Multiple members of the NC State women’s tennis team competed at the ITA All-American Championships, where fifth year Nell Miller and junior Amelia Rajecki won the doubles championship title after stringing together dominant performances all week long.
The final day of competition saw the new and effective pairing of Miller and Rajecki beat Michigan’s representatives, Kari Miller and Jaedan Brown, in the doubles championship. The Wolfpack duo had to battle its way through multiple opponents to earn a spot in the final match but cruised past the Wolverine duo in a 6-1, 6-2 win to capture NC State’s first ever title at the event.
The Wolfpack boasts some of the best doubles play in the nation as of late, and Miller and Rajecki’s performance at the ITA All-Americans was no different. Miller, who was one-half of one of the most fearsome doubles pairings in the country last season, won another major title at the competition. The All-American title comes just months after she and now-alumna Jaeda Daniel won the NCAA National Championship in doubles as the No. 1 pair in the nation.
Rajecki, who was also ranked in doubles last season, combined with Miller to make a fearsome combo at the fall event. Before the title match, the two won the rest of their matches in three sets, winning via the tiebreak against squads from Virginia, Iowa State and Arizona State. After the three tense matches, the pair rolled through its final opposition to win it all.
With Rajecki and Miller highlighting the Pack’s performance at the competition, multiple other members of the squad competed in the week-long event. Juniors Abigail Rencheli and Sophie Abrams also competed in the doubles draw but suffered three-set losses to Vanderbilt and Auburn’s representatives.
NC State also saw success in singles, with No. 23 Rencheli winning one match in the main draw. However, it was Rajecki who not only carved out an impressive doubles performance, but she also displayed her singles prowess, winning three qualifying matches to earn a spot in the main singles draw. Once there, Rajecki won yet another match against a ranked opponent before falling 6-4, 6-4 to No. 42 Ayana Akli of USC.
Abrams, Miller and junior Gina Dittman also competed in singles, but it was Rajecki and Rencheli who stood out by winning matches in the main draw.
The Wolfpack will continue fall action at the ITA Carolinas Regional Oct. 13-17 where it will continue to attempt to earn berths at the ITA National Fall Championships.
Play at the ITA Carolinas Regional will run from Oct. 13-17 and will be held in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
