Editor’s note: Due to COVID-19 contact tracing within the Liberty program, on May 4 the Flames withdrew from the NCAA Championships. The Wolfpack will now take on Florida Gulf Coast in the first round.
Updated at 8:33 p.m. on Tuesday, April 4
The NC State men’s tennis team will be heading to Columbia, South Carolina, for the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament. The team will be taking part in a region that is hosted by the No. 13-seeded South Carolina, and also features Liberty and UNC-Wilmington. NC State will avoid a ranked opponent in the first round, as NC State is set to take on Liberty Friday, March 7.
Liberty heads into this matchup off a dominant season in the ASUN conference. The Flames went undefeated in conference play before rolling through the competition and winning the ASUN tournament. While Liberty has fared well in conference play, the same cannot be said for its nonconference record. In three matchups against ACC teams, Liberty is 0-3 while being outscored by its opponents 18-3. This poor record against the ACC shows that Liberty may not be up to the test when it faces NC State.
On the other side of the region, UNC-Wilmington will take on South Carolina. South Carolina will likely take this matchup, but both teams are worth scouting.
On the other hand, UNC-Wilmington looks a lot like Liberty. The Seahawks played well in conference and won their conference tournament. However, UNC-Wilmington has also struggled out of conference.
South Carolina, adversely, has been good all season. The Gamecocks also fared well in their one matchup against NC State. NC State was without its top player, fifth year Alexis Galarneau, but the Wolfpack was shut out against the Gamecocks when the two teams met earlier in the season.
Once through the first two rounds, NC State could face a wide range of teams. The most likely opponents in the Wolfpack’s quadrant of the bracket would be Texas and then Virginia. Both teams have big tournament hopes and would prove to be tough matchups for NC State. Texas has nine wins against top 25 teams and Virginia went 2-0 against the Wolfpack this season. In the two matchups, the Cavaliers have outscored the Wolfpack 9-2.
Next up for NC State is the announcement of the schedule for NCAA individual and doubles tournaments. The schedule should be released at noon on Thursday, May 6. The following day, NC State will be in Columbia, South Carolina for its first round matchup against Liberty.
