Women's Tennis Schedule Update: New Season Opener Scheduled vs. East Carolina

NC State (0-0) vs. East Carolina (0-0)
Monday, Jan. 25 – 4 p.m.
J.W. Isenhour Tennis Center – Raleigh, N.C.
Live Stats | Live Video | Twitter

RALEIGH – The NC State women's tennis team has updated its 2016 schedule including a rescheduled season opener. The Wolfpack is set to open the season Monday, Jan. 25 at 4 p.m. at the J.W. Isenhour Tennis Center against East Carolina.

The original doubleheader season opener scheduled for January 23 against Winthrop and North Carolina A&T was cancelled due to weather conditions. Tentatively, the team will replace the original East Carolina match with a make-up match vs. Winthrop Saturday, Apr. 9 at 4 p.m in Raleigh, N.C.

FALL HIGHLIGHTS:
Five members joined the Wolfpack squad before the start of the 2015 fall season. Four freshmen - Barbara Mancera, Bianca Moldovan, Amanda Rebol and Claudia Wiktorin - all made their first collegiate appearances as part of the Pack in early September along with one junior transfer from Mississippi State, Martina Frantova.

The roster of eight also features three returners: seniors Joanna Nalborska and Taylor Zaytoun and sophomore Tayla Stenta.

During the fall the team achieved a double-digit increase to its total number of singles wins compared to the previous three seasons. With 14 additional wins the Pack increased its winning record by nearly 50 percent, collecting just two less singles wins in the 2015 fall season than the total number of singles wins from the 2013 and 2014 fall seasons combined.

The Wolfpack finished 6-4 against nationally-ranked opponents, the first winning record in that category in nearly half a decade. Frantova defeated five of those opponents, including a 6-3, 6-4 win over then No. 5 Josie Kuhlman of Florida in the semifinal round of the USTA Clay Court Invitational.

Frantova and Stenta were each crowned USTA Clay Court singles champions (for their respective brackets) in the final tournament of the fall season in Orlando, Fla. Frantova and Stenta each defeated five top-seeded opponents to earn championship titles.

PACK IN THE POLLS:
Three NC State women appeared in the most recent ITA rankings. Frantova was listed at No. 35 in the national singles rankings and No. 6 in the Carolina Region after compiling a 16-3 overall singles record in the fall season. Nalborska and Rebol were also listed among the regional rankings at No. 6 and No. 18, respectively.

SCOUT REPORT:
Both NC State and East Carolina will begin their seasons Monday. The two programs crossed paths twice during the fall season, once at the Wake Forest Invitational in Winston-Salem, N.C. as well as in the ITA Carolina's Regional in Chapel-Hill N.C. One singles match was played between the Pack and the Pirates at each tournament, both resulting in Wolfpack wins. Rebol defeated Maria Storozheva 6-2, 7-5 in Winston-Salem and earned a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Nicole Laduca at the Carolina's Regional.

SIMON SAYS:
"The first matches of the new season are a mixture of excitement and nerves, finally getting underway with what we have been working hard for over the past several months. We have put in a lot of work since school started and I'm starting to sense there's an edge that comes with being ready to play. I think the main thing is that we understand what it takes to perform and expect to do that each time we take to the courts for a match.

"We can't take anything for granted and realize that nothing worthwhile comes easily. Obviously, the weather impacted our schedule but that part we can't control. What we can control is what we do every day to be ready and more than anything, the goal is to continue to do that throughout the season. If we can stick with the plan I'm confident everything is going in the right direction." –Simon Earnshaw, head coach

Live stats and video (courts 1-4) will be available during Monday's matches.

Stay up to date with the latest on NC State women's tennis:
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Women's Tennis Schedule Update: New Season Opener Scheduled vs. East Carolina

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