The No. 9 ranked NC State men’s tennis team will finish off its nonconference schedule with a doubleheader on Saturday, Feb. 29 at Cary Tennis Park. It will take on the No. 4 Texas Longhorns and the North Carolina A&T Aggies. 

The Wolfpack (8-3) has hit a bit of a cold streak after starting the season 8-0, when the team went 0-3 at the ITA Indoor Championship. This weekend comes at a pivotal time for the Pack to gain some momentum heading conference play.

NC State will take on the Longhorns (9-2) for the first match of the afternoon. Texas has gotten off to a slightly better start than the Wolfpack and went 2-1 at the ITA Championship. Texas also has the advantage over the Pack in recent history. 

The Wolfpack lost to the Longhorns in each of the previous two seasons. With recent history against NC State, a win against the Longhorns would be a huge boost. 

After the Texas match, NC State will turn its attention to the Aggies (1-6). NC State has fared far better against the Aggies than it has against the Longhorns. The Wolfpack has won all three of its matches against the Aggies. 

In fact, NC State has swept all three matches against NC A&T by a score of 7-0. The Pack has also been far more competitive in games this season compared to the Aggies. While NC A&T is coming off a win, prior to that match the team had dropped its first six matches of the season.

Following the doubleheader, the Wolfpack will begin conference play Wednesday, March 4, against UNC-Chapel Hill back at the J.W. Isenhour Tennis Center. With the Tar Heels ranked at No. 2 in the country and coming off a second-place finish at the ITA Championship, the Pack will want to be at it’s best against one of its biggest rivals.