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Getting low, sophomore Sean Weber hits the ball up in the air and across the net April 7. The Wolfpack fell to the Maryland Terrapins 4-3 at Curtis and Jacqueline Dail Outdoor Stadium. Photo by Ryan Parry.
The No. 42 N.C. State men’s tennis team visited the Demon Deacons of Wake Forest University Tuesday afternoon and picked up its third ACC win of the season, improving its overall record to 17-8 and 3-5 in the ACC.
The Wolfpack came into the match coming off a tough 4-3 loss at home against Maryland on Saturday. The Deacons, on the other hand, entered Tuesday on a high, coming off back-to-back 4-3 wins at home against Maryland and Boston College, the team’s first two ACC wins of the season.
At the start of the meeting, the Tobacco Road rivals battled it out for the doubles point. Seniors Dominic Hodgson and Julian Sullivan breezed by their opponents on court No. 2, winning 8-4, but the remaining two matches were highly competitive.
Junior Dave Thomson and sophomore Sean Weber forced a tiebreaker at the third doubles position. They were then able to close out their opponents, winning the tiebreak 7-3 to clinch the doubles point for the Pack.
The Demon Deacons came firing out of the gates in singles, picking up a pair of straight-set victories on courts three and four, claiming the 2-1 lead. However, that would be all the love Wake would receive.
Freshman Robbie Mudge was able to recover from a three-set loss against Maryland, picking up the 6-3, 6-4 win at the No. 5 position, tying the match at two apiece.
Junior Dave Thomson also had a heartbreaking loss on Sunday, losing in three sets after taking the first set and a comfortable 5-3 lead in the second. Tuesday’s match started much like it ended against the Terrapins, but Thomson never let up.
Thomson took an early 4-0 lead in the first set, but Wake’s Alex Tsai fought back to take the set 7-5. It was all Thomson from that point on, as the Wolfpacker took the next 12 games to win the match in three sets by a score of 7-5, 6-0, 6-0, giving State the lead back, 3-2.
Needing only one of two remaining matches, the Pack was relying on its top two players, senior Jaime Pulgar and Hodgson. Each player was midway through their second set, with Pulgar winning his first, 7-5, and Hodgson dropping his, 6-4.
Knotted up at 6-6 in the second set of Pulgar’s match, the third tiebreaker of the day was played out. Pulgar, who is currently ranked No. 61 in the nation, was able to take the tiebreak handily by a 7-3 count, taking the match in straight sets and clinching the victory for the Wolfpack.
Hodgson took his second set 7-5 and closed the match out in a third set tiebreaker, 10-7, handing the Wolfpack the 5-2 victory.
Head Coach Jon Choboy was ecstatic about the win and how the team managed to bounce back after the excruciating loss to Maryland.
“We sort of erased that bad taste in our mouth,” Choboy said.”We were serving for the match against Maryland. We came back and did this to a team that beat Maryland.
“It’s good to get in the win column and to do it against a good team, so we’re encouraged. The guys are upbeat. We’ve got a lot of work to still do, but getting a win is good.”
State returns home this weekend as they close the regular season. Friday at 3 p.m., the Pack will face No. 60 Georgia Tech and Sunday at noon, No. 71 Clemson will come to Raleigh.