RALEIGH – The third-ranked NC State women’s tennis team is headed to Coral Gables, Fla., for the Miami Spring Invite from Jan. 13-15. This Invite will kick off 2023 action for the team before it heads to South Carolina next weekend for the start of dual match competition.
Facing players from several ranked teams, the Wolfpack is set to take on competitors from No. 1 Texas and No. 20 Vanderbilt in addition to the ACC host, Miami. The three-day tournament will consist of individual singles and doubles match-ups. The tentative schedule of play is as follows:
Friday: Doubles vs. Vanderbilt (NB 11:30 a.m.), Singles vs. Texas (NB 12:45 p.m.)
Saturday: Doubles vs. Texas (NB 1 p.m.), Singles vs. Miami (NB 2:15 p.m.)
Sunday: Doubles vs. Miami (9 a.m.), Singles vs. Vanderbilt (NB 10:15 a.m.)
Making headway into the 2023 tilt, the team boasts its best preseason ranking in program history, marking the fourth season in a row starting among the national top 10.
Last year, NC State earned its second-straight NCAA Tournament quarterfinals appearance and tied its program-best final ranking of No. 6. Overall in 2022, the squad went 26-6, which marked the most in a single season in team history. In conference play, the Wolfpack finished 10-3 among a fiercely-competitive ACC group.
Bringing back their dominant experience, the 2022 NCAA doubles champion Nell Miller and All-Americans Abigail Rencheli and Alana Smith will return to the court. Coming off of a favorable fall campaign, Sophie Abrams and Amelia Rajecki will also return. Four newcomers to the program welcome talent from all over, including U.S. Junior Open doubles champion Diana Shnaider, NAU transfer Gina Dittman and freshmen Chloe Henderson and Anna Zyryanova.
Of that crew, three players were recognized among the top 25 in singles following fall play – Smith (No.13), Rajecki (No. 23), and Rencheli (No. 25), with Abrams (No. 97) rounding out the top 100. In doubles, Rajecki and Miller are No. 8, in addition to Rencheli and Abrams at No. 60 among those rankings.
Following the Miami Spring Invite, NC State will hit the road for its first regular-season competition at South Carolina.
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