The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1190316
72 ■ THE WOLFPACKER ponents. After being named first-team All- ACC, Galarneau earned an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament. Spencer also returns a pair of key contrib- utors in junior Tadas Babelis and sophomore Yannai Barkai. Babelis went 11-5 at No. 3 singles last year and is a natural choice to potentially move up into the second spot in the lineup vacated by Igor Saveljic. "Tadas has been the two/three since he came in," Spencer said. "He's got a huge game, and when he's focused he's obvi- ously one of the most dangerous guys in the country. He's had a great fall and really improved in a lot of areas. "We'll be looking for him to provide that spark at the top of the lineup." Barkai was a mid-year addition last season that quickly adapted to college tennis. He went 15-10 during the dual season while mainly playing at No. 4 singles. "Yannai is an extremely talented player," Spencer said. "He's also a very, very hard worker. He understands the game. For him to come in January and have the season that he had speaks volumes for his adaptability but also for his passion to be super competitive. "He'll be one of those guys that we look to and lean on for providing good stability up and down the singles lineup, and most likely at the top of the doubles lineup." Junior Robert Turzak is another good bet to be in the lineup after he went 7-7 in singles action in 2019. The other two spots could be filled by a number of options. Redshirt sophomore Joseph Schrader and junior Collin Shick are a pair of players that Spencer noted had made "huge strides" since last season. Spencer also welcomes three newcom- ers in international products Rafa Izquierdo Three Players To Watch Junior Tadas Babelis Babelis was third-team All-ACC as a freshman when he went 15-8 in the spring. Since arriving at NC State, the native of Lithuania has been compet - ing primarily at No. 2 and No. 3 singles, and will likely continue that role this year. He enjoyed a good fall in both singles (5-3) and doubles (10-3). Sophomore Yannai Barkai Barkai was considered one of the top youth tennis players in Israel before arriving at NC State, representing his country in the U-16 Eu - ropean Championships while also being on the nationals-winning doubles team. After arriving at NC State in January last season, he went 15- 10, and this fall he had the most singles victories (six) while teaming with Babelis for the most doubles wins. Senior Alexis Galarneau The last four-time All-ACC selection for NC State was Roberto Bracone from 1996-99. Galarneau has a chance to break that drought. The three- time choice did not play much in the fall due to an injury, but head coach Kyle Spencer is confident that his star player will be fully ready this spring. ■ By The Numbers 8 Countries represented on the roster: United States, Lithuania, Israel, Canada, France, Spain, Latvia and Slovakia. 32 Final national doubles ranking in the fall for the tandem of junior Tadas Babelis and sophomore Yannai Barkai. 1998 The last time a Wolfpacker won the ACC singles championships (Roberto Bracone). Junior Tadas Babelis is coming off a good performance in the fall that saw him go 5-3 in singles play and 10-3 in doubles. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE MEDIA RELATIONS