North Carolina State University Athletics
Men's Tennis Takes On Navy, Charlotte
3/2/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
RALEIGH, N.C. - No. 39 NC State men's tennis will pull double duty for the fourth and final time this season, hosting both Navy and Charlotte at the J.W. Isenhour Tennis Center on Saturday, March 3. The Pack will enter Saturday’s matches at 9-1 after blanking No. 52 Louisville last Sunday in Raleigh.
The Midshipmen, out of the Patriot League enter the weekend at 5-5, but will face UNC Greensboro on Friday en route to Raleigh. Last year the Pack shut out Navy in Raleigh. The all-time series between the two schools is knotted at 1-1.
Charlotte, out of the A-10 conference, stands at 9-4. A year ago the Pack collected a road win over the 49ers with a 6-1 decision. NC State leads the all-time series 18-1.
NO. 39 RANKING IN FILA/ITA POLL: NC State stands as the No. 39 team in the land according to the Fila / ITA Collegiate Tennis rankings released on Tuesday, Feb. 27.
CAVADAY STRONG AT NO. 1: The red and white is currently 10-0 at No. 1 singles with Nick Cavaday netting seven of those wins. Six of his seven victories were made in straight sets. Cavaday took down his second ranked opponent of the season, No. 8 Harel Srugo of No. 55 Old Dominion, after battling over two hours and emerging victorious in the third set tiebreak. Days later her downed No. 40 Slavko Radman of Louisville, 6-3, 6-2.
DOUBLES POINT IS THE KEY: Although the Pack has only surrendered points in five of its 10 matches, the doubles point has been a critical part of the team’s success. NC State has won doubles all 10 times so far this season. Nick Cavaday and Ben Zink lead all Pack combos with a 6-1 record at No. 1. The ITA players rankings released on Feb. 21 put Cavaday and Zink as the No. 33 doubles team in the nation, and put James McGee and Jay Weinacker at the No. 31 slot.
AGAINST RANKED TEAMS: NC State is 2-1 against ranked teams so far this season after shutting out No. 64 Penn and No. 52 Louisville. The Pack fell to No. 55 Old Dominion, 4-3. Last season the team went 6-17 against ranked competition.
NO PLACE LIKE HOME: Content with “Protecting the House,” NC State will host 18 opponents at home this season, including six conference foes. So far, the Pack is 9-1 at home this season, with all wins coming indoors. Last year the red and white posted a stellar 15-2 record at home, going 11-0 inside the J.W. Isenhour Tennis Complex, 4-2 outside at the Curtis & Jacqueline Dail Outdoor Tennis Stadium and defeating three of five ranked teams.
SOLID AT THE BOTTOM: NC State is cruising through play at the bottom-half of its lineup. Ten contests into the season, the Pack has dropped matches just five times in the bottom three spots of the order. Christian Welte and Frideric Prandecki have each won five matches in the bottom three slots combined.
OUT OF CONFERENCE: NC State is currently 9-1 against out of conference opponents this season. In all, the Pack will battle 14 teams outside of conference in 2007. The red and white went 17-2 against non-ACC foes last spring, downing four ranked opponents.
LET’S PLAY TWO ... OR THREE: Despite the long hours at the tennis facility, the Pack’s netters will play more than one home match on four occasions this season. NC State topped High Point, Garnder-Webb and the Citadel on Jan. 20, before taking down UNC Wilmington and Winthrop on Jan. 28. East Carolina and UNC Greensboro were both defeated in Raleigh on Feb. 13, while Navy and Charlotte will stop in on March 3. Last year NC State went 13-0 in multiple-event day bouts.
NOTHIN’S STOPPING NOBERS: With a 20-7 record last season, William Noblitt was named first-team All-ACC for Flight 3 singles. In his final campaign as a senior, Noblitt figures to stand as on of the toughest competitors in the ACC this year. So far, Noblitt is 5-2 in singles play.
WATCH OUT FOR WEINACKER: A season ago, Jay Weinacker set a new school record for singles wins in a season with 23 as a freshmen. This year, Weinacker will look to continue his success as a sophomore, moving up the lineup and playing even tougher competition. He stands at 4-1 in singles play thus far.
THE ACC IS NO. 1: In the latest Fila Collegiate Tennis Rankings revealed by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association on February 13th, all but one of the 12 Atlantic Coast Conference teams were ranked, with five landing in the top-25. Here’s a breakdown of where the conference schools place.
Virginia No. 3
Florida State No. 10
Duke No. 12
North Carolina No. 17
Wake Forest No. 18
Clemson No. 31
Miami No. 34
NC State No. 39
Georgia Tech No. 52
Maryland No. 53
Virginia Tech No. 60
STRAIGHT TO THE POINT: Of the Pack’s 52 singles wins this season, 42 (80.7%) have come in straight sets. Andre Iriarte currently leads the team with eight.
LOUISVILLE GETS NOTHING: NC State got revenge for a loss last season by shutting out No. 52 Lousiville on Sunday, Feb. 25. The red and white swept through singles and dropped only the No. 3 doubles bout.
