A recent six-match win streak? Check. A roster chock-full of talent? Check. An undefeated start to ACC play? Check. Possibly the best loss in recent memory for NC State men’s tennis? Check.
Admittedly, head coach Kyle Spencer probably didn’t put that last one down on his weekly to-do list, but you get the idea.
After using its versatile lineup to finally find its footing and take No. 3 Texas to the brink, all while establishing a 4-0 start to conference play — the best start in the ACC in years — it’s safe to say the Wolfpack’s train has sped out of the station and doesn’t look to be slowing down anytime soon.
Six-match win streak
The red-and-white has certainly come a long way since its rocky 4-4 start to the season — a start in which the Pack failed to establish a consistent winning streak other than its opening day doubleheader sweep over UNC-Greensboro. But ever since mid-February, NC State has found its footing, trading in its inconsistent win-loss trend for a stable win streak.
After the Pack’s strong 5-2 win at Princeton on Feb. 12, everything seemed to fall into place for the Wolfpack. Since that victory, NC State carved out a six-match win streak, with most of those wins coming against high-quality ACC opponents such as Clemson, Georgia Tech and Miami. The Pack capped the streak off with its most impressive win of the season — a dominating sweep over No. 23 Florida State on March 12.
That upset victory over the Seminoles not only marked the Wolfpack’s best win of the season, but brought its ACC record to an undefeated and unprecedented 4-0 — the best start to conference play that NC State has achieved under Spencer.
After that win earned the Wolfpack the No. 20 spot in ITA’s rankings, there were only a few teams in the nation that could’ve stopped the red-hot Wolfpack. Unfortunately for NC State, the No. 3 Texas Longhorns were just one of those teams.
Taking Texas to the brink
Some would argue that there are no good losses in sports, but Spencer and his squad would beg to differ, especially after the Pack’s nail-biting 4-3 loss in Austin, Texas to the Longhorns.
NC State clearly entered the match with something to prove, and after its 4-0 loss to then-No. 4 Michigan on Feb. 10, the Pack was eager to test its mettle against another top-5 opponent. As a result, the team came out swinging, winning the early doubles point and two singles matches to gain a 3-1 advantage. The win was within reach, but in a match with razor-thin margins for error against an experienced squad Texas, nothing was ever guaranteed. Right as the Wolfpack threatened to clinch its best match win in recent memory, the Longhorns pulled off an impressive comeback, winning three straight singles matches to ultimately emerge with the 4-3 victory.
Despite the late-match collapse, NC State still played some of its best tennis of the season. Taking a team like Texas to the brink is no easy task, so to get so close to downing the Longhorns in Austin is a feat unto itself, one that the Wolfpack can hang its hat on as it looks to establish a new win streak. However, after losing its grip on its 3-1 lead, there’s still room to grow for NC State, but that shouldn’t be a problem for a team that has been doing nothing but improving since the beginning of the season, and especially since the start of its win streak.
Growing Lineup
NC State’s streak was engineered by its versatile lineup, one that has certainly come into its own as the season has progressed. In singles, the Wolfpack has players from courts one through six that can win on any given day, while in doubles, NC State has seemed to find some solid pairings that have been able to do some damage in the early rounds.
While the entirety of the Pack’s roster is playing in top form, redshirt sophomore Braden Shick has continually impressed and has carried over his upward trend from last season into this year. He has firmly settled into a consistent spot in the middle of the lineup, providing an always-solid option for the Wolfpack, especially when matches go into crunch time.
Meanwhile, sophomore Damien Salvestre has recently come into his own at just the right time for NC State. Salvestre has not been able to see consistent action in the lineup, but when he plays, he’s usually at one of the top courts, evidence of the sophomore’s sky-high potential and already-impressive ability. Another player at the top of the lineup, fifth-year senior Rafa Izquierdo Luque has also impressed, namely with his win over the No. 1 player in the country in NC State’s match against the Longhorns.
Meanwhile, Izquierdo Luque and sophomore Joseph Wayand have rounded out the Pack’s solid doubles lineup as well, contributing to a potent and versatile set of pairs that can take down any team in the nation, just like it did against Texas. There have been contributions across the board from NC State, but with players like Shick, Salvestre and Izquierdo Luque performing at a particularly high level for NC State, it seems like there’s no stopping the Pack as it resumes its ACC campaign.
