North Carolina State University Athletics
No. 40 Pack Narrowly Falls in ITA Regional Final
1/24/2016 5:31:00 PM | Men's Tennis
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The 40th-ranked NC State men's tennis team came a few games short against 10th-ranked North Carolina, as it fell in the ITA Regional Kickoff final, 4-2. Despite the difference in rankings, the Wolfpack(4-1) went toe-to-toe with the Tar Heels and won singles matches on courts one and two.
Notables:
After losing a pair of 4-3 matches during last year's ITA Kickoff, The Pack made a strong improvement in this year's tournament with an upset victory over No. 35 Drake to reach the regional final.
After playing near the bottom of last year's lineup, both Nick Horton and Simon Norenius have developed into the team's front runners. The pair have split time between the top two spots in the lineup.
Today, both Horton and Norenius earned massive victories at No. 1 and No. 2 singles. Norenius defeated Brayden Schnur – The 2014 USTA/ITA National Indoor Collegiate Singles Champion and 2015 Canadian National Team member.
On court two, Horton had a dominating, 6-3, 6-1, win over 13th-ranked Ronnie Schneider, which is the highest ranked opponent the Pack has defeated this season.
Match Recap:
NC State dropped the doubles point, losing to matches on courts one and three. Ivan Saveljic and Igor Saveljic were defeated handily by the top-ranked doubles team in the nation, while Michael Ogden and Thomas Weigel narrowly fell, 6-4 on court 3.
Horton tied the match with the first singles win of the day after he defeated No. 13 Schneider.
UNC jumped out to a commanding 3-1 lead after wins on courts five and three. With a must-win situation in the three remaining matches, Norenous picked up the Pack's second #STATEMENT win of the day with a victory at the No. 1 spot over Schnur. Norenius defeated Schnur, 6-3, 6-4.
UNC's Anu Kodali clinched the match with a three set victory. On court four, Weigel was just two games away from securing the Pack's third point, but the match was left unfinished.
Quotes:
"We have a number of new pieces in the line up from what we had last year. Getting to see the team compete against a high-level UNC team was good. We were only a few points from maybe being able to squeak this one out. The team really competed well." – head coach Jon Choboy
"That is another really good team - Oklahoma State. There is a certain number of things we know we have to improve. As a team if we have a good week of practice and compete hard, as we did this weekend, we can get a lot better as the season goes on. I'm encouraged by it. I think the players would say the same." - head coach Jon Choboy
Up Next:
NC State makes its first trip out-of-state trip of the season, as it travels to Stillwater, Okla. For a matchup with 28th-ranked Oklahoma State. The Cowboys will be another big test for the Pack, as they narrowly fell in their regional final to No. 3 TCU.
Notables:
After losing a pair of 4-3 matches during last year's ITA Kickoff, The Pack made a strong improvement in this year's tournament with an upset victory over No. 35 Drake to reach the regional final.
After playing near the bottom of last year's lineup, both Nick Horton and Simon Norenius have developed into the team's front runners. The pair have split time between the top two spots in the lineup.
Today, both Horton and Norenius earned massive victories at No. 1 and No. 2 singles. Norenius defeated Brayden Schnur – The 2014 USTA/ITA National Indoor Collegiate Singles Champion and 2015 Canadian National Team member.
On court two, Horton had a dominating, 6-3, 6-1, win over 13th-ranked Ronnie Schneider, which is the highest ranked opponent the Pack has defeated this season.
Match Recap:
NC State dropped the doubles point, losing to matches on courts one and three. Ivan Saveljic and Igor Saveljic were defeated handily by the top-ranked doubles team in the nation, while Michael Ogden and Thomas Weigel narrowly fell, 6-4 on court 3.
Horton tied the match with the first singles win of the day after he defeated No. 13 Schneider.
UNC jumped out to a commanding 3-1 lead after wins on courts five and three. With a must-win situation in the three remaining matches, Norenous picked up the Pack's second #STATEMENT win of the day with a victory at the No. 1 spot over Schnur. Norenius defeated Schnur, 6-3, 6-4.
UNC's Anu Kodali clinched the match with a three set victory. On court four, Weigel was just two games away from securing the Pack's third point, but the match was left unfinished.
Quotes:
"We have a number of new pieces in the line up from what we had last year. Getting to see the team compete against a high-level UNC team was good. We were only a few points from maybe being able to squeak this one out. The team really competed well." – head coach Jon Choboy
"That is another really good team - Oklahoma State. There is a certain number of things we know we have to improve. As a team if we have a good week of practice and compete hard, as we did this weekend, we can get a lot better as the season goes on. I'm encouraged by it. I think the players would say the same." - head coach Jon Choboy
Up Next:
NC State makes its first trip out-of-state trip of the season, as it travels to Stillwater, Okla. For a matchup with 28th-ranked Oklahoma State. The Cowboys will be another big test for the Pack, as they narrowly fell in their regional final to No. 3 TCU.
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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