Just one match after eeking out a thrilling comeback win over Iowa State in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Championships, No. 4 NC State women’s tennis left no room for doubt in its semifinal sweep over No. 6 Stanford.
The Pack’s dominant win over the Cardinals earned NC State a berth in its first-ever NCAA final match in program history — a match against none other than No. 1 UNC-Chapel Hill, setting up for an all-ACC title fight for the ages.
“This was the goal,” said head coach Simon Earnshaw. “I think we felt that we had our best opportunity that we’ve had, and that was even earlier in the season when we didn’t make the national indoors. It was just really a question of us being able to put it all together. Realistically, it’s the result of that. For a 4-0 match, that was tough, that’s for sure.”
In order to punch its ticket, NC State (28-4) had to face off against a daunting Stanford (25-3) squad, which is a team with lots of NCAA tournament experience. That didn’t scare the Wolfpack in the slightest, as NC State swept its opposition en route to the championship by claiming the early doubles point and winning three two-setters in singles.
Doubles started with No. 4 freshman Diana Shnaider and graduate student Alana Smith securing a 6-3 win over their ranked opponents. While the Cardinals struck back with a win over No. 9 fifth-year senior Nell Miller and junior Amelia Rajecki on court two, juniors Sophie Abrams and Abigail Rencheli clinched the early point with a 6-2 win on court three.
NC State stepped on the gas after doubles, winning three straight singles matches to clinch the 4-0 win. While the wins weren’t easily earned — except for No. 7 Shnaider’s dominant 6-1, 6-0 win on court one — the Wolfpack clinched without conceding a point, making for NC State’s fourth sweep of the Championships. .
“I had my back to her most of the time, and in games where she was down, and I’m like, ‘Okay, we’re down 15-40,’ and I turn around and she’s sitting down and there’s still zero on the other person,” Earnshaw said. “It’s not realistic for every match to be that way, and certainly that’s not the goal. But she feels really comfortable on these courts.”
Junior Gina Dittmann put the Pack in clinch position with a clutch two-set win on court six. After taking her first set 6-3, the junior gutted out a win in her second set tiebreaker. With just one point to go, No. 13 Smith delivered the killing blow with a 7-5, 7-5 win on court two. Even though Smith’s opponent — No. 18 Connie Ma — battled back from a 5-0 second set deficit, Smith reined it back in and finished Ma off to secure the Pack’s spot in the title bout.
When the championship draw was set, the Wolfpack knew it was a possibility that it would see UNC in the final match. It’s not only another rendition of the classic NC State-UNC rivalry, but it’s a culmination of the team’s storylines from the entire 2023 season. While the No. 1 Tar Heels swept NC State 7-0 in ACC play, the red-and-white stunned the nation’s best in an epic win for the team’s first conference championship title in program history.
“Once a year, generally, you get to play your rival, and this will be the third time this year,” Earnshaw said. “For that to happen in a national championship match is pretty unique. I think once the draw came out, there was a possibility of that. I think it’s the match people want. It’s definitely the match that we want, and it’s going to be great. We played them last year as well and it was fantastic…I think for women’s college tennis, it’s the right final for this season.”
Now, the Wolfpack looks to repeat one championship performance to the next. This time, even more is on the line — the program’s first national championship in history, and the Wolfpack has been eagerly waiting for another clash with its rival.
“It’s definitely what we were expecting, if we did make it to the NCAA championship,” Smith said. “We all were kind of hoping, like, ‘Okay, let’s see if we can get a run at UNC.’ We should just go out there and have fun tomorrow. I think if we just come with the same energy as we came last time we played them [in the ACC final], then we should do pretty well.”
NC State’s looking to repeat. UNC’s looking for revenge. It’s the classic rivalry on the biggest stage for one last time this season. The Wolfpack and the Tar Heels are set to clash at 5:30 p.m. in Orlando, Florida, with one team hoisting the trophy by the end of the night.
