NC State
No. 20 Northwestern
No. 30 NC State Falls To No. 20 Northwestern
2/19/2016 9:49:00 PM | Men's Tennis
The Wolfpack fall to 8-3, while the Wildcats improve to 9-1. The loss snaps NC State's five-match win streak.
Match Recap:
The Wildcats narrowly edged NC State in doubles play with wins on courts two and three. Thomas Weigel and Shoti Meparidze fell on court three, before Northwestern clinched the point with a 6-4 win on court two.
In singles play, the Wildcats extended their lead with victories on courts three and four. Ivan Saveljic fell on court four, while Weigel was defeated on court three by No. 77 Strong Kirchheimer.
After losing the first set on five of the six courts, NC State produced a strong comeback attempt, as both Nick Horton and Igor Saveljic erased their opponent's second set leads to enter a second-set tiebreaker.
Horton won his tiebreaker to extend his match to a third set, while Igor was narrowly edged in the tiebreak and Northwestern clinched the victory.
Horton dropped a shorted format third set, and The Wildcats took a, 5-0 lead.
On court two, No. 74 Simon Norenius led the Pack with a first-set win over 57th-ranked Sam Shropshire. Norenius eventually went on to win, 7-5, 7-5 and give the Pack its first point of the night.
Shoti Meparidze has also had a strong comeback attempt, but was edged in the tiebreaker of his final set.
Notes:
No. 77 Kirchheimer ended Weigel's five-match win streak. The loss is just his second of the season.
Norenius' win is his third over a ranked opponent this season. Despite falling behind early, the senior rallied for a tough, 7-5, 7-5 victory. He has won six in a row and improves to 9-1 this duel season and 16-3 overall.
Northwestern's win evens the overall series to 4-4. This marked the sixth year in a row the Pack has faced Northwestern. NC State won the previous two matches against the Wildcats.
Up Next:
NC State will look to bounce back Sunday at Michigan State. The match is set for 12 p.m.
Tennis Match Results
North Carolina State vs Northwestern Feb 19, 2016 at Evanston, Ill.
(Combe Tennis Center)
#20 Northwestern 6, #30 North Carolina State 1
1. #14 Konrad Zieba (NU) def. #53 Nick Horton (NCST) 6-4, 6-7, 1-0 (10-3)
2. #74 Simon Norenius (NCST) def. #57 Sam Shropshire (NU) 7-5, 7-5
3. #77 Strong Kirchheimer (NU) def. Thomas Weigel (NCST) 6-2, 6-3
4. Fedor Baev (NU) def. Ivan Saveljic (NCST) 6-2, 6-3
5. Alp Horoz (NU) def. Shoti Meparidze (NCST) 7-5, 7-6 (7-5)
6. Ben Vandixhorn (NU) def. Igor Saveljic (NCST) 6-4, 7-6 (9-7)
1. Fedor Baev/Strong Kirchheimer (NU) def. Nick Horton/Simon Norenius (NCST) 5-4
2. Konrad Zieba/Sam Shropshire (NU) def. Igor Saveljic/Ivan Saveljic (NCST) 6-4
3. Alp Horoz/Mihir Kumar (NU) def. Thomas Weigel/Shoti Meparidze (NCST) 6-2
Match Notes:
North Carolina State 9-2; National ranking #30 Northwestern 8-1; National ranking #20
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (4,3,6,1,2,5) Official: John Coleman A-84
Players Mentioned
