CARY, N.C. — No. 13 NC State women’s tennis has struggled in close matches throughout the latter half of the season. But the No. 3 seeded Wolfpack avoided any doubt in the ACC Women’s Tennis Championship quarterfinal as it trounced No. 6 seed Cal, 4-0.
Dominating the doubles point and taking Courts 4-6, NC State (20-7, 10-2 ACC) cruised to victory over Cal (12-7, 8-4 ACC) by following the same formula it had in their regular season matchup on Feb. 27. By the end of it, freshman Victoria Osuigwe clinched the win for the Pack with a forehand winner down the line, earning a bid in the next round. But even if she hadn’t gotten the job done, someone else would have as the whole lineup looked superb and only dropped one set.
After playing at Cary Tennis Park in two nonconference matches against No. 6 UNC and No. 18 Duke, where it fell in both matches 3-4, the Pack seemed well adjusted to the conditions for the ACC Tournament — slicker courts, electronic line calling and slightly dim stadium lighting for the 7:30 p.m. match time.
“We’ve been struggling in close matches since the beginning of the season,” head coach Simon Earnshaw said. “… I felt like we were more comfortable on these courts today, certainly more than we were last week against Duke. They are quite slick, these courts. But it should help us, and, you know, another match, another day.”
The doubles point was not necessarily a breeze for the Pack, but it certainly was on Court 3 for sophomore Mia Slama and freshman Lavinia Tanasie as they dominated 6-1. Soon enough, No. 4 Osuigwe and junior Gabriella Broadfoot closed the deal with a 6-3 victory.
“We have two very good players on [Court 3], individually,” Earnshaw said. “So they got it quickly, and I think that helped because we were three all on the other two. And it was nip and tuck, I mean, they got a very good team at Court 1, so do we. But it’s just so fine, the margins, that I think it helped us.”
As a duo, Broadfoot and Osuigwe moved to 21-4 in dual season, as they look to build on their success from the fall NCAA Championships where they won the doubles title. Their individual skills combined with their chemistry make for a ruthless combination.
“We knew each other from before even college, we went to the same academy, IMG,” Osuigwe said. “… We played with each other, been in the same group. So just like understanding each other, knowing and trusting each other, that what we’re gonna do is gonna work.”
After the Pack secured the doubles point, No. 73 Tanasie picked up the first singles point 6-1, 6-4. Soon, junior Jasmine Conway followed suit with a resounding 6-3, 6-2 win on Court 6, before Osuigwe slammed the door shut five minutes later.
With the win, NC State advanced to the semifinals to take on No. 2 seed North Carolina. Carolina had some trouble with No. 10 seed Notre Dame on the other side of Cary Tennis Park, dropping the doubles point, but stormed back for the victory.
“That’s going to be a very big match tomorrow,” Osuigwe said. “We’re gonna need everyone to be very loud, supportive and just fight really, really hard tomorrow.”
