Redshirt senior Eryk McConnell launches the ball toward home plate. The team defeated Virginia
Seniors Barbara Orlay and Nandita Chandrasekar played their final home match in front of a large crowd at the Curtis & Jacqueline Dail Outdoor Tennis Stadium Sunday afternoon. The rest of the women’s tennis team would make sure the duo went out on a positive note by defeating No. 66 Virginia Tech, 6-1.
Coach Olsen enjoyed the day.
“It was a special day,” Olsen said. “The whole weekend, they played great.”
The Wolfpack (14-5, 3-4) lost two out of three close doubles matches to fall to a 1-0 match deficit. The doubles team of sophomore Julia Roach and freshman Shona Lee lost a close match 9-8 at the No. 2 seed, while Pack senior Barbara Orlay and freshman Alejandra Guerra also lost 8-2 at No. 1. The tandem of Pack sophomore Elin Stahl Johannson and senior Nandita Chandrasekar won their doubles match, 9-7 at No. 3.State picked its play up and won all of the singles matches. Orlay took immediate control and dominated in her final home match with a 6-0, 6-0 win at the No. 2 seed. The trend continued as Roach won 6-3, 6-1 at the No. 4 seed while No. 5 seed Guerra won 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.
Orlay talked about how Chandrasekar, Olsen and assistant coach Matt DuBois have been an important part of her life.
“We have a really close friendship and we really understand each other,” Orlay said. “It was really good to transfer with Nandita together and play all four years. For coach [Olsen and DuBois], it was a pleasure. I could always go to them with a problem.”
“I’m going to miss everything…the whole atmosphere, the girls, everything.”
Orlay and Chandrasekar both transferred from Charleston Southern after the 2002-2003 season, the same college where both coaches Olsen and Dubois had success before joining the Wolfpack.
At No. 5, Chandrasekar secured the win for the Pack by winning her match 6-0, 3-6, 6-0. Freshman Neils Barringer won with a score of 5-7, 6-3, and 6-2 at No. 6, while Lee rounded out the singles sweep 4-6, 6-4, and 7-5 at the No. 1 seed.
Chandrasekar talked about how the win meant a lot coming back from knee surgery last season.
“Last year was very tough,” Chandrasekar said.
“I had to sit out the whole year last year. I did as much stuff off the court as possible, and I worked my way back. Now that I have gotten back, things have started to go my way. All of the rehab was definitely worth it.”
The Pack also won in similar fashion against No. 33 Virginia on Saturday. Despite losing the doubles point, State won five out of six singles matches to get the 5-2 victory.
Coach Hans Olsen said the team really battled to earn the wins.
“I have to give credit to the girls,” Olsen said. “They are competing non-stop on the court. Both matches, we lost the doubles, but we dominated in the singles because we competed hard in every close match, and we got every one of them.”
Chandrasekar added the whole team played well as a whole.
“I feel like all of us played great matches yesterday and today,” Chandrasekar said. “I feel like the whole team effort was there.”
The wins over both Virginia and Virginia Tech give the team three conference wins this season and 14 wins overall, the most since the team won 16 overall and five conference matches in 1998.
Coach Olsen talked about how big these wins were for the program.
“This is a big step for the program,” Olsen said. “It’s a big step for the season — we have a lot of momentum right now and the girls are doing a great job.”
But for Orlay and Chandrasekar, this is only the beginning.
“The goal is the NCAAs,” Orlay said.
State goes on a four-game road trip before competing in the ACC Championships in Cary later this month.