For the first time since the 2013-14 seasons, the 20th-ranked NC State men’s tennis team is headed to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year, this time heading to Knoxville, Tennessee to take on Middle Tennessee State this weekend.
The Pack earned its NCAA berth by amassing 18 wins and going 8-4 in the ACC. Those eight ACC wins mark not only the most in program history but also stands as the highest conference winning percentage since 1980, when NC State went 6-0 in ACC play.
NC State certainly had a season to remember: The team recorded seven ranked wins and advanced to the ACC Championship semifinals for the first time in NC State men’s tennis history. Among the marquee wins were No. 12 Georgia, No. 24 Notre Dame and No. 25 Miami.
The Pack will look to advance to the second round for the first time since 2014. The Wolfpack is 2-2 all-time against the Blue Raiders, with an NC State victory coming in the last matchup between the two schools back in 2015.
The Blue Raiders also had a banner season, winning the C-USA Tournament Championship against top-seeded Florida Atlantic University while recording an 18-11 record. It’s the program’s 12th NCAA Tourney appearance all-time and its first since 2012.
Junior Alexis Galarneau and freshman Yannai Barkai will both be key for the Wolfpack. Barkai has gone 14-9 this season while Galarneau owns an impressive 15-8 record, including a 7-7 mark against nationally-ranked opponents.
The first round of matches is set for Friday at the Goodfriend Tennis Center at 11 a.m. Should the Pack emerge victoriously, it is set to face the winner of the other two schools in the Knoxville regional, Radford and Tennessee. That potential second-round matchup is slated for 2 p.m. Saturday.
