CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — No matter the weather, no matter the delays and no matter the venue, the writing was on the wall for UNC-Chapel Hill from the very beginning.
No. 23 NC State men’s tennis battled the elements, multiple rain delays and an experienced Tar Heel squad on its way to a decisive 4-1 upset victory over its 13th-ranked rivals — in Chapel Hill, no less.
Coming off a close 4-3 loss to Louisville, the Wolfpack bounced back in a big way against North Carolina. Not only did NC State capture the early doubles point in thrilling fashion but won three singles matches to clinch its best win of the 2023 season. And just like any other NC State and UNC matchup, there was no drama spared.
“Every spot tonight was a battle,” said head coach Kyle Spencer. “…I’m sure, just like every sport, that this match is kind of circled on the calendar to a certain degree, but I’m just really happy for the guys and the coaches… If you wanted drama, just pick a court and you had it.”
Even before the Tar Heels could make their debut on their newly-renovated courts at the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center in Chapel Hill, the day’s first rain delay went into effect. But eventually, with the rain clouds still ominously looming overhead, the rival squads got to work in a dramatic doubles round.
The first two doubles courts were split between the sides. The 40th-ranked pair of fifth-year senior Rafa Izquierdo Luque and sophomore Joseph Wayand won 6-3, but redshirt sophomore Braden Shick and sophomore Fons Van Sambeek fell on court three, putting pressure on the Pack’s pair on court one.
Senior Robin Catry and junior Luca Staeheli found themselves in a dangerous spot with the fate of the point in their hands. Despite being down 4-2, the experienced duo didn’t back down, eventually breaking their opponents on the serve and winning their rollercoaster of a match 7-5.
“[The doubles match] was crazy,” Staeheli said. “All the emotions, going through it with Robin is super nice. I think there was a little luck involved as well at that service game where we broke back, and then we were super tough in the end.”
But once Staeheli and Catry secured the 1-0 lead, NC State smelled blood in the water. The Wolfpack was just getting started.
The red-and-white started off the singles round in strong form, getting out to early leads on a majority of the six courts. However, it was then that the skies opened up once more, and the two teams were forced to endure their second delay of the day.
In spite of the change of scenery, though, NC State didn’t change its level of play, and after a while started to turn its match leads into match wins. But before any Wolfpack wins, UNC got its only victory of the day over Izquierdo Luque, who fell in three sets on court two.
From there, NC State notched two rapid-fire singles wins. First, Catry completed his energetic, 6-4, 6-3 win on court four, and Van Sambeek followed him with a 6-4, 6-4 win to put the Pack in clinch position at 3-1.
With one more win needed to clinch, the three remaining courts all simultaneously transitioned to their third sets, and it was then that the 73rd-ranked Staeheli showed everyone that he wasn’t done with the heroics just yet.
Staeheli was pitted against the 47th-ranked Bryan Cernoch on court one, and the Tar Heel veteran edged out him in the first set via tiebreak. However, as the match went on, the Wolfpack-faithful in attendance grew louder, and the junior gained more and more momentum.
By the time Staeheli hit his third set, it was all but over. He was in his element, and on the other side of the court, Cernoch was clearly affected by the raucous NC State crowd, which at that point dominated the venue. As Staeheli pushed ever-closer to the win, he fed off the energy in the building created by the crowd and his teammates, and eventually clinched the match 4-1 with his 6-7 (6-8), 6-4, 6-1 win.
“That college environment is still an environment where you can have [group celebration] and win with a team, celebrate with a team, and [today’s match] felt like home,” Staeheli said. “I think the crowd was super loud and that was great.”
Staeheli’s win on court one put an exclamation point on the Wolfpack’s statement victory, a victory that wasn’t just over a ranked team, but against one of NC State’s fiercest rivals.
“[The feeling] is great,” Staeheli said. “It’s even sweeter when it comes against a rival. It shows once more that we’re a pretty good team, a super good team.”
NC State’s rivalry weekend is only halfway done, however. The Pack is set to face its other blue rival, Duke, on Sunday, April 2 at 1 p.m.
