North Carolina State University Athletics
No. 25 NC State Earns Third-Straight NCAA Championships Berth
5/3/2021 7:06:00 PM | Men's Tennis
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - The 25th-ranked NC State men's tennis team (11-8, 7-3 ACC) has been selected to compete in the 2021 NCAA Tennis Championships, as announced by the NCAA on Monday.
The squad will travel to 13-seed South Carolina's Columbia regional where it will take on Liberty (20-7, 6-0 ASUN) in the first round at 10 a.m. Friday, May 7. With a win, the squad will take on the winner of South Carolina (15-9, 7-5 SEC) and UNCW (15-5) Saturday, May 8.
NC State has earned a spot in the NCAA Championships in each season under head coach Kyle Spencer that the tournament has taken place. The 2021 bid marks the third-consecutive tournament in which the Wolfpack has competed.
The team compiled a 7-3 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) record, only dropping matches to teams ranked in the Oracle/ITA rankings.
Fifth year Alexis Galarneau recorded a dual match singles record of 10-2 that included six wins over ranked opponents, three of which were in the top 25. He tabbed First Team All-ACC honors and became just the second student-athlete in NC State men's tennis history to earn All-ACC status four times.
Senior Tadas Babelis claimed Third Team All-ACC laurels, the second All-ACC honors of his career. The Vilnius, Lithuania, native competed in both singles and doubles action throughout the season and posted a 5-2 record against ranked doubles opponents.
At the 2021 ACC Championships, the team earned the four-seed and defeated Florida State, 4-1, in its quarterfinals match. With the win, The Wolfpack earned its second-straight and second-ever semifinals berth since the team tournament began.
A first-round win for NC State would allow the Wolfpack to compete in the second round Saturday, May 8 or Sunday, May 9.
Sixteen teams will move on from regionals action to the round of 16 Monday, May 17. Beginning with the the round of 16, all remaining matches will occur at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla. The quarterfinals are set for May 20 while the semifinals will take place May 21. The 2021 NCAA Champion will be crowned May 22.
Singles and doubles championship participants will be announced Tuesday, May 4. All singles and doubles competition will take place at the USTA National Campus as well. The singles championship will run May 23-May 28, and the doubles championship takes place May 24-28.
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