The No. 20 NC State men’s tennis team had a rocky weekend starting on March 26, with an upset loss to Georgia Tech before winning against Clemson on March 28. However, the Pack has done decently in ACC play this year with the help of strong doubles squads and should not let the upset against Georgia Tech deter it as it moves into the last three matches of the season.
Strong ACC play, weak against ranked teams
NC State currently has a 7-2 record in ACC play, falling only to No. 6 Virginia and No. 35 Georgia Tech. Virginia is the highest ranked team the Pack has competed against within the conference, and the rest of its conference schedule will pose some major challenges for the team.
Out of the Wolfpack’s six losses this season, five of them have been to teams that are ranked in the top-15, with the outlier being NC State’s most recent upset loss to Georgia Tech. Seeing as the rest of the season brings two more top-15 teams in competition with the Pack, the final part of this year will be a struggle for this team.
Solid doubles squads setting tones at match starts
The NC State doubles squads have had a strong performance this year, securing the doubles point in nine out of 16 matches. Before losing to Georgia Tech, three squads had a winning streak of three or more. Those three squads also fell to Clemson. Junior Yannai Barkai and senior Tadas Babelis are ranked No. 17 as a squad, the highest on the team, going 5-4 after the Clemson match. Also ranked are two other squads: No. 30 fifth-year Alexis Galarneau and senior Robert Turzak, who have gone 7-6, and No. 25 Babelis and sophomore Robin Catry, who have gone 4-5 this year.
Senior Collin Shick and Catry have started in the last two matches for the Pack, losing both to Clemson and Georgia Tech to bring their record to 4-2.
Difficult season-ending matchups
NC State only has three matches left before the postseason begins with the ACC Championships, all three against ranked opponents that pose significant threats to the Wolfpack. On April 9, the Pack will take on No. 36 Duke. After the upset loss to No. 35 Georgia Tech, it is likely NC State is susceptible to another upset from a lower-ranked team.
In its penultimate match of the season, NC State will compete against No. 1 UNC, which obviously will be one of the most difficult matches for the Pack this season. UNC has gone 13-1, 5-1 ACC and will bring the heat to this match, as the Tar Heels have been doing all year.
NC State’s final opponent is No. 12 Wake Forest. Most of the Pack’s losses have come from top-15 teams this season, so it will have to push hard if NC State wants to secure one last win in the regular season.
