The Wolfpacker

March 2019

The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports

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72 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY JACEY ZEMBAL J uniors Anna Rogers and Adriani Reami, along with seniors Bianca Moldovan, Amanda Rebol and Claudia Wiktorin provide the Wolf- pack women's tennis team a wealth of ex- perience and talent. Then add in freshman Alana Smith and sophomore Liz Norman, who transferred from James Madison. The result is an NC State unit that boasted a 10-2 overall record and a 2-0 mark in the ACC, while climbing to a program-best No. 11 national ranking by Oracle/Intercol- legiate Tennis Association as of Feb. 26. Head coach Simon Earnshaw is optimis- tic about his team's potential in a challeng- ing ACC. "Duke and UNC could be stronger again this year, so that certainly hasn't changed," Earnshaw said. "We could have eight to nine top-25 teams in the ACC this year, and our goal is to be one of those. If we are healthy, we probably have our deepest team." NC State was able to go 17-15 over- all and 7-7 in the ACC a year ago. Along the way, the No. 1 doubles team of Rog- ers and Wiktorin finishing with a 28-12 mark — the most doubles victories in a season in school history. The duo reached the Sweet 16 at the NCAA Championships, before falling 6-1, 6-7 (4), 10-6 against the then-No. 14 duo from Arizona State. Rog- ers had previously reached the Sweet 16 in 2017 with Martina Frantova. The talented Rogers, who also handles the No. 1 singles duties for NC State has been paired with Smith this season. The new pairing had gone an impressive 19-2 overall (fall and spring) with a 6-0 mark against nationally ranked opponents through Feb. 26. Earnshaw mentioned how Rogers strug- gled a bit last year in singles (going 16-20), and that motivated her during the offseason. He senses she's more comfortable now in tough matches — she was 8-3 at No. 1 singles through Feb. 26 — and that she knows she belongs against the top players. DEEP AND TALENTED A Strong Wolfpack Squad Challenges For A Top-25 Ranking Freshman Alana Smith settled into the No. 2 singles spot for the Wolfpack during the spring, going 8-3 in dual play. She also has teamed up with junior Anna Rogers to form a formidable duo at No. 1 doubles, producing an overall record of 19-2 with a 6-0 mark against nationally ranked foes. PHOTO BY LARRY BLANKENSHIP WOMEN'S TENNIS PREVIEW ■ By The Numbers 10 NCSU freshman Alana Smith needed three sets to top Marta Gonzalez of Georgia — who was the No. 10 singles player in the country at the time of the match — Feb. 8 in Seattle. Smith won 4-6, 6-3, 6-1. 19 Recruiting ranking for NC State's class of 2019 by Tennis Recruiting Network. The Wolfpack signed Marta Gonzalez-Ballbe, Andrea Martinez-Serrano and Lana Mavor, with the latter rated as a five-star re- cruit by TennisRecruiting.net.

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