The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026 ■ 27 BY NOAH FLEISCHMAN fter opening the NCAA Doubles Tournament with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Texas A&M's Daria Smetan- nikow and Mia Kupres, NC State junior Gabriella Broadfoot and freshman Victoria Osuigwe walked off the court with a newfound sense of confidence. The Wolfpack duo hadn't been as crisp as they wanted to be going into the na- tional tournament, and they hoped that trend wouldn't continue in the high- stakes matches at nationals. As it turned out, it didn't. The first-round win over the Aggies' duo put those concerns to rest. Broadfoot and Osuigwe looked at each other shortly afterward with the same thought: "If we can play like that, we can definitely win this." That feeling might have been a fore- shadowing moment for the two. The Pack's go-to doubles team put together a well-rounded showing that featured a straight-set victory over Virginia's dou- bles squad to move to the Sweet 16 be- fore earning a pair of three-set wins over teams from North Carolina and USC to make the championship match. It was there, in the tournament fi- nal, that Broadfoot and Osuigwe battled Vanderbilt's fourth-seeded team of So- phia Webster and Celia-Belle Mohr. NC State's duo earned the program's second- ever national title in the event with a gritty 6-4, 7-5 win Nov. 23 at the UTSA National Campus in Orlando, Fla. Broadfoot and Osuigwe became the Pack's youngest doubles team to earn the national championship, outdoing gradu- ate students Jaeda Daniel and Nell Miller, who claimed the program's first-ever title in 2022. A Smooth Transition While NC State's duo is young, their ability to cruise through a quality field to earn the crown wasn't a surprise. After all, Broadfoot and Osuigwe trained to- gether at IMG Academy during their high school careers, forming a bond that has been critical to their success at the col- legiate level. "There has to be a certain level of un- derstanding of what the coaches want us to do, but I think me and Tori have a lot of energy on the court. We're not very 'blah,'" Broadfoot said. "We hype each other up really well. I think she has stuff that I lack, and vice versa. I struggle to hit the ball when I get tight, and she only hits the ball when she's tight. Things we're lacking, we make up for in one another." The two were paired together from the moment Osuigwe, who was the No. 2 overall recruit in the 2025 cycle nation- ally, arrived on campus. It was like riding a bicycle for the duo. They picked up where they left off during their junior careers, which featured a runner-up finish at the W25 Bethany Beach Tournament in Dela- ware. In turn, they got off to a hot start to- gether this fall. Broadfoot and Osuigwe entered the national tournament ranked 10th, having put together a 4-1 record af- ter qualifying for the NCAA Tournament at the ITA All-American Championships — their first collegiate tourney together. Osuigwe wasn't sure what to expect at the collegiate level, but being able to team up with her longtime friend made the transition easier on the national stage. "It makes me very comfortable know- ing that she's been playing college tennis for a while," Osuigwe said. "She knows what she's doing, and that gives me the confidence to play my best. It's just easy for me with someone that I'm so used to playing in such big tournaments with." Top Targets Broadfoot, an ITA Doubles All-Amer- ican alongside Maddy Zampardo a year ago, leaned on her first-year teammate just as much as Osuigwe relied on her. "I have full confidence in her. I know she's a very good player, and I knew we could do very well together. I think any- one on our team can rise to the occasion, but it's one thing to do it under that much pressure," Broadfoot said. "I really ap- plaud Tori for that. Even for me, as a ju- nior, I was really nervous. Sometimes I look at her and she's pretty calm, and that makes me calm, even though she's the freshman." Their chemistry on the court was key in earning the coveted championship. It put the doubles team on the map moving forward, likely becoming the top target for every other opposing duo to look to take down in the spring season. Despite establishing themselves as the No. 1 partnership in the nation with the title, Broadfoot and Osuigwe do not want to be complacent. Instead, the NCAA tro- phies that they brought back from Florida are likely only going to motivate the duo even more going into the team part of the competitive calendar. "We're very happy with our result. We know we can play doubles, it's clearly shown. But it doesn't guarantee that we're not going to lose a match in the spring," Broadfoot said. "We still have to go out and do it. Regardless of this NCAA win, we still have to show up. We still have to lock in for every single match." ■ A A WINNING A WINNING COMBINATION COMBINATION NC State's Gabriella Broadfoot And Victoria Osuigwe Claim The NCAA Doubles Crown With their win over a duo from Vanderbilt, Broadfoot (left) and Osuigwe became the second doubles team in NC State history to claim a national championship. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS