After missing the ITA National Team Indoor Championships in 2023, No. 7 NC State women’s tennis punched its ticket to Seattle for the 2024 Championships with its recent win against Clemson.
Composed of the nation’s best teams, the ITA Indoors gives programs a chance to test their mettle against the rest of the most talented competition from across the country before conference play begins. While NC State was knocked out by an underdog Vanderbilt team before it could reach the Championships last year, the Wolfpack has an opportunity to right the ship against ranked teams at this year’s tournament.
However, in order to claim the team’s first ITA title in program history, the red-and-white will have to make its way through both cross-country competition and familiar foes. The Pack is slated to play the hosting No. 21 Washington Huskies in the first round of the Championships. After a potential win over the Huskies, NC State has a likely chance of playing none other than No. 1 UNC-Chapel Hill in the subsequent round.
With each team toting 6-0 records heading into the event, the Wolfpack and the Huskies are set to go blow-for-blow in the first round of the Championships. However, NC State’s deep singles roster, doubles prowess and ranked match experience should give the Wolfpack the edge against Washington.
NC State currently boasts five ranked singles players, including No. 3 senior Amelia Rajecki, while none of Washington’s players own an ITA singles ranking. Meanwhile, two of the Pack’s three doubles pairs boast rankings, where again, the Huskies have none.
NC State’s recent win over No. 19 Tennessee should also give the Wolfpack an advantage on Friday, Feb. 6. While the Wolfpack has already beaten a ranked team, Tennessee, on the road this season, Washington’s first ranked test is set to come against the Pack.
If NC State is able to down the Huskies, the road to its first ITA Indoors Championship trophy gets exponentially tougher in the next round. With the top-ranked Tar Heels likely to beat the currently unranked USC Trojans in their first round, all signs are pointing towards another dramatic rendition of one of the most notable rivalries in women’s college tennis — NC State versus UNC.
Last season, the rival’s dramatic three-match saga defined the Wolfpack’s season. Just weeks after getting swept 7-0 in Chapel Hill, the Wolfpack stunned the undefeated No. 1 Tar Heels for its first ACC Championship in program history. But Carolina got the last laugh by defeating NC State in the NCAA Championship final. Now, the two sides are potentially set up for a slugfest in Seattle.
Beating the Huskies is one thing, but overcoming the perennially excellent Tar Heels is an entirely different task. As the best team in college tennis for several years now, Carolina is a formidable threat to the Pack’s chances at an ITA Indoors title.
UNC has ruthlessly dominated the event in recent memory. The Tar Heels are gunning for their fifth ITA Indoors Championship title in a row and have won the tournament seven times in the past 10 seasons. To add insult to injury for NC State, the Wolfpack’s most successful year at the ITA’s — a 2022 run to the semifinals — was cut short by Carolina itself.
Without players such as Diana Shnaider and Alana Smith, who played critical roles in the Pack’s last win over Carolina, NC State’s freshmen will likely be thrown into the fire during the second round.
However, no matter the opponent, the Wolfpack’s core of seniors will have to step up in order to succeed. Consisting of Rajecki and her fellow seniors Sophie Abrams, Abigail Rencheli and Gina Dittmann, the red-and-white’s veterans will be relied upon to succeed in the ITAs and throughout the rest of the season.
Beyond UNC, NC State is slated to potentially play top teams such as Virginia and Michigan in the semifinals. On the other side of the bracket, powerhouse squads such as Stanford and Texas await the Wolfpack in a possible title fight.
While raising a trophy at the end of the ITAs would be a major accomplishment for the team and program, the Indoors serve as a stepping stone to the Wolfpack’s ultimate goals — ACC and NCAA Championships. Even if NC State is eliminated, it is still guaranteed consolation matches against the nation’s top teams.
No matter the outcome, the ITAs will help prepare the Pack for the rest of its rigorous schedule, highlighted by its annual matches against conference titans UNC, Duke and Virginia, and its formidable nonconference competition, which includes Michigan and Oklahoma.
For now, the red-and-white is prepping for its cross-country flight and first-round bout with Washington. First serve against the Huskies is set for 9:30 p.m. EST on Friday, Feb. 9.
