RALEIGH – Eighth-ranked NC State women’s tennis (19-4, 9-3 ACC) tallied another top-10 win over No. 9 Virginia (16-5, 9-2 ACC) in its first match of the regular season finale.
In doubles, courts one and two featured two top-25 ranked matchups that battled it out for the team doubles point. One court one for the Wolfpack was No. 11 Diana Shnaider and Alana Smith taking on No. 21 Julia Adams and Melodie Collard. On court two for the Wolfpack was No. 12 Nell Miller and Amelia Rajecki taking on No. 23 Elaine Chervinsky and Natasha Subhash. Sophie Abrams and Abigail Rencheli paired back up on court three to battle Virginia’s Annabelle Xu and Sara Ziodato.
Starting off strong, the red-and-white stole the first game across all three courts. After being stuck even in the middle for a while, Shnaider and Smith were able to pull away and take the first doubles win to put the Wolfpack ahead. A few minutes later on court two, Miller and Rajecki clinched the point for their team with a 6-3 decision. At the time, Abrams and Rencheli were down 4-5 on court three when play was halted.
Shortly after singles action began, a lightning delay followed by a downpour moved the match indoors in order to resume.
While her teammates were hardly halfway through with their first set, Shnaider flew through hers, finishing 6-0. She went on to finish with a near shutout over Virginia’s No. 60 Natasha Subhash with a 6-0, 6-1 victory. Following right behind her was No. 13 Smith, who stayed on top of her opponent the entire match to snag another win for the Wolfpack. Her 6-3, 6-1 finish over Elaine Chervinsky put the win arm’s reach for NC State.
On court three, No. 25 Rajecki displayed her heart throughout her match, ultimately winning 6-3, 6-4 and clinching the win for her team.
Gina Dittmann was the final singles win for the Wolfpack when she dominated court six in straight sets, 6-2, 6-0.
No. 71 Rencheli dropped her first set but fought back in the second to force a tiebreaker. In a tough finish, she fell 2-6, 6-4, 0-1 (10-12) on court four. Abrams also fell in court five but in straight sets, 1-6, 5-7.
Results:
#8 NC State 5, #9 Virginia 2
Doubles Results
Order of Finish: (1, 2)
1. #11 Diana Shnaider/Alana Smith (ST) def. #21 Julia Adams/Melodie Collard (UVA) 6-3
2. #12 Nell Miller/Amelia Rajecki (ST) def. #23 Elaine…
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