NC State
South Carolina
No. 25 Wolfpack Concludes 2021 Team Season in NCAA Second Round
5/8/2021 4:34:00 PM | Men's Tennis
COLUMBIA, S.C. - The 25th-ranked NC State men's tennis team's season drew to a close on Saturday as it fell to No. 13 South Carolina (17-9, 7-5 SEC), 4-0, in the second round of the 2021 NCAA Championship.
NC State concludes its season with an 11-9 overall record and a 7-3 ACC record.
DOUBLES
South Carolina took the doubles point with wins on courts two and three.
The first doubles win of the day went to 30th-ranked Tadas Babelis and Yannai Barkai, who took down No. 13 Daniel Rodrigues and Connor Thomson, 6-3. The victory marked the highest-ranked win of the season for the duo.
Alexis Galarneau and Robin Catry came back from a 1-4 deficit in their match to knot up the score at 5-5 but ultimately fell to Jake Beasley and Toby Samuel 7-5.
The point came down to court three, where play was tight throughout the match. Collin Shick and Robert Turzak dropped their match by a score of 6-4 to No. 81 Raphael Lambling and Phillip Jordan, and the Gamecocks claimed the doubles point.
SINGLES
No. 67 Toby Samuel took the first singles point of the match, defeating Tadas Babelis 6-0, 6-3.
Despite a 6-2 loss in the first set, No. 25 Galarneau battled back and kept his second set against No. 2 Rodrigues close. The second-set score was tied up at 4-4 before Rodrigues got the win by a final score of 6-2, 6-4.
The match-clinching win came on court six, where Turzak was locked into a tight competition with Thomas Brown. Brown took the match in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4.
STRAIGHT FROM THE PACK: HEAD COACH KYLE SPENCER
"I'm disappointed for our team today," said head coach Kyle Spencer. "We were in a good position in doubles, up breaks at two and three, and just couldn't get over the line after Tadas and Yannai won at number one.
"All credit to South Carolina, who played a very good match in singles. Obviously for our five seniors, who played a huge role in building this program up to the elite level in college tennis, this loss is a tough pill to swallow.
"I want to say thank you to everyone who helped make this season possible, and although today is brutal we are extremely grateful to have been able to compete."
UP NEXT
Fifth year Alexis Galarneau will represent NC State for the third-straight season in the 2021 NCAA Singles Championship in Lake Nona, Fla., May 23-28.
RESULTS
#24 NC State 0, #13 South Carolina 4
Doubles
Order of finish: (1,2,3)
1. #30 Tadas Babelis/Yannai Barkai (NC State) vs. #13 Daniel Rodrigues/Connor Thomson (South Carolina) 6-3
2. #42 Robin Catry/Alexis Galarneau (NC State) vs. Jake Beasley/Toby Samuel (South Carolina) 7-5
3. Collin Shick/Robert Turzak (NC State) vs. #80 Raphael Lambling/Phillip Jordan (South Carolina) 6-4
Singles
Order of finish: (3,1,6)
1. #2 Daniel Rodrigues (South Carolina) def. #25 Alexis Galarneau (NC State) 6-2, 6-4
2. #22 Connor Thomson (South Carolina) vs. #95 Rafa Izquierdo Luque (NC State) 1-6, 6-4, 0-1, unfinished
3. #67 Toby Samuel (South Carolina) def. Tadas Babelis (NC State) 6-0, 6-3
4. #54 Raphael Lambling (South Carolina) vs. Yannai Barkai (NC State) 7-6 (7-4), 1-4, unfinished
5. Jake Beasley (South Carolina) vs. Robin Catry (NC State) 4-6, 6-4, 1-2, unfinished
6. Thomas Brown (South Carolina) def. Robert Turzak (NC State) 6-4, 6-4
#GoPack | @PackMensTennis
Players Mentioned
