CARY, N.C. — It has all come together at the right time for No. 13 NC State women’s tennis. After falling just short against numerous top opponents throughout the season, the Pack hit its stride and cleared the field on the way to its second ACC Championship in four years.
Using the same formula that it used to take down No. 6 UNC-Chapel Hill in the semifinals, NC State (22-7, 10-2 ACC) dominated No. 7 Virginia (21-5, 12-0 ACC) in a 4-0 sweep — overcoming a team that it had lost to just last week. The Pack took the upper hand after winning an intense doubles point and used that momentum to take control in the singles. Sophomore and tournament MVP No. 43 Mia Slama delivered the final blow to clinch the win.
In the 4-2 semifinal win versus UNC, the Pack faced much more pressure, saving seven match points before coming up clutch late. But against the Wahoos, there was never much doubt.
“I overheard the commentator being like, ’Virginia needs to win every single match from now on,’” Slama said. “And I was like, ‘we got it. We got it in the bag.’ I can see everyone’s fighting so hard, and I just knew everyone was gonna show up today and perform their best. That’s what we did.”
No. 43 Slama lost on Court 1 to Virginia’s No. 61 Vivian Yang in the regular season finale, losing two tie-breaks. In Cary, she flipped that result as she won a tremendous first set 7-6(4) to put the Pack fully in control. With NC State’s advantage increasing, Slama cruised to a 6-2 second-set win to claim the title.
Court 1 wasn’t the only flipped result for the Pack. Wahoo Martina Genis Salas had beaten freshman Victoria Osuigwe in a three setter in Charlottesville, but Osuigwe looked unstoppable in the ACC final, winning 6-3, 6-2.
“In many ways, I kind of expected [the performance],” head coach Simon Earnshaw said. “Now that sounds kind of crazy, especially given that we lost to Virginia last week. But quite frankly, after yesterday’s match, we were playing with house money. And we saved seven match points, including Mia saving four of them in one game.”
The other player to secure a singles point was senior Anna Zyryanova, who was around for NC State’s ACC Championship and run to the NCAA Final in 2023. No. 52 Zyryanova took down No. 29 Annabelle Xu 6-3, 6-2 to put the Pack up 3-0.
“It’s unreal,” Zyryanova said. “I had this full circle moment. I wasn’t playing in a lineup a lot in my freshman year, so I didn’t play during the ACC championship. And maybe I couldn’t understand what it felt like back in the day. But now, being here playing singles at No. 2, doubles at No. 2, It’s just amazing… It’s very symbolic that I’m here as a freshman and here as a senior now.”
When the hefty trophy was brought out for the team, Zyryanova, the Pack’s lone senior, was the first player to hoist it.
NC State lost the first set on Courts 3 and 4 as No. 53 junior Gabriella Broadfoot and No. 73 freshman Lavinia Tanasie got off to slower starts. But both won their second sets and helped NC State take all of the momentum into the end of the match.
The Pack took the doubles point as reigning NCAA champion duo No. 4 Broadfoot and Osuigwe took down No. 8 Yang and Melodie Collard 6-4. NC State had lost that matchup when the two played in Virginia April 14, but rode the energy of the crowd and the previous win to victory. Slama and Tanasie came through 6-4, beating Isabelle Lacy and Katie Rolls on doubles Court 3.
“This is our state, we knew that,” Slama said. “Having all the fans and everything was amazing too, and playing them once helped us know what we needed to do better and come back better for this time.”
Heading into NCAA tournament selection, the red-and-white is a lock as an NCAA Regional host. It will be on the cusp of hosting a Super Regional if its wins over No. 6 UNC and No. 7 Virginia push it into the top 8. First and second round matches are set for May 1-3, and the bracket will be announced Monday, April 27 at 5:30 p.m.
“I think we have a really good shot,” Slama said. “I believe in our team. We can go all the way … I’m just really excited, and I think we have a great opportunity. I’m ready to take it.”
