The Wolfpacker

Jan.-Feb. 2020

The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports

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76 ■ THE WOLFPACKER "I think most of us believe she is going to go a long, long way in this sport at both NC State and potentially longer." Those three headlined NC State's singles lineup last year, with Rogers going 20-8 at No. 1 singles, Smith 20-8 at No. 2 singles and Reami 17-6 at No. 3 singles. Also re- turning from the regular lineup is junior Liz Norman, who went 10-12 at No. 4 singles. NC State has to replace Bianca Moldo- van and Rebol. Sophomore Dylan Cannon and four newcomers will try to fill those roles. Junior Jaeda Daniel transferred in from Auburn, where she was ranked No. 94 in singles at the end of last season and was first-team All-SEC as a freshman. Junior Lexi Keberle arrives after winning 25 singles matches in 2018 for Wisconsin at No. 1 singles en route to being named first-team All-Big Ten. "I think Jaeda and Lexi have been re- ally, really big additions to the program and bring a level of experience," Earnshaw said. "These were players, I guess when they were initially recruited, that wouldn't have even looked at us." Freshmen Lana Mavor, whose father played tennis at NC State, and Marta Gon- zalez-Ballbe will also attempt to contribute. In doubles, NC State will also be strong. Smith and Rogers are ranked No. 1 nation- ally, but Earnshaw was also excited to see the tandem of Daniel and Reami (ranked No. 22) emerge in the fall. He hopes to have a strong third team develop in the spring. Earnshaw is confident that Smith and Rogers can handle the expectations. The two reached the doubles finals at the ITA National Fall Championships in November. "It's a different mindset, but for the most part the fact that they were able to start the fall in that role and finish it really says a lot about where they're at and their level of consistency," Earnshaw said. ■ Newcomer To Watch Junior Lexi Keberle In two seasons at Wisconsin, Keberle went 50-21 in singles action and was a first-team All-Big Ten selection. She displayed her promise right away, upsetting then-No. 41 Maria Konova of North Texas in just her second collegiate match. Last fall, Keberle reached a career-best No. 46 ranking nationally, and during that season she scored a win over No. 29 Elysia Bolton of UCLA. In her first fall at NC State, Keberle went 7-5 in singles action, including 3-2 against ranked opponents. ■ By The Numbers 5 ACC wins needed this year in singles by senior Adriana Reami to break Joelle Kissell's program record for most conference victories in a career. Reami has 25 entering this spring. Senior Anna Rogers is next on the list with 21. 10 Singles wins by both Rogers and sophomore Alana Smith during the fall. Rogers went 10-4, while Smith was 10-5. 16 Wins over ranked opponents for NC State in singles this fall. Smith led the way with five (5-4 record) highlighted by a victory over No. 9 Jada Hart of UCLA. Reami (4-3), junior Lexi Keberle (3-2) and Rogers (2-1) all scored multiple wins over ranked competition. Sophomore Alana Smith teams with senior Anna Rogers to form the nation's No. 1 doubles tan- dem, after earning All-America honors in 2018-19. PHOTO BY LARRY BLANKENSHIP Three Players To Watch Senior Adriana Reami Reami's name is likely to be atop many of NC State's singles records by the end of the season, if she stays healthy. She has already tied her former teammate Amanda Rebol's school record for most career singles wins (89). Last spring, Reami won 19 singles matches. That puts in perspective how much distance she is likely to put on the mark. Senior Anna Rogers Rogers was NC State's first-ever singles All-Ameri - can, and she is arguably the greatest doubles player in school history. She already has 113 doubles wins in her career, 31 more than any other Wolfpack player. Rogers is also likely to finish her time at NC State second only to Reami in career singles wins. Sophomore Alana Smith Smith had a flashy debut for the Wolfpack, post- ing a .711 winning percentage in 2018-19 that if it held would be the first time an NC State player had a career singles winning percentage better than .700. This fall, Smith showed her potential by taking defending singles national champion Estela Perez- Somarriba of Miami to a decisive third set before falling. Smith blanked Perez-Somarriba 6-0 to force a third. Smith also earned straight-set wins over four ranked opponents in the fall, including No. 9 Jada Hart of UCLA.

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