North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack Looks to Avenge Regular Season Loss at ACC Championship
4/16/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
April 16, 2003
On Thursday, NC State men's tennis will square off against the University of North Carolina in the first round of the ACC tournament. A victory for the Wolfpack would mean avenging last weeks 7-0 loss to the Tar Heels, knocking off the tournament's defending champion and will serve as a building block for a young team. The Wolfpack, 5-16 (1-7), enter the match as the eighth seed and the Tar Heels,10-10 (3-5), as the seventh seed. The match begins at 10am at the Millbrook Tennis Exchange in Raleigh.
Since the ACC tournament switched to a dual match format in 1986, NC State has failed to get out of the quarterfinals. However the Wolfpack has been victorious in the first-round on eight occasions. This is the fifth meeting for NC State and the University of North Carolina in the tournament.
The 2003 season has been a rebuilding year for the Wolfpack with a new coaching staff and four freshman playing in the top six. NC State has been led by freshman Val Banada who was the team leader in victories with 10. Banada dominated the three-seed, posting a 7-0 mark. He was followed by sophomore R.J. Murray and freshman Will Shaw who both finished with five singles wins. At the number one position, Murray has been tested weekly battling opponents ranked in the Top 25 on five occasions and four others in the Top 100.
A bright spot for the Wolfpack has been its play at "home" this season. Due to construction of the new 30,000 square foot J.W. Isenhour Tennis Center, NC State played all but one of its home matches at the Cary Tennis Center, posting a 4-4 record.
The first round match comes during the 25th anniversary of NC State and North Carolina's co-ACC championship in 1978. For the Wolfpack it was their first title since competition began in 1954. The following season NC State repeated with an outright championship.
The ACC championship runs from April 17-20 with the Duke Blue Devils earning the one seed. The winner of the Wolfpack-Tar Heel match will play two-seed Clemson on Friday.
