ATHENS, GA — No. 8 seed NC State women’s tennis needed some things to go right for it to take down No. 1 Georgia. The caliber of the Bulldogs meant the Pack had a limited number of pathways to victory.
After Georgia (22-5) took the doubles point, the window shrank for the Wolfpack (28-5). Then, No. 66 freshman Lavinia Tanasie began to fall behind on Court 4 — a spot that had been automatic for the Pack. No. 26 sophomore Mia Slama had also been on an incredible run with massive upsets over the six-match win streak, but that ended tonight versus No. 19 Anastasiia Lopata. In the spots where the Pack had pulled ahead, Courts 2 and 3, those leads eroded and would be where the Pack eventually fell, 4-1.
The Elite Eight berth marked the Pack’s fourth in six years, and along with the ACC Championship win and doubles championship from junior Gabriella Broadfoot and freshman Victoria Osuigwe, the season had surpassed expectations.
But in Athens, the Pack simply ran into a buzz saw in front of thousands of fans cheering on their demise, in a technically neutral site match.
“For all of our girls, this is the first time at this stage,” head coach Simon Earnshaw said. “Maybe nerves a little bit. Some of our interactions were a little bit different today. You don’t really want to show weakness but as a result, it’s hard to be present … A lot of energy in the crowd. It’s a great atmosphere if you’re from the University of Georgia.”
No. 49 Zyryanova and No. 56 Broadfoot fell on Courts 2 and 3 respectively, after both had claimed their first set. On Court 2, No. 7 Aysegul Mert stormed back, and on Court 3, it was No. 64 Deniz Dilek to clinch for Georgia.
On Court 6, junior Jasmine Conway battled back after dropping the first set. But soon, she was on the verge of losing 1-6 in the third set as the others fell 2-6 and 1-6.
“I don’t know whether we had anything left,” Earnshaw said. “We played six players the whole year, and the six gave everything they could given everything they had to deal with.”
With redshirt freshman Michaela Laki still recovering from an ACL tear that occurred in 2025, NC State’s former No. 1 spot was not available. Per Earnshaw, Laki is now in the transfer portal.
With sophomore spring transfer Amelie Smejkalova not getting eligibility from the NCAA until mid-March, the Pack had no depth. When she did get in the lineup, she was clearly not in mid-season shape and not at her best.
But in many spots, players rose to the occasion, including in the quarterfinal.
Freshman Victoria Osuigwe won in straight sets versus No. 81 Sofia Rojas 6-3, 6-2, and was the only player to claim a point. That came after Osuigwe was the player to clinch the win over No. 9 Texas.
In the No. 1 spot, Slama claimed top wins versus No. 2 Reese Brantmeier, No. 3 Carmen Herea and No. 28 Annabelle Xu, and was maybe the biggest part of the Pack’s ACC Championship title.
“We had some girls that were almost growing in front of our eyes this year,” Earnshaw said. “Particularly Mia, I know she didn’t get it done today, but she has been on such a hot streak. Even starting back when she took out [No. 40] Ziva Falkner in straight-sets on the road. I felt like Mia’s goals were actually a little bit optimistic [before the season], but really, there’s no goals she didn’t hit.”
Zyryanova graduated this spring and her NCAA eligibility is up. A big loss for the Pack, as she has played a massive part of NC State’s seven-straight Sweet Sixteens. But for the most part, the Pack should retain much of its squad.
