All good things must come to an end — including NC State men’s tennis’ undefeated, record-breaking ACC win streak.

The Pack’s best start to conference play under head coach Kyle Spencer — an undefeated 5-0 start — was cut short by an upset win from Louisville over the red-and-white via a nail-biting 4-3 decision in Raleigh on Sunday, March 26.

The No. 25 Wolfpack (11-6, 5-1 ACC) came into the match as a favorite, especially against a Louisville (11-8, 2-6 ACC) squad who was just 1-5 in the ACC heading into Sunday afternoon’s match. However, as one of the best conferences in college tennis, there are never any guaranteed wins against ACC teams, and the Cardinals proved that with their upset over the Pack.

NC State put its best foot forward in the doubles round and won the early point with two solid wins on courts three and one. First, redshirt sophomore Braden Shick and sophomore Fons Van Sambeek won 6-3 and were followed by the No. 27 pair of senior Robin Catry and junior Luca Staeheli’s 6-4 victory.

However, the subsequent singles round was where NC State’s smooth sailing turned into a battle for survival against the Cardinals — a battle that Louisville came out on top of by winning four out of six singles matches.

First, the Cardinals quickly evened up the score at 1-1 with a two-set win over Shick on court three, even with the redshirt sophomore taking his opponent to tiebreak at the end of his second set.

Shortly after, though, Catry landed a counterpunch with his 6-3, 7-6 win on court four, giving the lead back to NC State. However, Louisville again responded, this time with two straight wins on courts one and two against No. 52 fifth-year senior Rafa Izquierdo Luque and No. 73 Staeheli, respectively.

With the Cardinals threatening to clinch, Van Sambeek secured a 6-1, 7-5 win on court five — a win that ended up as the Pack’s final victory of the day. With all eyes on court six, sophomore Joseph Wayand fell to his Cardinal opponent in straight sets, sealing the Pack’s fate and Louisville’s victory.

After the loss to Louisville, NC State’s schedule doesn’t get any easier from here on out, especially with the Pack set to take on its fiercest rivals and ACC powerhouses — UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke — this weekend.

First serve against the Tar Heels is set for Friday, March 31 at 5 p.m.