No. 22 NC State men’s tennis battled hard but ultimately fell 4-2 in a close match against No. 8 Virginia on Sunday, April 9.
As the Pack rapidly approaches the end of its regular season, every match from now on counts more than ever. Even though the reigning NCAA champion and perennial college tennis powerhouse handed NC State its third conference loss of the season, the Wolfpack still put forth an admirable effort in Raleigh.
Virginia (19-4, 10-0 ACC) claimed the early doubles point and did enough to win the three matches it needed in the singles round to take the match. While the wind and blustery conditions did have an affect on play, especially in singles, the Wolfpack (13-8, 7-3 ACC) just couldn’t produce wins on more than two courts in the latter round.
“I thought we executed game plans in singles the way we wanted to,” said head coach Kyle Spencer. “Conditions were tough, but I don’t think it bothered too many of the players. I think we’ve got pretty experienced players on both sides that were able to manage those things. We just didn’t have enough today.”
The Cavaliers captured the 1-0 advantage in doubles thanks to wins on courts one and three. While redshirt sophomore Braden Shick and sophomore Fons Van Sambeek fell quickly on court three 6-2, NC State’s pairs on the two remaining courts battled hard but came up short. Even with the No. 24 pair of fifth-year senior Rafa Izquierdo Luque and sophomore Joseph Wayand leading their opponents on court two, the No. 15 pair of senior Robin Catry and junior Luca Staeheli fell 6-3 to end the round.
Singles started off fairly even as both teams won three first sets each. However, Virginia won its matches before NC State could — an effort that was made easier with its 1-0 lead. Additionally, all singles matches that finished resulted in straight-set wins for either side.
The Cavs drew first blood in the round with a 6-3, 6-0 win over Shick on court three. Next, NC State struck back thanks to Catry’s 6-4, 6-3 win on court four to put the match score at 2-1.
Then, No. 70 Staeheli, who was taking it to Virginia’s No. 14 Chris Rodesch on court one, couldn’t come out with wins in either of his sets. But even with a 3-1 lead, the Wolfpack still had a chance to pull off a comeback, especially with first-set leads in two of the three remaining matches.
Van Sambeek then delivered for the red-and-white, taking court five in a 6-2, 7-5 decision to make it 3-2. But even with Wayand working towards a win on court six, Izquierdo Luque’s loss on court two sealed the Cavs’ win at 4-2 and left Wayand’s match unfinished.
Next on the slate for the Pack is a showdown with yet another ACC opponent, Wake Forest, for its final regular-season home match of 2023. With every conference opponent presenting a challenge, it’ll be vital for NC State to finish out the regular season strong with only two matches to go.
“Every match in the ACC is a battle, every team is very, very good,” Spencer said. “It takes being prepared and ready on that day to be able to go out and execute in all the spots. We’ll be ready — we’ll lick our wounds from this one and then and move on to Wake Forest.”
NC State’s senior night and match against the Demon Deacons is set for Wednesday, April 12 at 6 p.m. in Raleigh.
