While the week was headlined by both NC State men’s and women’s basketball being eliminated from the NCAA tournament, other athletes across campus shined while wearing the red-and-white. Most notably, NC State wrestling notched its third consecutive top-10 finish at the NCAA tournament, and NC State softball completed its first sweep of the season.
Baseball struggles at beginning of ACC play
NC State baseball (15-5, 2-4 ACC) faced off against two ACC opponents this week. After dropping two out of three games to Miami early in the week, the team was almost swept by Virginia a few days later.
Against Virginia, the only thing that stood between the Pack and the broom was freshman designated hitter Cannon Peebles. With two outs in the bottom of the ninth, and bases loaded, Peebles ripped a single up the middle to walk off the Virginia Cavaliers 5-4.
Read more about the Pack’s walk off win against the Cavs here.
Men’s basketball falls short in Round of 64
After being selected for the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2018 season, the 11-seed NC State men’s basketball team was eliminated by the 6-seeded Creighton Bluejays in Denver.
The Big East powerhouse was just too much for the Pack to handle, and when the final buzzer sounded, a 72-63 loss marked the end of the Wolfpack’s season. Graduate forward DJ Burns was in foul trouble for most of the game, allowing Creighton to score at ease in the paint. Meanwhile, sophomore guard Terquavion Smith almost willed the team to victory, scoring 32 points in what could be his final collegiate game.
Read about NC State’s crushing loss in March Madness.
Women’s basketball upset by Princeton in NCAA Tournament
NC State women’s basketball was sent home earlier than expected in this year’s rendition of March Madness. Coming in as a 7-seed in the tournament, the Pack was pitted against the 10-seed Princeton Tigers.
The final score was 64-63, as the Pack fell in heartbreaking fashion. With just 12 seconds left, Princeton went down the floor and nailed the go ahead 3-pointer to ultimately send the Wolfpack home disappointed. With only four seconds remaining on the clock, the Pack could not find a magic shot, making for an abrupt end to the season.
Read more about the red-and-white’s heartbreaking loss to the Tigers.
Softball sweeps Boston College
The NC State softball team looked dominant this weekend when it faced Boston College — successfully completing a three-game sweep over the Eagles with a 3-2 win on Sunday, March 19. Freshman right-handed pitcher Madison Inscoe continued to impress on the mound, and went all seven innings in the final game of the series. Despite the cold weather, the bats and the fans showed up in Raleigh.
Read about the Pack’s series sweep over Boston College.
Wrestling places 10th at NCAA Championships
For the third consecutive year, NC State wrestling brought home a top-10 finish at the NCAA Championships. The Wolfpack placed 10th as a team in the competition as a result of many stellar individual performances. Redshirt junior Trent Hilday, sophomore Ed Scott and redshirt sophomore Kai Orine all finished in the top 10 in their respective weight divisions. Additionally. all three wrestlers were named to the All-American list after their championship level performances.
Read about NC State’s performance at the NCAA Championships here.
Women’s tennis dominates
NC State women’s tennis is rolling after beating two Florida schools over the last few days. Continuing its long road trip in the Sunshine State, the Pack stopped in Tallahassee to face the Seminoles of Florida State. It was domination from the start to end of the match, as the Pack emerged with a 6-1 decision. The team trailed heading into singles play, but impressive performances across the board secured the win for the Pack when it was all said and done.
Following the dismantling of the Seminoles, the red-and-white continued to roll against UCF. After losing a point in the doubles round in the previous match, the Pack took an early lead with a strong doubles performance where freshman Diana Shnaider and graduate student Alana Smith continued to look dominant as a pair. The Knights only managed one win on the day, as the Pack claimed another 6-1 win.
Read about the Pack’s dominant singles performance against Florida State.
Read more about NC State’s 6-1 win over the Knights.
Men’s tennis almost pulls off huge upset against No. 3 Texas
The No. 20 NC State men’s tennis team was close to pulling off a season-defining upset against No. 3 Texas on March 15. The Wolfpack fell 4-3 in a highly competitive match.
The Pack took the lead after a strong doubles performance from redshirt sophomore Braden Shick and sophomore Fons Van Sambeek in the final of three doubles matches.
While the lead was lost during the singles round, fifth-year senior Rafa Izquierdo Luque defeated the No. 1 player in the country in three sets. Overall, it was a promising performance for a rising men’s squad
