The N.C . State Wolfpack women’s tennis team claimed a massive victory in Raleigh against ACC opponent Wake Forest by a score of 4-3.
The match was the first ever played on the brand new courts at the Dail Outdoor Tennis Stadium, and also marked the No. 49 Wolfpack’s (4-6) first win in six matches.
The match kicked off as both teams sent out their three doubles pairs. No. 67 Wake Forest (3-2) took an early lead when they beat State’s No. 1 doubles team 8-1. The Pack quickly responded, as junior Tatiana Illova and freshman Nicole Martinez won the No. 2 doubles match for the Wolfpack , 8-2, evening the overall score of the doubles matches. But it was the Demon Deacons who claimed the doubles point, as they won the decisive third doubles match, 8-5, which pushed the doubles score to 2-1 in favor of Wake.
Having lost the doubles point, the Wolfpack needed to win four out of the six singles matches in order to claim victory. Things didn’t get off to a great start as Wake quickly won No. 3 singles, making the match score 2-0. But then the Pack roared back into life, as sophomore Christy Sipes claimed the first singles victory for N.C . State with a dominant 6-3, 6-1 score.
Sophomore Joelle Kissell was the next to answer the bell for the Wolfpack , winning her match against Wake Forest senior Kayla Duncan 6-4, 6-3. Affectionately dubbed “Jo Jo” by her teammates, Kissell (ranked No. 52 in the nation) beat her second ranked opponent of the year, Duncan (No. 81), on Sunday.
The remaining singles matches all went to three sets. Senior Ashley Miller lost the first set, but battled back to win her match 1-6, 6-4, 6-4.
“In the first set, I was just missing a lot,” Miller said. “I wasn’t too worried, because I knew that once I did start making my shots, everything would start working. I was more disciplined with my shots [in the second set]. I wasn’t going for too many, and I think I relaxed more and that helped a lot.”
With two matches remaining, Illova , who also lost the first set of her match, battled back and won the second set but was unable to claim victory, losing 6-4, 1-6, 6-3.
With the match score level at 3-3, it came down to junior Chloe Smith’s match against her opponent, Demon Deacon freshman Karen Forman. After easily winning the first set, Smith lost the second set 6-4. The whole match came down to one final set between Smith and Forman. Smith pulled ahead early, claiming a 5-3 lead, before dropping the next two games to even the score at 5-5. Smith then closed out her match by winning the third set 7-5. This victory also meant the Wolfpack beat Wake Forest by an overall score of 4-3.
“I knew that the score was close between everyone else,” Smith said. “I could feel it with the fans, and I just knew I had to focus on each point to get through the match.”
Women’s tennis coach Hans Olsen said Smith made the kind of performance she’d be unlikely to ever forget.
“To get the win for Chloe at the end there was just awesome,” Olsen said. “It’s a tennis players dream, being in this kind of situation and you couldn’t have scripted it any better. I’m sure she’ll remember that for the rest of her life.”
The win for the Pack snapped a five-game losing skid, in which long and hard-fought matches and tough, close losses were easy to come by.
“Our team is improving, so that’s what we take from this,” Olsen said. “I think we’re getting mentally stronger, we’re getting a little thicker-skinned and we’re getting good experience. They just keep playing hard and so it’s great for them to get a reward for the way they’ve been fighting hard.”
The Wolfpack will keep practicing until their away match against Arizona March 7, before they get a short break and return to action against William & Mary March 15 at 4 p.m . in Raleigh.
