It was clear that the No. 10 NC State women’s tennis team seemed to have some pent-up aggression after its crushing loss to Vanderbilt on Sunday, Jan. 29, and today, the Pack took out its anger on No. 15 Oklahoma in a crushing 6-1 victory. 

Thanks to a dominating singles round and the highly-anticipated debut of freshman Diana Shnaider, the Wolfpack didn’t just beat the Sooners — it made a statement. 

NC State (3-1) started off slow, conceding the doubles point to an equally-talented Oklahoma (5-3) squad in terms of doubles play. The red-and-white quickly and ruthlessly separated itself in the next round, however, sweeping all six singles courts to capture its first ranked win of the season. 

It was no coincidence that the Pack found its groove right as Shnaider joined the lineup. After finally being granted eligibility from the NCAA, the three-time Grand Slam Champion and the No. 94 player in the world didn’t disappoint in her Wolfpack debut, even if the Pack’s historic signing was going through first-match jitters.

“It was exciting; I was pretty nervous because it was the first [match], and I was waiting for this for a pretty long time,” Shnaider said. “So yeah, of course I was excited, nervous, both.”

Naturally, Shnaider was first off the court in the singles round. After taking her first set 6-4, the freshman settled in, shook off the nerves, and pummeled her opponent 6-0 in the next one to even the match score at 1-1. 

“In the first set, I was getting used to all of the new stuff,” Shnaider said. “And then in the second set, I realized how to play better with this girl and I just got my way.” 

Shnaider showed just why NC State and head coach Simon Earnshaw were so excited about the highly-touted recruit playing in Raleigh for the 2023 season. Her relentless attacking skills and natural tennis instincts provide an instant and evident boost to NC State’s already-talented squad. 

“She brings a lot to the table,” Earnshaw said. “She’s got tremendous experience and she plays a kind of fearless tennis, and I think that type of tennis makes it easier.”

With Shnaider doing her thing on court one, she adds a depth to the Pack’s roster that it hasn’t had yet this season, and today it showed in singles. No. 13 graduate student Alana Smith earned an easy 6-1, 6-3 win over her opponent on court two thanks to her cool, silky-smooth style of play — her second singles win in a row of that nature. 

With a 2-1 advantage in hand, juniors and team veterans Amelia Rajecki and Abigail Rencheli gutted out three-set wins on courts three and four, respectively. No. 23 Rajecki quickly rebounded from her 6-1 first-set loss, taking the next two for her big 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 win. No. 25 Rencheli then won her match 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 to clinch the top-15 win for NC State. 

With courts falling like dominoes, all of which were in NC State’s favor, Oklahoma had no answer for the Pack’s singles prowess. If you blinked, you would have missed No. 97 junior Sophie Abrams’ 6-0 first set win. Even though she was met with more opposition in the second set, the junior followed through, winning the second set 6-3. 

Finally, junior Gina Dittman rubbed salt in the Sooners’ wound on court six, defeating her opponent 6-3, 6-4 to complete the Wolfpack’s singles sweep. 

Additionally, the Pack’s statement win over Oklahoma was Earnshaw’s 900th with the Wolfpack. Earnshaw’s importance to the program has been nothing short of paramount, and he has undoubtedly played one of the biggest roles in NC State’s program-defining success streak over the last few years. But even with the mind-bending accomplishment under his belt, Earnshaw and the Pack have their sights set on their next test– the No. 22 Tennessee Volunteers. 

NC State clashed with the Vols in the second round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament, and the Pack will aim to send Tennessee back home with the same result: a loss. 

“These guys are going to be tough,” Earnshaw said. “We saw them in the second round [last season] and they gave us everything we could handle in that match. The mark of a good team is that you can start to put things together, and hopefully we can put together reasonable performances.” 

Thanks to Shnaider’s debut and a dominating singles display, NC State put together a more-than-reasonable display against the Sooners, one it would no doubt like to replicate against the Volunteers and beyond. 

First serve against Tennessee is set for Feb. 5 at 1 p.m. at the J.W Isenhour Tennis Center in Raleigh.