The N.C. State women’s tennis team advanced to the second round of the ACC Championships on Thursday, beating Boston College by a score of 4-1.
“We know it’s a tough match [against Boston College],” senior Chloe Smith said. “But at the end of the day, we know we can [get the win].”
The Wolfpack, which handily won the team’s lone meeting during the season, came into the match with hopes of advancing to the second round of the ACC Championships for the third consecutive year. This is also the third straight year that State and Boston College have met each other in the first round of the ACC Championships. The Wolfpack was victorious in all three encounters.
State’s No. 1 doubles pairing of senior Tatiana Illova and junior Joelle Kissell put the Pack on the board first. With the match tied at 6-6, Kissell and Illova won the next two games to finish off the match at 8-6 for the Wolfpack.
State was not as fortunate at No. 2 doubles. The normally reliable duo of sophomores Elisha Hande and Nicole Martinez lost a hard fought match to their opponents by a score of 9-7. This evened the doubles scores at 1-1, with the No. 3 doubles match to decide which team would claim the potentially vital doubles point.
Both teams soon had an answer. The Wolfpack’s No. 3 doubles team of Smith and sophomore Sophie Nelson took a 6-5 lead and never looked back, closing out the match 8-6.
Smith and Nelson’s win clinched the doubles point for the Wolfpack, giving State a 1-0 advantage in the dual match. The Pack is 14-1 on the season when winning the doubles point.
State continued its dominance in singles play. Illova, ranked 80th in the nation, won her match at No. 2 by a score of 6-3, 6-4. The win, Illova’s seventh in-conference victory, gave the Wolfpack a 2-0 lead over Boston College.
Smith, playing in her final ACC Championships, was next to finish at No. 3 singles. The Naples, Fla. native also won her match by a score of 6-3, 6-4. “I think I’ve definitely picked it up this past week,” Smith said. “I’m putting it all out there every day and enjoying every time I’m on the court.” Smith’s victory gave State a 3-0 advantage, only needing one more win to cement a berth in the second round.
However, the decisive point would not come at No. 6 singles for the Pack. Martinez fell in straight sets 6-4, 6-4 to give the Golden Eagles their first point of the day.
This proved to be a mere consolation victory for Boston College. After dropping the first set 6-3, freshman Rachael James-Baker took the second set 6-4 and sprinted out to a 5-0 lead in the third set. James-Baker eventually closed out the set 6-3 to win her match and clinch the 4-1 victory for the Wolfpack. “Rachael has thick skin, she’s a tough competitor, and she always wants to know what to do to improve,” head coach Hans Olsen said. “She’s a great source of energy for this team.”
The 8th seeded Wolfpack (14-8, 5-7 ACC) will play the tournament’s No. 1 seed UNC-Chapel Hill (24-2, 10-1 ACC) on Friday at 9 a.m. at the Cary Tennis Park.
“We’re always improving the process, tactics and mentality that we take into each match,” Olsen said. “That’s normally what we look to do and that’s the approach we’re taking into each day of this tournament.”
