No. 11 NC State men’s tennis is toting its highest ranking under head coach Kyle Spencer as it prepares to begin its highest-anticipated postseason in recent memory. While the Wolfpack was a quick out of both the ACC and NCAA Championships last season, it’ll be hard for NC State to go one-and-done in the conference tournament this year.
Instead, the red-and-white has its sights set on the ACC Championship title itself — its first in 25 years.
After winning the league back-to-back in 1978 and 1979, the Wolfpack underwent a championship drought for the last quarter of a century. But with the Pack’s best team in years riding its hottest streak in a while ready to go blow for blow with the rest of the ACC, NC State is a serious title contender in this year’s championships in Cary, North Carolina.
Peak power
NC State’s current lineup has been years in the making. Finally ready to make its biggest and best run in the ACC tournament yet, NC State will need to put its roster’s prime to work in Cary.
No. 53 senior Robin Catry has captained court one for the Wolfpack all season while playing the best tennis of his collegiate career. Meanwhile, fellow senior No. 124 Luca Staeheli has played just as strong as last season where he also got time at the number one spot.
The rest of NC State’s lineup features its core of juniors. Three years in the making, this group of players — which includes No. 76 Braden Shick, No. 63 Fons Van Sambeek, Damien Salvestre and Joseph Wayand — is all grown up and ready to show out in Cary. They provide a consistent and strong force that gives NC State a reliable option on every court.
While its individual players are firing on all cylinders, it’s NC State’s team cohesion that gives it an extra edge. A sense of selflessness and sacrifice is practiced and preached by Spencer and his squad.
“That’s the sign and that’s the make of a team that’s willing to lay it all on the line for each other,” Spencer said. “And that’s what we have, we have a family and we train for each other. We play for each other, win or lose. That’s what we’re gonna do, we’re gonna be together.”
Hot hand
NC State is currently riding a five-match heater while going 10-2 in ACC play. Those program-record-breaking 10 conference wins are giving a large boost of energy and confidence to the Pack as it cruises into the ACC Championships.
In the past few weeks alone, NC State defeated Miami and No. 17 Florida State on the road while downing No. 12 Duke and — then No. 23 — UNC-Chapel Hill in Raleigh.
With an impressive win streak and the best regular season in recent memory under his team’s belt, Spencer has emphasized the importance of treating every match like it’s the team’s last.
“A few weeks ago, I told the guys, I said, ‘Look, we’re in championship season,’” Spencer said. “And that’s just how it is, and so they know what that means. And they know where their focus level and all of that needs to be…where they need to go and, and they took it. They took it and they ran with it.”
Bracket breakdown
With ‘championship season’ officially underway for the Wolfpack, NC State is set to play familiar foes all tournament long.
The red-and-white’s ACC schedule has prepped it for elite teams with its wins over Duke, Florida State and UNC. While falling to the tournament’s top two teams — Virginia and Wake Forest — by close margins, the experience gained against them should still aid in the Pack’s quest for a ring.
“We play one of the toughest schedules in the country for a reason, so that when we come to the ACC we’re prepared,” Spencer said. “And we’re in this league and we’re fortunate to be in this league with great programs and that prepares us, if we play well enough, that prepares us to be in the NCAA [and ACC] tournament and go and play for championships.”
By earning the No. 3 seed, the Pack will first play on Friday, April 19 in a 12:30 p.m. bout against Florida State. Having beaten the Seminoles 4-3 just 11 days ago in Tallahassee, Florida, NC State has a good chance to advance to the next round, but only if the Pack treats it like the championship match itself.
“If we play a team like this in the first round, we got to be super dialed in and take care of everyday like it’s a final,” Catry said. “And yeah, if we find a way to align three in a row, we are where we need to be and we don’t need to change anything.”
From there, NC State would likely be faced with another throwdown with rival No. 7 Wake Forest in the semifinal on Saturday, April 20. Having lost to the Demon Deacons in the first round of the ACC tournament last year and on March 29 in Winston-Salem this season, NC State will be seeking revenge come the potential rematch.
With tournament-favorite Virginia likely to meet whatever other team remains in the title fight, NC State’s sense of belief, belonging and confidence paired with its raw talent can carry the Wolfpack to a championship.
“Our belief system needs to be so high, we all need to be so together, and we’re doing that right now,” Catry said. “And we don’t need to change, like I said, so I’m confident. I feel like we can win.”
