No. 30 NC State Set For Weekend Road Trip

RALEIGH, N.C. - The 30th-ranked NC State men's tennis team will face 20th-ranked Northwestern in Evanston, Ill., Friday at 7 p.m. and Michigan State Sunday in East Lasing, Mich., at 12 p.m. The Wolfpack carry a 9-2 record into these tilts and are riding a five-match win streak.

The Competition:
Northwestern enters the weekend with three ranked singles players. The Wildcats are led in the in the polls by No. 14 Konrad Zieba, while No. 57 Sam Shropshire and No. 77 Strong Kirchheimer round out the rankings.

As a team, Northwestern is off to an 8-1 start. The Wildcats' season has been similar to the Pack, as both teams narrowly fell in their ITA Kickoff Weekend final matches to top-10 programs. Both teams are undefeated at home and enter the match on a five-game win streak.

Northwestern has defeated six ranked teams – including No. 24 Duke, while the Pack holds three wins over ranked opponents.

NC State leads the overall series with a 4-3 advantage and the last win in the series, which came in 2016. This marks the sixth year in a row the two teams will face each other.

Saturday's opponent, Michigan State enters the weekend with an 8-3 record. The Spartans will face a ranked Michigan squad on Friday before taking on NC State Saturday.

All three of MSU's losses come from ranked opponents, but the Spartans do hold a 7-1 home record. NC State has won two in a row over Michigan State, but MSU holds a 3-2 series advantage over the Pack.

Doubles Magic Continues:
After dropping several doubles points at the start of the season, NC State continued its improved doubles play last time out, extending its win streak to four straight doubles points. This improvement has been spearheaded by a full team effort. The Pack has mixed up its teams and improved its play during the early stages of doubles points, which have helped NC State cash in on the first match point.

Pack In The Polls:
Both Horton and Norenius made their 2016 debuts in the rankings, checking in at 53rd and 74th, respectively. Both players swept their matches last weekend against Troy and Gardner Webb.

Horton and Norenius are both 8-1 in duel season matches. They will likely face another ranked opponent when they take on Northwestern.

Last Time Out:
NC State rattled off three wins last weekend, defeating No. 33 Dartmouth Friday and No. 55 South Carolina and Bryant on Sunday. The wins give NC State three wins over ranked competition this season and helped NC State improve to a perfect 6-0 record at home.

Staff writer Frank Youngblood contributed to this report

North Carolina State University Athletics

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