The No. 50 men’s tennis team will kick off the 2010 ACC Championship in Cary, N.C. today. State has earned the ninth seed and will play against eighth-seeded and rival Miami at 9 a.m. at the Cary Tennis Park. The Wolfpack finished the regular season with an overall record of 15-11. ACC competition has been a bit of a challenge for State as it posted a 3-8 ACC record.
According to senior Frideric Prandecki, this first round match is a must-win in order for the team to compete in the NCAA regional tournament in on May 14-16.
“We’re like a bubble team right now,” Prandecki said. “If we want to get in the NCAA, we need to beat Miami.”
The Pack met Miami earlier this season at Coral Gables, Fla. on April 4, losing 5-2. State secured the doubles point, gaining the early advantage, while State sophomore Jaime Pulgar beat then No. 110 Carl Sundberg 7-6, 6-2.
Yet the rivalry between the Pack and the Hurricanes goes much deeper than just this season. Miami defeated State in a close 4-3 match during the ACC tournament last year.
According to sophomore Akash Gujarati, the team is better prepared for the Hurricanes this time around.
“I feel a lot more fired up; I’m ready, and I’m sure the whole team is,” Gujarati said. “We have a point to prove, and we want to qualify for NCAAs.”
Coach Jon Choboy has mixed up the doubles lineup quite a bit this season, but lately it has consisted of Prandecki and Dominic Hodgson at No. 1, Puglar and Dave Thomson at No. 2 and Gujarati and Rob Lowe at No. 3. State has been able to capitalize on the doubles points with this lineup for the past three matches.
“Our doubles has been playing pretty well for the past five matches,” Choboy said. “That’s a good thing going into the tournament, it’s important.”
On the singles court, No. 67 Pulgar has dominated for the Pack with a 14-9 singles record at the No. 1 spot, 6-5 in the ACC. Pulgar has taken down some top-ranked opponents including No. 5 Guillermo Gomez of Georgia Tech 6-4, 6-4. That match made Pulgar ACC Player of the Week.
Hodgson has also posted consistent wins for the Pack in this first year of competition. Playing mostly at the number two singles spot, he’s earned a 15-9 overall record, 4-7 in the ACC.
According to Prandecki, the Pack has a good shot at defeating Miami, as long as the team brings its A-game.
“Its our match; if we win we win, if we lose we lose, so we dictate everything,” Prandecki said. “We’re working on attacking short balls and playing to win.”
If the Pack can defeat Miami in the first round, the team will advance to the quarterfinal match to take on No. 1 Virginia on Friday at 9 a.m. Tickets can be purchased at www.theacc.com.
“We’ll just go in there and give it everything we got,” Choboy said. “It’s nothing we haven’t already seen, so we’re not really worried about it.”
