The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1087622
68 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY MATT CARTER L ast season, year one for Kyle Spen‑ cer as NC State men's tennis head coach, was a success. The Pack went 17‑9 overall and 6‑6 in the stacked ACC, tying a school record for most league victories in a season. NC State beat three teams ranked in the top 40 and came close to knocking off No. 1 Wake Forest before losing 4‑3 in Winston‑Salem. The Pack finished the year No. 29 in the final Oracle/Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings and reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015. All the key participants are back, so understandably expectations are higher, especially after NC State added touted freshman Yannai Barkai from Israel in the spring. Barkai has jumped right in with the vet‑ erans and was the lone player to participate in the first 12 duals of the spring season. He had a seven‑match winning streak through Feb. 26. NC State was 9‑3 overall at that point, which was good enough to be ranked No. 33 nationally. The highlight of the early results was stunning No. 12 Georgia (4‑3) in Ann Arbor, Mich. While Barkai has made a quick impact, the unquestioned leader of the lineup is ju‑ nior Alexis Galarneau, a first‑team All‑ACC selection in 2018 after being second team all‑conference as a freshman. Galarneau was 9‑1 in dual play during the spring, including a three‑set win over No. 15 Emil Reinberg of Georgia. As of Feb. 26, Galarneau was ranked No. 43 nationally in singles. "You can tell he wants to be a profes‑ sional tennis player, and he's also a fantas‑ tic student and wants to earn his business degree," Spencer said. "I think he's on that right path and wants to try to improve every single week in what he's doing. "From a tennis standpoint, that has helped lead our team. … They can see what his benchmarks are for the level and dedication of improvement." Senior Igor Saveljic and sophomore Ta‑ das Babelis join Galarneau in the top three of the lineup. Babelis was third‑team All‑ ACC last spring and went 9‑4 at No. 2 singles last season. "Tadas is a high‑level player," Spencer acknowledged. "He did a phenomenal job coming in the spring semester [in 2018]. He didn't have a fall to get his feet wet. "For him to flourish in a high‑level posi‑ tion was fantastic, and this fall he's really BUILDING SOMETHING SPECIAL Second-Year Head Coach Kyle Spencer Is Excited About The Direction Of The Program Junior Alexis Galarneau earned first-team All-ACC honors and a spot in the NCAA Singles Cham- pionship last season. PHOTO BY CHRIS BAIRD/COURTESY NC STATE MEDIA RELATIONS MEN'S TENNIS PREVIEW ■ By The Numbers 6 Years in a row that NC State has produced two All-ACC selections. 7 Countries represented on the roster: United States, Lithuania, Israel, Canada, Russia, Monte- negro and Slovakia. 39 Wins in the first two seasons for junior Alexis Galarneau. Only eight men's tennis players at NC State have more than 80 career victories. Newcomer To Watch Freshman Yannai Barkai Barkai arrived in January and has made a quick mark on the Pack lineup. He has already broken the top 1,000 in the professional ATP singles ranking, reaching as high as 943 last fall.