Emily Peedin
Junior Robin Catry prepares to make a backhand swing in his singles match against Presbyterian College player Javier Matos on Saturday, Feb. 12, 2022 inside the J.W. Isenhour Tennis Center. Catry won both of his singles matches with scores of 6-0 and 6-3. The Wolfpack pulled a win over the Blue Hose with a score of 7-0.
The No. 22 NC State men’s tennis team had a near perfect day as it swept Presbyterian College and North Carolina Central, both by a score of 7-0. With its impressive performance in both matches, the Pack added two more wins, improving the squad’s record to 6-2 on the season.
“It’s a credit to our guys’ focus level and their competitive level.” said head coach Kyle Spencer. “I think it’s something to hang our hats on, to be able to go out and get two wins by a 7-0 count. I think that’s awesome.”
Presbyterian
The Wolfpack earned one of its easier victories of the year as it blanked Presbyterian College. It was a strong performance overall, especially in singles where the Pack had a dominant showing.
NC State started the day off strong, quickly taking the doubles point. The No. 29 duo of senior Yannai Barkai and graduate student Collin Shick won first, 6-3, while junior Robin Catry and sophomore Luca Staeheli had to fight for the second doubles win, but pulled through 7-5 to put the Pack up 1-0.
The Wolfpack was able to breeze through the singles round, quickly taking all six courts. First to finish was freshman Damien Salvestre, followed by Staeheli and No. 31 Catry. Salvestre and Catry each surrendered only three total games in their respective matches while Staeheli upped the ante by giving up just two in his.
After clinching the win, senior Rafa Izquierdo Luque and freshman Fons Van Sambeek both seized victory on their respective courts to help complete the sweep as sophomore Braden Shick won in comeback fashion in a tense third set tiebreak 3-6, 6-2, 1-0 (10-8). Van Sambeek was flawless in his match, not losing a single game while Izquierdo Luque won on court one, winning 7-5, 6-2.
NC Central
The Pack continued its strong form against NC Central, bringing out the brooms for a second time.
The first court needed for the doubles won quickly thanks to the Shick brothers dismantling their opponents 6-1. The other doubles matches against the Eagles were not easily won, but redshirt senior Joseph Schrader and Salvestre were able to pull away and win with a score of 7-5.
The singles round against NC Central was, for the most part, easily taken by the Pack. Salvestre won 6-4, 6-3 in his second singles match of the day, making him a perfect 3-0 in all singles and doubles matches he played.
“Yeah, I love playing tennis,” Salvestre said. “It’s not a problem for me and mentally not a problem as well because I love being in this atmosphere, being with my teammates.”
Freshman Joseph Wayand won the first singles appearance of his college career with a perfect score of 6-0, 6-0 to boot.
Van Sambeek also took his second singles victory of the day 6-0, 6-3 along with Braden Shick who won in less dramatic fashion than his first match with a score of 6-1, 6-1. Barkai won his match in three sets, while Schrader comfortably took victory on court five.
The Wolfpack looks to carry this momentum with it into a tough matchup against rivals No. 23 UNC on Thursday, Feb. 17.
“Yeah it’s always a tough match you know, they’re a good team in our conference,” Spencer said. “And so we’ll be ready. We’ll be excited and we know it’ll be a battle.”
First serve is at 4 p.m. as the Wolfpack continue its 2022 season, taking on the Heels in Chapel Hill.