©2012 NCSU Student Media
Senior Ashley Miller returns a volley during her singles match against Virginia Tech at the Curtis and Jacqueline Dail Outdoor Tennis Stadium Sunday, April 1, 2012. The Wolfpack defeated the Hokies 4-3. Photo by John Joyner.
Thursday was a great day for Wolfpack tennis, with the men’s and women’s teams picking up wins in the first round of the ACC Championships against the Boston College Eagles.
Only 10 days ago, the ninth-seeded N.C . State women’s team suffered a 5-2 defeat at the hands of the No. 67 Eagles in Chestnut Hill. However, the team was able to put that match behind it, and battle through BC when it mattered most.
Junior Chloe Smith and freshman Elisha Hande came out strong against the Eagles, picking up a quick 8-4 victory in doubles. The No. 76 duo of senior Ashley Miller and sophomore Joelle Kissell weren’t far behind, taking their match 8-4 to clinch the doubles point for the Pack.
Freshman Nichole Martinez finished a swift match in straight sets on court six to give the Pack a 2-0 lead early on. Smith was close behind at the No. 4 position with a three-set victory to hand State a seemingly comfortable 3-0 lead.
Boston College wasn’t going to go down with a whimper, however, as the Eagles battled back to take matches on courts two, three and five to tie the match 3-3.
No. 31 Joelle Kissell was the Pack’s last hope. Dropping the first set in a tiebreaker, Kissell came out with intensity in the second set, winning it easily, 6-2. She continued to dominate into the third set, winning in straight games to clinch the match for the Wolfpack and advance it into the second round to face No. 1 seed Duke.
Kissell was selected later that afternoon to the 2012 All-ACC Women’s Tennis Team, marking the third consecutive year a State player has appeared on the team. Kissell is 15-8 this season with seven wins against ranked opponents.
The No.6-seeded N.C . State men’s tennis team advanced to the second round of the ACC Tennis Championship Thursday afternoon for the first time since the 2009 season, shutting down the Eagles of Boston College, 4-0.
The State netters , who are currently ranked No. 38 in the nation, showed they were ready to play early on in doubles. Seniors Dominic Hodgson and Julian Sullivan had a strong showing at the No. 1 spot, winning 8-5. Junior Dave Thomson and sophomore Sean Weber followed in closely by the same score to put the Pack up 1-0 after the doubles point.
Singles did not get any easier for the birds from Chestnut Hill. Hodgson was able to quickly pick up his second match victory on the day, winning 6-0, 6-3 to put the Pack on top, 2-0. Freshman Robbie Mudge was next off court, winning with ease, 6-2, 6-1.
Sullivan followed through for the Wolfpack at the No. 3 position, winning 6-3, 6-2 to clinch the match for State.
“I’m happy but I’m not satisfied,” Sullivan said. “[We’re] looking to make a big push tomorrow and in the NCAA’s, as well.”
All other matches did not finish, including senior Jaime Pulgar , who is ranked No. 35 in the nation.
The win improves the Pack’s overall record to 20-8. The Pack has reached this plateau only once before in team history when it finished 23-10 following an Elite Eight run in 2007.
State has completed 10 team sweeps this season with two of them against Boston College. The team’s all-time record against the Eagles now stands at 11-0.
Mudge created his own place in N.C . State history on Thursday as he won his 20th match of the season. Mudge is only the fourth player in school history to reach 20 wins in his freshman campaign, tying himself for second place overall.
“I don’t know what the record is … but I’m trying to break it,” Mudge said.
The record currently stands at 23 by Jay Weinacker in 2006.
Head coach Jon Choboy is proud of his team’s “business-like” performance today and is looking forward to Friday’s match.
“We’ve done a good job all year to put ourselves in this position,” Choboy said. “We’re definitely ready to play.”
Hodgson, who has struggled with an ankle injury, was satisfied with the day’s performance and is well prepared for Friday afternoon’s match against Duke.
“Today was just a warmup for Duke,” Hodgson said. “This wasn’t a challenge today. We’re ready for some revenge.”
“We’re ready for the fight.”