RALEIGH NC State left it all on the line versus defending national champion Virginia, but the Wahoos timely wins led to a 4-2 win.
With the loss, NC State drops to 13-8 overall and 7-3 in league play. The Cavaliers remain perfect in the ACC.
The Wolfpack have two regular season games remaining, beginning on Wednesday at home versus Wake Forest.
“Congrats to Virginia, they played a really good doubles point and got on top of us early,” NC State head coach Kyle Spencer said. “I thought we executed the gameplan in the singles the way we wanted to. We just didn’t have enough today.”
Doubles (UVA 1, NC State 0)
For the first time in a while, an opponent took the doubles point from No. 22 NC State.
The UVA duo of Ryan Goetz and Alexander Kiefer stopped the two-game winning streak of Braden Shick and Fons Van Sambeek, winning 6-2.
In the top doubles matchup Inaki Montest and William Woodall knocked off No. 15 Robin Catry and Luca Staeheli, 6-3. No. 24 Rafa Izquierdo Luque and Joe Wayand were ahead in their match, but it was unfinished, giving the Wahoos a 1-0 lead.
“They got on top of us early,” Spencer said.
Singles (UVA 3, NC State 2)
Catry and Van Sambeek each picked up wins in straight sets for two points, but UVA did the same on courts 3,1,2 to clinch.
On court six, Joe Wayand, returning to singles action after missing two games, was in a second set tiebreaker with Alexander Kiefer when Virginia clinched.
Wayand won the first set 6-4.
“That’s super positive,” Spencer said. “But, yeah, very good team Virginia is. We’ll learn and grow and keep working hard.”
Van Sambeek defeated Mans Dahlberg 6-2 and 7-5. Catry defeated No. 104 Ryan Goetz, 6-4, 6-3 to pull the Pack within a point.
NC State had to have wins from Wayand and Rafa Izquierdo Luque to pull off the hopeful upset. Playing against No. 23 Inaki Montes, Izquierdo Luque fell in straight sets 7-5 and 6-2 to close out the afternoon.
Results
Singles
Order of finish: (3,4,1,5,2,)
1 – No. 14 Chris Rodesch def. No. 70 Luca Staeheli (NCSU), 6-4, 6-4
2 – No. 23 Inaki Montes def. No. 61 Rafa Izquierdo Luque (NCSU), 7-5, 6-2
3 – Jeffrey von der Schulenburg def. Braden Shick (NCSU) 6-3, 6-0
4 – Robin Catry (NCSU) def. No. 104 Ryan Goetz def. 6-4, 6-3
5 – Fons Van Sambeek (NCSU) def. Mans Dahlberg 6-2,…
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