The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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MAY/JUNE 2021 ■ 47 BY JUSTIN H. WILLIAMS ennis wasn't Alexis Galarneau's first love, but it's his passion now. The Canadian from Laval, Que- bec, first grew up with a hockey stick in his hands, just like his dad — who was once drafted by the Winnipeg Jets — and his two older brothers. His parents grew tired of seeing their youngest son endure the physicality of the sport, so they put him in soccer and maintained his visits to the ice rink as a competitive speed skater. The youngest of four children, he would tag along for day-long visits to the neighbor- hood park during the summer with his broth- ers and older sister. For years he watched his siblings rally on the tennis courts, observing their movement and technique but patiently spectating on the sidelines. He one day mustered up the courage to pick up a racket on his own, facing off against his elder siblings, who were all athletes in their own right. He was hooked. His older brothers quickly no- ticed the youngest Galarneau had a knack for the game, so they de- cided to coach him up, taking in- creasingly regular visits to the local courts throughout the next year. "From there, it really escalated quickly," Galarneau said. "It was exciting." Before he knew it, he was a member of the Quebec State Team, which was made up of roughly a dozen of the province's top play- ers in a specific age group. When he became centrally focused on the sport, he continued to climb the competitive youth ladder, ulti- mately finding himself on the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Junior Circuit and the Tennis Canada National Team. He climbed as high as No. 97 in the ITF Junior Rankings, and he knew he wanted to become a professional one day. Before he went on to do that, his family inspired him to get an education. That way he wouldn't feel the pressure of not having a backup plan if he were to suffer injuries or a professional career simply didn't work out. Galarneau also knew he needed to get better in several areas of his game before he decided to make a career of it, and he wanted to be tested by the best competition college tennis could offer. Coming from near the East Coast, he decided the ACC was where he could find that, so he decided to commit to NC State. "It was an easy choice," he said. He earned second-team All-ACC honors after going 25-10 in singles play — includ- ing six wins against opponents ranked in the national top 110 — during his freshman campaign. There was a coaching change fol- lowing his debut season, and he was intro- duced to his new head coach, Kyle Spencer. "I always tell myself everything happens for a reason," Galarneau said. The uncertainty initially scared the then 19-year-old, but it didn't take long for him to hit it off with the new coaching staff. "They wanted to be elite, and I also want to be elite, so it was a really good match," he said. The feeling was mutual, and Spencer knew he had a special talent the very first time he saw Galarneau in practice. "Two things were really evident," the coach said. "Number one, his talent. Num- ber two was just what a phenomenal com- petitor he was. When you have those two things, you have the beginning recipe for developing into a very special player." The duo worked diligently to fine-tune Galarneau's game, taking it to a different level. He was named first-team All-ACC as a sophomore and junior after earning back- to-back bids to the NCAA Singles Champi- onship in 2018 and 2019, becoming the first Wolfpack player to do so since 2000. In 2020, he became the seventh player in program history to be named an ITA All-American and finished the season cut short by COVID-19 ranked No. 20 nation- ally — the highest final singles ranking of any men's tennis player in NC State history. When the season was abruptly canceled, he went back home to Canada, where he was unable to play tennis for months due to strict pandemic restrictions. From the first time he picked up a racket to that point, he hadn't gone without playing for days, let alone weeks. He was fortunate to have the space and resources to do home workouts to stay in shape and enjoyed the rare time spent with his tight-knit family but staying away from the tennis courts became harder by the day. Despite the challenge of not being able to play tennis amidst a pandemic, Galarneau took a glass half-full approach to the situation. He gained a new appreciation for the game in isolation, working on his tactical and mental approach during his time away from the court. "Tennis is probably 90 percent mental," he said. "It's easy to lose focus, easy to get frus- trated with how you're playing or how your opponent is playing or how the conditions are. That's where I think I have the edge on a lot of players, and that's where I've improved the most in college — my mental game." It's paying off during his fifth and final season of collegiate tennis. Galarneau was ranked No. 19 in the Oracle/ITA Division I singles rankings with a 9-3 overall record as of April 20. His best victory to date came against Notre Dame's Richard Ciamarra, who was ranked No. 6 nationally at the time. Galar- neau cruised in straight sets on Feb. 21, defeating him 6-0, 6-1. "I'm going to do whatever it takes to win," Galarneau said. "I think that comes from the hockey mentality. Maybe not in such a violent way, but I try to transcend it with my skill. I let my racket do the talking." The 5-11, 150-pounder has already ce- mented his legacy among the top players in program history with more opportunities to continue climbing up the record books. Galar- neau ranks 12th in program history with 74 career singles victories and is tied for sixth with 65 career doubles wins as of April 20. NC State has finished in the top 30 of the ITA Division I rankings in each of Spencer's first three seasons and has an opportunity to do so for a fourth consecutive time in 2021 behind the lead of its top competitor, Galar- neau. The Wolfpack was ranked No. 25 in the ITA Division I rankings as of April 20 before it enters postseason play. Spencer admits it's useful to have a go-to ace that can consistently deliver a singles win at the top of the card, but he contends Galarneau's intangibles may be the most valuable asset he provides to the team. "A lot of his value comes from how he goes about his preparation, how he goes about practice, how he goes about training and how professional he is," the coach said. "All the other guys on the team can see that. It's valu- able for them to see it through their own eyes. "Here's the best guy on the team, here's one of the best guys in the country and here's how successful he is, let me look at these processes that he implements on a daily basis." ■ T " I'm going to do whatever it takes to win. I think that comes from the hockey mentality. Maybe not in such a violent way, but I try to transcend it with my skill. I let my racket do the talking. Galarneau