Emily Peedin
Junior Martins Rocens smiles and fist-bumps freshman Fons Van Sambeek in their doubles match against Boston College on Sunday, Feb. 27, 2022 at J.W. Isenhour Tennis Center. Rocens and Van Sambeek won their match 6-1. The Wolfpack won the overall match against the Eagles 7-0.
The No. 16 ranked NC State Men’s tennis squad has been red hot over the last few weeks, Now on a seven-game winning streak, the Pack has the opportunity to carry this momentum all the way to the postseason.
To do so, however, the squad will have to keep steadily increasing its ranking through consistently winning and beating other ranked teams. With its talented roster, full of experienced and new players, this postseason success is within reach from what we’ve seen so far, but the Pack has to battle through a slate of ranked conference opponents in order to have a shot.
Rising through the ranks
The best way to climb collegiate tennis rankings is by putting up consistent performances and by beating other ranked teams. While the Wolfpack has not been able to beat every ranked team its faced this season, it has been able to consistently win in the past few weeks. In turn, the Pack’s ranking has steadily risen over the course of the season.
After starting the season unranked, the Pack has been able to steadily climb the ITA Collegiate Tennis Rankings. After advancing to No. 24, NC State advanced to No. 22 then to No. 16 where the squad is placed currently.
This recent rise is due to a seven game win streak in which the Pack has gone 42-4 in overall game score, three of those losses coming from its 4-3 victory against No. 23-ranked rivals North Carolina. Five of the wins in this hot streak have been flawless, including the Pack’s sweep of No. 25-ranked UCF. The Pack has also won every doubles round during this streak.
While the team is hot now, its two losses have come in back to back matches against ranked teams. The Pack’s first loss was to No. 18 Ole Miss, who ended its ITA Indoor Tournament hopes, followed by an extremely close match, barely falling against No. 7 Georgia. While these two losses have not been detrimental, it is important to take ranked wins in order to increase your own rank and the Pack have done just that with its wins against UCF and North Carolina.
Emerging and reliable roster core
The seven game win streak has resulted in the individual players on the team finally settling into their roles moving forward. Each and every match builds experience, especially for the younger players at the core of the teams roster and starting lineup.
Team veterans such as juniors Robin Catry and Martins Rocens are a crucial part of both the singles and doubles lineups for the Pack. Meanwhile, sophomore Luca Staeheli has also shown to be a critical piece of the team, regularly playing singles and doubles as he already boasts seven singles wins on the season. Sophomore Braden Shick has also stepped up in singles, totaling eight singles wins on the season.
New faces for the squad have also been able to step up, some in crucial situations, and have already been shown to be able to win clutch points when they count. Freshman Damien Salvestre has shown an impressive level of play especially in singles.
In the Pack’s match against UNC, Salvestre won the match for the Pack after his heroic 0-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory in Chapel Hill. Freshman Fons Van Sambeek has also been a standout freshman for the Pack as he has stepped up in both singles and doubles so far this season. These two freshmen present even more reliable players with limitless potential going forward.
Singles play has not been the only highlight for the Pack as the team has also dominated in doubles play. Pairings of doubles specialists, including senior Yannai Barkai and Collin Shick have led the Pack’s charge. Catry is also a regular doubles player along with the pairing of Rocens and Van Sambeek.
Going forward
In order to keep the streak alive and continue to build momentum, the Pack will have to go through more ranked and ACC opponents. These matches will truly allow the Pack to test its mettle against some of the best teams in one of the best conferences for men’s tennis in the nation.
As NC State recently swept Boston College, the team also picked up its first ACC win of the season and will need to continue its current level of play in order to win against the rest of its conference opponents, five of which are in the next month alone.
Starting with the March 4 match against No. 24 Florida State, the Pack plays Miami, No. 8 Wake Forest and No. 17 Virginia in the games following in the month of March. This daunting slate of games represent chances for the Wolfpack to prove themselves as well as determining where the Pack sits in terms of postseason play.
After more ACC opponents, NC State finishes the regular season against cross town rivals Duke and UNC. As it takes on the Tar Heels for the second time, the Pack finishes off its season and its ACC schedule and the results of these games will ultimately determine its position for its ACC and NCAA postseason.
However, if the Wolfpack can continue its current pace, climb the rankings, keep its lineup hot and beat ranked teams, postseason success is ripe for the taking for the NC State men’s tennis team.