NC State
#22 University of Tennessee
No. 25 Wolfpack Hits Road To Visit No. 22 Tennessee
3/8/2018 3:44:00 PM | Men's Tennis
NC State closes out its regular season non-conference schedule against the Volunteers
March 8, 2018
RALEIGH, N.C. - The No. 25 NC State men's tennis team (9-1) is set for its second top-25 matchup in a row as it travels to Knoxville, Tenn. Friday afternoon for a 2 p.m. meeting with No. 22 Tennessee at the Goodfriend Tennis Center. The match marks NC State's last non-conference match of the regular season before beginning its ACC slate next Wednesday.
LAST TIME OUT:
After a 9-0 start to the season, NC State lost its first dual match last Friday to No. 20 Texas.
The Wolfpack grabbed the doubles point to jump out to an early lead. Igor Saveljic and Ivan Saveljic took down the nation's third-ranked duo of Rodrigo Banzer and Leonardo Telles by a 6-4 score. Georgiy Malyshev and Michael Ogden also won 6-4 in doubles, defeating Texas's Colin Marks and Yuya Ito.
The Pack sent three of its four singles matches into third sets, but the Longhorns took all four of those courts to claim the 4-1 win.Â
WOLFPACK IN THE RANKINGS:
For the third consecutive week, NC State is ranked in the top 25 of the Oracle/ITA Men's National Team Rankings, checking in at No. 25.
Alexis Galarneau held his status in the top 25 of the singles rankings. The Wolfpack sophomore, who is 6-2 in dual match play and 10-3 on the season, is ranked No. 22.
Two NC State doubles pairs are ranked. Galarneau and Michael Ogden sit at No. 38. After their impressive win against Texas, juniors Igor and Ivan find themselves ranked in doubles for the first time in their Wolfpack careers at No. 45.Â
SCOUTING THE VOLUNTEERS:
Tennessee finds itself with its highest ranking of the season at No. 22. The Volunteers are 11-3 with losses to No. 8Â Texas, Minnesota, and No. 18Â Florida. They remain perfect on their home court through their first ten matches at the Goodfriend Tennis Center.Â
Timo Stodder, who is ranked 20th in the nation, leads the way for the Volunteers. The junior has only dropped two matches during dual play, both to opponents ranked in the top 30, and is 8-4 against ranked opponents on the season. Tennessee also has a ranked doubles pair in Luis Valero and Preston Touliatos, who are No. 73.
The programs have not met one another on the tennis court since 1986, and the Volunteers have won all three of the previous meetings between the two teams.Â
#GoPack | @PackMensTennis
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