time.”
In the past five meetings with the Demon Deacons, NC State has only claimed victory once, in 2023. That victory came in an electric 4-2 thriller in Raleigh — the only one of those matches played at the J.W. Isenhour Tennis Center. While NC State has already faced Wake Forest this season in a 4-1 loss at the ITA National Indoors Competition, the Wolfpack is eager for a rematch, this time at home, under the lights.
NC State has beaten a whopping seven top-25 teams, and four of those wins have come against teams in the top-10. While it’s hard to believe, the Pack’s best year yet hasn’t been defined by those wins, it’s been highlighted by the world-class culture built by Spencer and his three seniors, Braden Shick, Fons Van Sambeek and Luca Staeheli.
If there’s one reason NC State can beat the best team in college tennis, it’s because of the standard those seniors have been building since day one of their freshman year.
It’s a culture that Spencer has preached every day of his tenure. One based on family, high character, hard work and not a focus on rankings or wins, but on the willingness to fight tooth and nail for every point, for every match.
Shick, Van Sambeek and Staeheli embody those values like no other.
“When we talk about characteristics of people that I know and that I’ve coached, they would be right at the top,” Spencer said.
The three players were celebrated at the Pack’s senior day ceremony Sunday. Met with rousing applause from fans and praise from their coaches, senior day was a celebration of how impactful they were to the program, not about the matches they won.
“I don’t think words are really going to do it justice because of the people they are,” Spencer said. “I mean we can talk about their talents as a player, you can talk about what they’ve done in big matches, which all of them have come through just in amazing fashion. But where we sit now is a direct reflection of their belief, of the way they carry themselves, their love for the program, their love for their teammates. They will be missed. They’ll never be forgotten.”
Shick, Van Sambeek and Staeheli have been together since the Pack’s 2021 season. They have grown up together throughout their collegiate careers, and didn’t focus on talking about their achievements after senior day, but on the memories they made together.
“I feel like we’ve just grown the three of us all together, and it’s really showing this last year, it’s awesome to really start to get the results that we wanted,” Shick said. “But I think the thing that I’ll remember and cherish most is the locker rooms after the practices, after the matches, the team dinners, and just all the memories we have as a team, the funny moments — I think that’s the most special thing.”
That selfless culture based on the things outside tennis is core to what makes the Pack so special, especially this year. Of course, however, NC State is still a handful to manage for any team in the country, largely because of those seniors.
However, Wake Forest will be their toughest test yet — perhaps the best team Spencer, Shick, Van Sambeek and Staeheli have ever faced together. But the Wolfpack isn’t planning to adjust its identity. The goal remains the same: Embrace the chaos, lean into the pressure and get into a dogfight with the Demon Deacons.
“I think we’re really focused on getting into a fight and doing what we do, and being excited about doing that, and excited about having a fantastic environment with a huge crowd on a big day, and I think that’s what we live to play for,” Spencer said. “I think they live to play for that too. And so I think it’s going to be — whether it’s Saturday or in the ACC Championship or in the NCAA Championship — I think it’s fantastic for us, for college tennis, for the two programs.”
It’ll make for one of the most exciting and highly anticipated matches of the college tennis season, let alone NC State’s season. First serve against the Demon Deacons is set for 5 p.m. Saturday at the J.W. Isenhour Tennis Center in Raleigh.
No matter the amount of height, pressure or expectations for Saturday and beyond, the Wolfpack’s culture, success and chances of downing the top team in men’s college tennis all rest on the steady shoulders of its seniors.
“They’re the guys that are going to keep the team together,” Spencer said. “They’re the guys that are gonna set the level. They’re the guys that the younger guys will look to. We go through them.”
