The NC State men’s tennis team lost its fifth consecutive conference matchup 4-3 to No. 16 Virginia Tech Sunday at the J.W. Isenhour Tennis Center.
The Wolfpack (10-8, 0-5 ACC) nearly completed a comeback against the Hokies (13-2, 5-1 ACC) but fell short in the final match.
Solid wins by seniors Robbie Mudge and Beck Bond and by junior Thomas Weigel in singles competition put the Wolfpack on the board. Mudge and sophomore Ian Dempster gave Virginia Tech a run for the doubles competition point, but the tiebreaker favored the Hokies.
NC State’s last five matches were against teams ranked in the top 30. NC State ranks 37th. However, these rankings mean nothing in terms of the losing streak to head coach Jon Choboy.
“The hardest part was ourselves,” Choboy said. “It had nothing to do with Virginia Tech. [The loss] is on us.”
Doubles competition was a wash but the Wolfpack came out swinging in singles competition. The Pack immediately had the lead on five of the six courts.
The highlights of the Virginia Tech match were on courts two and five with junior Simon “Swedes” Norenius and sophomore Nick Horton both taking the Hokies to a third deciding set.
Horton, playing against Hokie junior Edoardo Tessaro, picked up the first set for the Pack, 6-3. Tessaro made a comeback and snatched the second set for Virginia Tech 6-3, leveling the match and forcing a decisive third set, which Tessaro edged 7-5.
Norenius’ match against Virginia Tech junior Amerigo Contini kept all eyes on court two as the winner of this match decided the overall winner.
Much like his teammate, Norenius won the first set against Contini 6-2, but it was the second set that challenged Norenius’ stamina. Contini gained a 5-1 lead yet Norenius battled to make it 4-5 before losing the set point, once again sending a match to the third set.
At this point in the day, the Wolfpack was tied with Virginia Tech at three points apiece, with the Pack’s Norenius vs. the Hokies’ Contini the decisive match. While Norenius nearly helped complete a Pack victory, Contini pulled out the win 6-4, sending State to its fifth-straight loss.
When asked how the Pack has developed through playing highly ranked teams such as Virginia Tech, Choboy was quick to establish the Wolfpack’s own identity on the court.
“We’re a pretty experienced team,” Choboy said. “It’s nothing new to us. You have to have the courage to step up and do [what’s necessary].”
While the final scoreboard may not favor NC State, the statistics do not lie.
After Sunday’s match, the Wolfpack has now won against six nationally ranked singles players.
For Mudge, it is his third consecutive match win against a ranked player.
“First you have to prepare, then you trust your preparation,” Choboy said. “Those two things have to go hand in hand if you want to win. It’s as simple as that.”
Trust also comes into play on the doubles court. It is something Mudge and Dempster seem to have.
Despite their doubles loss against the Hokies, Mudge and Dempster got the 8-6 victory over Duke pair Raphael Hemmeler and Nicolas Alvarez on Friday.
“They have chemistry,” Choboy said. “You want to have contrasting games; someone who can set up the point and someone who can finish the point. Generally, they do that pretty well.”
The Pack will look to break its winless streak Saturday at 2 p.m., as the team welcomes the visiting Wake Forest Demon Deacons.
For NC State, the opportunity to get back on track is absolutely vital.
