The NC State women’s tennis team will wrap up its regular season in April with four more ACC matches, with two on the road and two at home.
The No. 11 Wolfpack (13-3, 7-2 ACC) is currently on a six-match win streak, with its most recent win against No. 29 Miami to cap off March.
At No. 8 Duke, April 1
The Pack will open the month with a match against Duke. The Blue Devils are 11-4 overall and 6-3 in conference, with their most recent win coming against Notre Dame. Duke is also on a 54-match win streak at home, a streak the Pack will look to snap when it travels to Durham.
Duke has won all eight home matches this season and has won 7-0 in five matches, four of them in a row. NC State has only won a single series against Duke, in 2007.
Duke has three ranked players, including Meible Chi, No. 5 in the country for doubles. Her and Margaryta Bilokin are the highlight double team for the Blue Devils and will be the toughest challenge for the Pack to face. No. 17 Kelly Chen is Duke’s top-ranked singles player, and has only lost two doubles matches.
At No. 1 UNC-Chapel Hill, April 3
The Pack will travel to Chapel Hill for its final away match of the season to take on the Tar Heels. UNC is currently undefeated at 19-0 overall and at 9-0 in the ACC. The Tar Heels will easily be the hardest team NC State will face all year, as they are ranked No. 1 in the nation. The Tar Heels are on their own win streak, which was extended to 37-straight dual match wins during its most recent win against Notre Dame.
All six athletes that participated in singles matches against Notre Dame are ranked, with No. 21 Makenna Jones being the highest. The No. 39 duo of Reilly Tran and Alle Sanford had a huge win against Notre Dame’s No. 11 Ally Bojczuk and Julia Lilien, helping with the sweep against the Fighting Irish.
NC State has not won against Chapel Hill since 1999, but will still put up a big fight. The Wolfpack has plenty of its own ranked athletes and should create an interesting top-15 battle in Chapel Hill.
Vs. Virginia Tech, April 9
NC State will return to Raleigh for its penultimate match against the Hokies. Despite Virginia Tech being 0-9 in conference play, the Pack shouldn’t underestimate the Hokies. Tech won its final home match against William & Mary and will play both Miami and FSU before taking on the Pack.
Despite not having any ranked players or a winning record, Virginia Tech still won two matches against UNC’s athletes. The Hokies beat UNC’s duo of Sanford and Tran in doubles and beat No. 121 Elizabeth Scotty in singles. NC State has a respectable and ranked team but needs to take this match seriously as well for playoffs and qualifying rounds.
Vs. No. 15 Virginia, April 11
The Pack’s final regular-season match will be in Raleigh as well, with the visiting Cavaliers eager to close out their own season. Virginia is currently 12-2 overall and 8-1 in the ACC, with its lone conference loss coming against UNC. Virginia is currently on a seven-match win streak and just played its final home match against Duke, winning that match. Last year, the Pack lost to Virginia in a very close 4-3 outing.
Virginia beat Duke 4-2, winning five out of the six singles matches. Rosie Johanson beat No. 87 Margaryta Bilokin for a victory for Virginia, but No. 18 Natasha Subhash for Virginia lost to Chi from Duke, who is unranked in singles. Virginia lost two out of three doubles matches against Duke, so the tension will be in the singles competition for the Pack.
ACC Championships, April 21-25
After the regular season, the Pack will travel to Rome, Georgia to take part in the ACC Championships. How it performs there will determine if NC State makes regionals, and then the NCAA Super Regional. Individuals can qualify for the NCAA qualifier as well.
