In perhaps the best season to date for NC State women’s tennis, 2022 was a record-breaking and program-defining year for the Wolfpack. After an impressive and dominant season in almost every aspect of on-the-court play and off-the-court chemistry, NC State has now solidified itself as a top power in college tennis.
With a single-season high of 26 victories on the year, NC State finished the 2022 campaign with a program-best final ranking of No. 6. During the season, however, the Pack got as high as the No. 2 rank; the best ranking NC State has ever achieved. An extended stay in the top three nationally ranked teams for a majority of the season was earned by NC State’s impressive 19-1 record over the first two months of play and the Pack’s best conference start in program history.
With program-defining moments frequenting the regular season, the postseason saw even more record-breaking action for the Wolfpack. After earning the right to host in the Super Regional Round of 16 in the NCAA Championships, the Pack moved on to its second-straight quarter finals appearance after beating both Tennessee and California at home. Despite falling in the quarterfinal round to Duke, the Pack’s representatives in the singles and doubles national championships also made tremendous strides for themselves and the program.
To finish off the already stellar season, the No. 1-ranked pair of graduate student Jaeda Daniel and senior Nell Miller claimed the Doubles National Championship title in Champaign, Illinois, putting an exclamation point on the Wolfpack’s signature dominant doubles play. Daniel and Miller’s impressive run through opponent after opponent in the championships earned NC State tennis its first ever National Championship, concluding in the championship victory for the top-seeded pair.
NC State also saw success in the Singles Championships, namely from sophomore Abigail Rencheli, who tied for a program-best run in the tournament. To earn herself a quarterfinal berth, Rencheli pulled off the upset of the tournament, beating the reigning national champion and top-seeded Emma Navarro of Virginia in three sets. While Rencheli, Daniel and Miller all made strides for the program in the postseason, the success found in the 2022 season was truly a team effort.
During the season, it was NC State’s doubles play that almost always gave the Pack a quick 1-0 advantage in its matches. While No. 1-ranked duo of Daniel and Miller headed up the doubles lineup, the No. 24 pair of Rencheli and sophomore Amelia Rajecki followed close behind as freshman Priska Nugroho and sophomore Sophie Abrams rounded out the Pack’s impressive slate of doubles pairings.
While NC State’s doubles play was perhaps its biggest asset during the regular season, its singles lineup started to reach its full potential towards the end of the 2022 campaign. Daniel and Miller served as the one and two seeds respectively, while Nugroho had a standout freshman season in singles. The young star will no doubt continue to be a vital part of NC State’s lineup with her impressively consistent and calculating play style.
However, with Daniel finishing her collegiate career off with a National Championship, the Pack will have a big hole to fill next season. With young players such as Rencheli and Nugroho primed to lead the Pack in singles going forward though, the rest of the team will surely continue to grow and evolve in spite of Daniel’s absence.
With the Pack being a few late-season wins away from entering the postseason in the top three nationally ranked teams, there is always room for improvement in one of the best conferences in the nation for collegiate tennis. Opponents such as Duke, UNC Chapel Hill and Virginia gave NC State its fair share of challenges throughout the season, but the Pack will be as confident as ever to take these opponents head-on in the future with its growing lineup, deep postseason experience and talented coaching staff.
With a national championship under its belt and multiple promising players on a roster loaded with talent, the Wolfpack is primed to stick around and dominate in the top levels of college tennis after its historic 2022 season.
