On Friday afternoon, No. 9 NC State women’s tennis dismantled Boston College 6-1. Ordinarily, you wouldn’t give much thought to the win, but this match — along with the rest of the regular season — will be very significant for NC State for one reason.
Sophomore Amelie Smejkalova, who spent most of the season on the bench due to eligibility issues, is now on the court and trying to get up to speed with the rest of the Wolfpack (14-5, 6-1 ACC). The struggling Boston College (8-9, 0-7 ACC) squad was no match for NC State, falling in straight sets on all but Court 6, where Bella Camacho beat Smejkalova 6-4, 6-4.
Smejkalova transferred in from Clemson during the winter after the fall season, and recently made her first appearance in NC State’s win versus SMU, the 17th match of 26 regular-season contests.
“To get somebody eligible at two schools in the same year, that’s a difficult waiver process,” head coach Simon Earnshaw said. “But we felt we had a very justifiable case for it.”
Earnshaw did not wish to go into much detail on the case itself.
“We hired a lawyer,” Earnshaw said. “In 48 hours, she was eligible. Sometimes lawyers can access documents or force information that other people can’t. They’ll know legal ways to access what they need … and that showed that our waiver was justified.”
Getting Smejkalova eligible was just the first step. Now, the team has to get her back up to competition level as she hadn’t played a match since November.
“The problem is, a lot of damage was done with having a girl forced out for that long,” Earnshaw said. “I would liken it to the Raleigh Relays right now. You’re basically telling somebody you’ve got to jump in on the third lap and straight away run a full pace with the front of the pack. That’s a very hard thing to do. All of these players are very match-fit and match-tough at this point in the season. And she’s not. So it’s a little bit of a struggle, but we’ll keep putting her out there and at a certain point, I’m sure she’ll find a way back.”
Smejkalova has struggled, losing her first two matches of 2026 in straight sets, but her upside is undeniable. If she can get back to where she was at her peak, Smejkalova could boost the Pack into the top echelon of teams, as it is already on the precipice.
“Just look at her results from the end of last season through the fall. It’s easy to see,” Earnshaw said. “She was beating players that are playing mid to high in top 15 or even top 10 teams. I get it, the results don’t look like that right now, and that’s the damage that was done by having to be held out, which sucks. But also, mentally, what she’s been through, it takes a toll on you when you’re dealing with something that’s not right. When you’re a victim, it beats you down because you’re under a lot of stress. And obviously, she feels quite anxious when she’s out there.”
Apart from Smejkalova, the Wolfpack breezed to victory. On Court 1, No. 44 sophomore Mia Slama went 6-3, 6-0 over Olivia Benton. No. 48 junior Gabriella Broadfoot and freshman Victoria Osuigwe also only gave up three games, both winning 6-1, 6-2. On Court 3, No. 65 senior Anna Zyryanova delivered two donuts, winning 6-0, 6-0.
“6-0, 6-0 doesn’t happen as much as you think,” Earnshaw said. “It’s quite irregular on the tour, between five and 10 times a year and they play a lot of matches … It’s very difficult. But 6-0 or 6-1 or 6-2, it’s all the same.”
The Pack will look to dominate again and further Smejkalova’s progression as it faces Syracuse (6-8, 2-5 ACC) Sunday, March 29 at 11 a.m.
