The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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60 ■ THE WOLFPACKER nually brutal ACC slate, the Pack was 7-3 through its first 10 matches, and Choboy noted they easily could be undefeated. "If we can just do a few things better and improve in a couple of small areas, no big areas but small areas, we definitely will go much farther," Choboy said, noting reducing unforced errors as one of the top priorities. It helps Choboy that his lineup is fairly set with three seniors and two juniors — Simon Norenius and Thomas Weigel — leading the way. "We have something we haven't had in a long time, which is a lot of upperclassmen in the lineup," Choboy noted. "We have been a young team the last few years." Choboy will need that veteran leader- ship to navigate the rigors of the ACC. Five conference foes were in the top 15 of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's rankings released Feb. 24: Duke (No. 4), Virginia (No. 11), Wake Forest (No. 12), Notre Dame (No. 14) and North Carolina (No. 19). NC State was among a group on the cusp of the top 25. The Pack checked in at No. 27, just behind Florida State (No. 26), and ahead of Virginia Tech (No. 35), Louis- ville (No. 38) and Clemson (No. 46). "I think you can compare it to how it is in basketball this year," Choboy explained. "At any given time there are six or seven teams in that top-25 range." With the challenges presented by the ACC slate also comes an opportunity. Choboy believed that had the Pack not lost its three matches, all of them 4-3 defeats, NC State could be ranked somewhere around 16 to 18 nationally. He has set a goal for this team to host its first-ever NCAA Regional, an honor that goes to the top 16 teams in the country. "This team's potential is as strong as any I've had since I've been here. We have so many upperclassmen in the lineup, they have a strong work ethic and I have a great staff that is really, really strong," Choboy said. "There are a lot of things in place, and we just have to take care of business" ■ Key Players To Watch Senior Beck Bond Bond has emerged as one of NC State's top singles options and has gone 5-3 through NC State's first 10 dual matches, including a 3-1 mark at the No. 3 spot. He has also been a reliable performer in doubles action. Pairing up with four different partners thus far this year, doubles teams with Beck on them have gone 7-2 through the fall and early spring. Senior Robbie Mudge The Winston-Salem, N.C., native was a state champion at R.J. Reynolds High School and has translated his game to the highest level of college tennis. He is a two-time All-ACC selection and led the Pack as a junior with 33 victories in doubles. Mudge was second on the squad in single triumphs with 23. Playing mostly at No. 2 singles, Mudge amassed eight wins in his first 10 matches during the spring's dual season. He also combined with sophomore Ian Dempster for a strong doubles tandem that had gone 15-6 through Feb. 24. Senior Austin Powell Like Mudge, Powell is a two-time All-ACC selection who has been holding down the fort more times than not at singles No. 1. He has won at least 21 singles matches all three years of his career thus far, including team-bests of 25 last season and 21 as a sophomore. Among Powell's career highlights is a win over No. 10 Soren Hess-Olesen of Texas as a junior. Powell already had posted 12 singles wins this year, including a 5-1 mark in duals at No. 1 singles. ■ Key Matches To Watch • Vs. Virginia, March 7 — The Cavaliers were the 2013 NCAA national champions and are a perennial powerhouse in the ACC. This is the Pack's conference home opener. • Vs. Wake Forest, March 28 — Among NC State's Tobacco Road rivals, Wake Forest is the only one of the Big Four to make a trip to Raleigh this spring. • ACC Championships, April 23-26 — NCSU has a very short drive for the annual tournament, which will be held in Cary. A strong showing there would help the Pack's seeding in the NCAA Championships. Noting The Pack • NC State is looking to extend its streak of consecutive NCAA Championships appearances to four, which would keep alive the longest such streak in school history. NC State has been to five NCAA Championships in Choboy's 12 years in Raleigh after being in two between 1956-2003. • This season saw the Intercollegiate Tennis As- sociation's enact new rules designed to shorten the duration of tennis matches. There are three doubles matches, each one set, with a tie-break at 6-all. When that is over, there is a five-minute intermis- sion before the start of singles. The six singles matches are still best of three sets with tie breaks at 6-all. However, there is no ad-scoring in either singles or doubles. If a game reaches deuce, the next point wins. They have also eliminated warm-ups with oppo- nents in doubles and singles. Through NC State's first 10 dual matches this season, senior Beck Bond posted a 5-3 singles record (including 3-1 at the No. 3 spot) and a 7-2 doubles mark. PHOTO BY LARRY BLANKENSHIP