North Carolina State University Athletics
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#7 Wolfpack to Host #2 Tar Heels in Top-10 Matchup
3/3/2020 12:58:00 PM | Men's Tennis
RALEIGH - The 7th-ranked NC State men's tennis team (10-3)Â returns to action Wednesday, March 4 at the J.W. Isenhour Tennis Center for a 5 p.m. top-ten matchup with No. 2 North Carolina (11-1). There will be free sunglasses as well as pizza.
LAST TIME OUT
The Wolfpack achieved its highest-ranked victory since at least 1999 with a 4-3 win over No. 4 Texas on Sunday, taking the doubles point and getting wins on singles courts six, five and one to defeat the Longhorns. Senior Alexis Galarneau defeated the nation's second-ranked player in Yuya Ito 6-7(4), 7-6(5), 6-1 to seal the victory for the Wolfpack.
NC State then took on NC A&T, taking the doubles point without dropping a set before getting the 4-0 victory with wins by Martins Rocens, Joseph Schrader and Tadas Babelis.
PACK IN THE RANKINGS
NC State achieved its highest-ever ranking in the Oracle/ITA rankings released on Tuesday, checking in at No. 7 after going undefeated in its doubleheader on Sunday.
Galarneau climbed 17 spots in the singles rankings to No. 20, his highest ranking of the season, after defeating No. 2 Ito in the Wolfpack's victory over the Longhorns on Sunday.
Junior Tadas Babelis checked into the singles rankings at No. 92, moving up four spots. Babelis defeated NC A&T's Nicolas Arduh 7-6(6), 6-1 to clinch the win over the Aggies for the NC State.
In the doubles rankings, Babelis and sophomore Yannai Barkai moved to No. 18. The pair was locked in a 5-5 battle with then-No. 13 Christian Sigsgaard and Ito when NC State clinched the doubles point against Texas.
SCOUTING THE TAR HEELS
UNC maintains an 11-1 record, their lone loss coming to No. 1 Southern California in the championship match of the 2020 ITA National Men's Team Indoor Championship in a 1-4 decision.
The Tar Heels currently have two ranked doubles teams. Mac Kiger and Simon Soendergaard sit at No. 4 while William Blumberg and Brian Cernoch check in at No. 13. In the singles rankings, Blumberg holds the No. 9 spot, Benjamin Sigouin checks in at No. 53, Rinky Hijikata sits at No. 67 and Josh Peck is at No. 85
UP NEXT
NC State travels to Blacksburg, Va. to take on Virginia Tech Saturday, March 7 at 12 p.m.
#GoPack | @PackMensTennis
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