No. 25 NC State men’s tennis suffered a season-ending loss in the first round of the 2023 NCAA Championships, falling to the Oklahoma Sooners 4-2 in Athens, Georgia. 

Two weeks removed from its crushing loss to Wake Forest in the ACC Championships, the Wolfpack failed to get enough traction in its first match of the national tournament. Despite starting in strong fashion with a convincing doubles round win, the Sooners dominated singles, winning the four matches it needed to earn a berth in the round of 32. 

The Wolfpack exploded out of the gates in the doubles, taking the early point thanks to wins on courts two and three. No. 11 senior Robin Catry and junior Luca Staeheli won 6-2 while redshirt sophomore Braden Shick and sophomore Fons Van Sambeek won 6-3, making quick work of Oklahoma.

However, that was the peak of the Wolfpack’s performance in Athens — NC State fought in singles, but was overpowered by the Sooners on nearly every court. 

Oklahoma first grabbed wins on courts four and two, overtaking the red-and-white on the scoreboard. No. 89 Catry, who has been red-hot in his recent matches, could not pull out a second-set tiebreak win, resulting in a 6-2, 7-6 (7-5) loss. Similarly, Shick fell in two sets on court four to put NC State on the back foot. 

Van Sambeek delivered the Pack’s response with his 6-3, 6-4 win on court five. Ultimately, though, it ended up being NC State’s only singles win of the day. 

Oklahoma took the next court to put it into clinch position via a 7-5, 6-4 win over sophomore Joseph Wayand on court six. Even with Staeheli taking his opponent to three sets on court one, the Sooners delivered the killshot on court three, downing sophomore Damien Salvestre in three sets to end NC State’s attempts at advancing to the next round and a match against the hosting Georgia Bulldogs. 

With the loss, NC State’s season comes to an abrupt end. However, with a roster that still has room to grow and reach its peak over the next couple seasons, the Wolfpack’s future remains bright.