N.C. State took another hit Sunday, losing to Georgia Tech 6-1 at J.M. Isenhour Tennis Center. With the loss, the Wolfpack dropped to 12-8 overall and 3-6 in the ACC.
State’s doubles partners sophomore Alejandra Guerra and freshman Daria Petrovic were tied 3-3 early in the match and were able to shift the score to 7-5. But later on, they fell to their opponents 9-7.
Meanwhile, the doubles team of freshman Kate Green and junior Julia Roach held the upper hand with a score of 3-2. But after double faulting twice, the score soon turned in Georgia Tech’s favor and ended with another State loss, 8-6.
“I’ve got a lot of confidence in our doubles,” coach Hans Olsen said. “They moved well; they were going after the balls pretty good, but I felt like there was a slight shift in momentum. We just need to when we got the momentum, keep going with it and [not] let our opponents off the hook.”
After losing the point in doubles, the Wolfpack came back strong in singles. Olsen said they were doing really well on three out of the four courts. State players were up 5-2 at No. 1, 4-1 at No. 2 and 5-3 at No. 4. Olsen said that’s the way he wanted them to come out and compete in singles after losing in doubles.
“We were looking to improve on looking fresh today after yesterday’s match,” he said. “We were talking about toughness, attacking opportunities, moving and mixing up their serves. Keep going with it, putting competitive pressure on their opponents. Keeping it simple.”
The No. 3 singles match with freshman Catherine Grotz resulted in 6-2, 6-0 loss. Not long after Grotz’s loss, Georgia Tech earned another win when No. 80 Alison Silverio defeated Guerra 6-4, 6-1.
Petrovic and Green lasted the longest in their matches. Petrovic started out winning her first set 6-2 and then began to fall under her opponent during the second set, losing 6-3. After coming back in the third set 2-1, Petrovic ultimately lost 6-3 against No. 5 Kristi Miller.
“She is a tough player,” Petrovic said. “The first set I played really well, kept the ball deep, kept [the ball] safe in the court, and then I kind of got tired in the second set so my level dropped. She played really well in the second set, and I lost a lot of second serves. I came back in the third. It was really close, and she came out the better player today.”
Although Green won her first set 6-4, she lost her second set 6-3. Green came out with a win for the Wolfpack, taking the decisive third set 6-2.
“It was a good match,” Green said. “She didn’t risk much, so I knew I had a long match ahead of me. I had the momentum, and I was more consistent than her. I was tired but [I] had to just think of the end of the match.”
State hosted No. 8 Clemson Saturday, coming away with a 5-2 loss. Guerra and Petrovic defeated the No. 9-ranked doubles team 8-7. Both of State’s other doubles teams lost 8-4 to their respective Clemson opponents.
In singles play, freshman Berkeley Brock led the Pack with a 7-6 win against No. 70 Estefania Balda. Green also gained a win for the Pack with a score of 6-3, 7-5. Guerra and Petrovic fell to their No. 78- and No. 24-ranked opponents, respectively.
