The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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JANUARY 2017 ■ 85 "There were a couple of regular season matches where we had match points, and we didn't finish them, that could have got- ten us in the top 25." Yet Earnshaw acknowledged the X-fac- tor of last year was the inexperience of his talented roster. Even Martina Frantova, who emerged at No. 1 singles, was in her first season after transferring from Mis- sissippi State, and four different freshmen spent extensive time in the duals lineup. "We said we were going to go to the NCAA Tournament last year. That was not www.pursuitwealthstrategies.com 8315 Six Forks Rd. #201 Raleigh, NC 27615 (919) 847-7600 Life First, Money Second. Securities offered through Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC SEPI is proud to support NC State and Wolfpack Athletics Improving the communities we impact and the infrastructure they depend on. At SEPI, we look at each new project as a unique opportunity to enhance the quality of life for our neighbors and ourselves. That's why our award-winning, woman-owned business offers clients a superior team of professionals dedicated to engineering excellence. 1025 Wade Avenue | Raleigh, NC | 27605 | 919.789.9977 | sepiengineering.com | @SEPIengineers Steve Thomas, PE | COO MSCE, NCSU Class of '86 BSCE, NCSU Class of '84 Sepideh Saidi, PE | President/CEO BSCE, NCSU Class of '93 BSAg.E, NCSU Class of '85 C.E. "Neil" Lassiter Jr, PE CEI Division Manager BSCE, NCSU Class of '83 Photo by Oak City Photography GO PACK! Noting The Pack • For the third straight year, head coach Simon Earnshaw signed a five-star prospect in the fall. This recruiting class features Taylor Bridges from Chandler, Ariz. Bridges is rated by TennisRecruiting. net as the No. 2 player from Arizona and the No. 45 overall recruit in the country. This year Bridges collected an 11-6 record against fellow five-star recruits. "We have been working on our 2017 recruiting class for a long time and tracking Taylor since first being on the job here," Earnshaw said. "A couple of things stood out to us about Taylor. "Firstly, her pattern of play is very much con- sistent with what we look for in a player. She's got good size, moves well and looks to be very proactive off the forehand side. Secondly, I felt that the communication with both her and her parents was always very direct and honest, which was very refreshing. I appreciated the candidness of their ap- proach and always felt she would be a great fit with our program and the rest of the girls." • Due to the ACC's championship boycott of the state of North Carolina over House Bill 2, the ten- nis championship this season has been moved from Cary, N.C., to Rome, Ga., April 26-30. The Rome Tennis Center at Berry College is the nation's larg- est single-surface facility with more than 50 courts across 30 acres. Key Players To Watch Senior Martina Frantova Last season, Frantova went 14-10 while com- peting exclusively at No. 1 singles and earned second-team All-ACC accolades. She became just the fourth player in school history to earn an at- large bid into the NCAA Singles Championships and during the course of the season defeated 12 nationally ranked opponents. Sophomore Briana Moldovan She was the first-ever blue-chip recruit to sign with NC State, holding a ranking of No. 6 nation - ally by TennisRecruiting.net in the 2016 class. She backed up her status by getting 11 wins at No. 3 singles, including one over a ranked opponent. Sophomore Amanda Rebol As a freshman, Rebol led NC State with 15 singles wins during the dual season, mostly at No. 5 singles, and was second only to Frantova with 22 overall victories, including one over a ranked opponent. This fall, Rebol went 8-1 in matches, trailing only Frantova's nine for most for the Pack.