NC State
Virginia
No. 17 Wolfpack Defeats No. 23 Virginia to Secure ITA Indoor Championship Spot
1/26/2020 4:37:00 PM | Men's Tennis
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA. - The No. 17 NC State men's tennis team defeated the 23rd-ranked Virginia Cavaliers on Sunday, 4-1, to secure a spot in the ITA Division I National Men's Team Indoor Championship for the first time in program history. The victory additionally marks the first time that NC State has defeated the Cavaliers since 1999 as well as the first time since 1993 that NC State has beaten Virginia in Charlottesville.
The ITA Indoor Championship takes place Feb. 14-17 and is hosted by Wisconsin.
The Wolfpack kicked off the match with a pair of doubles wins. Rafa Izquierdo Luque and Collin Shick were victorious over Christian Alshon and Ryan Goetz, winning their match 6-1. Alexis Galarneau and Robert Turzak got their first win over a ranked opponent this season, defeating No. 53 Gianni Ross and William Woodall 6-2.
In singles, sophomore Yannai Barkai got his first ranked win of the season, taking down No. 68 Ross in 6-4, 6-1 decision.
Virginia got on the board with Alshon's 6-4, 6-0 win over Turzak before Wolfpack freshman Robin Catry notched a 7-5, 6-2 win over Anmar Alhaqbani to put NC State in a position to clinch.
Senior Alexis Galarneau gutted out a 7-6(3), 6-2 victory over Carl Soderlund to put the match away for the Wolfpack.
HEAR FROM THE PACK: HEAD COACH KYLE SPENCER
"Great day for the Pack today, taking down Virginia 4-1," said head coach Kyle Spencer. "Great crowd - it felt like a complete home court advantage.
Our guys did such a wonderful job. We started with the doubles, with Robert Turzak and Alexis Galarneau at two, and Collin Shick and Rafa Izquierdo Luque at three just did an unbelievable job of taking control of the match and not letting their guys back in it. Super dominant performance in the doubles.
Singles - we knew what it would be. It would be a battle. Credit to a freshman down on court six, Robin Catry. He won the first 7-5 and then kind of ran away with the second, which is fantastic. Great job for Yannai Barkai. So proud of him - he had a tough day yesterday. Today he didn't leave any doubt.
And then, what can you say? Alexis Galarneau, just a king out there. We like to say he's the guy who brings home the bacon, and he brought it home against one of the best players in college tennis. He got a straight-set win on the road to seal the match.
I'm so proud of this group and so proud of our program. The coaching staff, first time ever going to the National Indoors. The guys showed so much fight, and we're looking forward to what this season holds. There's so much more to come. Go Pack!"
UP NEXT
NC State takes on Penn Saturday, Feb. 1 at 12:30 p.m. before visiting Princeton Sunday, Feb. in a 2 p.m. matchup.
RESULTS
No. 23 NC State 4, No. 17 Virginia 1
Doubles
Order of finish: (3, 2)
1. Carl Soderlund/Matthew Lord (Virginia) vs. #32 Tadas Babelis/Yannai Barkai (NC State) 3-5, unfinished
2. Alexis Galarneau/Robert Turzak (NC State) def. #53 Gianni Ross/William Woodall (Virginia) 6-2
3. Rafa Izquierdo Luque/Collin Shick (NC State) def. Christian Alshon/Ryan Goetz (Virginia) 6-1
Singles
Order of finish: (3, 5, 6, 1)
1. Alexis Galarneau (NC State) def. Carl Soderlund (Virginia) 7-6 (7-3), 6-2
2. #115 Ryan Goetz (Virginia) vs. Tadas Babelis (NC State) 6-3, 4-6, 3-1, unfinished
3. Yannai Barkai (NC State) def. #68 Gianni Ross (Virginia) 6-4, 6-1
4. William Woodall (Virginia) vs. Rafa Izquierdo Luque (NC State) 7-6 (7-3), 5-3, unfinished
5. Christian Alshon (Virginia) def. Robert Turzak (NC State) 6-4, 6-0
6. Robin Catry (NC State) def. Ammar Alhaqbani (Virginia) 7-5, 6-2
Players Mentioned
