No. 22 NC State men’s tennis brought out the brooms in its 2023 regular-season finale, sweeping Boston College 6-0 in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts on Friday, April 14.
The Wolfpack (15-8, 9-3 ACC) bludgeoned the Eagles (7-13, 0-11) in both doubles and singles to close out the regular season. Just days after its exciting 4-2 victory over Wake Forest, the sweeping victory signified the end of the Pack’s excruciating three-match week to close out the season.
While the two squads split the first two doubles courts, NC State clutched out a win on court three to take the point. Junior Luca Staeheli and fifth-year senior Rafa Izquierdo Luque took court two 6-2 and redshirt sophomore Braden Shick and sophomore Fons Van Sambeek pulled out a close 7-5 win on three.
That was the closest Boston College got to a point all day long, because the Pack rolled in the subsequent singles round. First to strike was sophomore Joseph Wayand, who cruised to a 6-3, 6-2 decision on court six. As of late, Wayand has been rolling in singles, and today’s match against the Eagles was no different for the sophomore.
Up 2-0, NC State secured two more straight-set wins to clinch the match. Shick won 6-1, 6-4 while Van Sambeek blanked his Eagle opponent in his second set on the way to a 6-3, 6-0 victory on court five to secure the Pack’s 15th win of the season.
Senior Robin Catry is another member of the Pack that’s been red-hot as of late, and his singles streak didn’t stop in NC State’s visit to Chestnut Hill. Carry dominated his opponent 6-1, 6-2, putting the score at 5-0.
From there, Staeheli’s match was left unfinished on court two, leaving just Izquierdo Luque left standing for the Wolfpack. The fifth-year senior split his first two sets, but won his third-set superbreaker to protect the sweep.
While the win signifies the end of the regular season for the Wolfpack, NC State’s postseason journey is only just starting. Its first taste of playoff action will be next week at the ACC Championships which begin on Thursday, April 20 in Cary, North Carolina.
