Wake Forest University
#2 NC State
Wake Forest Visits Wolfpack for First ACC Road Test
3/7/2022 1:48:00 PM | Women's Tennis
Women’s tennis will match up with No. 2 NC State for the second time this season.
RALEIGH, N.C. – Having opened up Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) play at home this past weekend, No. 15 Wake Forest women's tennis sets its sights on a significant road opportunity tomorrow (March 8), traveling to nearby Raleigh for an afternoon matchup against No. 2 NC State. A start time is set for 2 p.m. ET.
Tuesday will be the second meeting between the two programs this spring, as Wake Forest faced the Wolfpack on Jan. 30 in the ITA Kick-Off Championship on the latter's campus grounds. NC State went on to win in a 4-0 sweep.
The Demon Deacons most recently split two home matches versus No. 14 Miami and No. 54 Florida State.
NC State will be Wake Forest's fifth straight contest against a nationally-ranked opponent.
A total of six ranked players within the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) headlines Tuesday's matchup.
Last Time Out
Miami 4, Wake Forest 3 (March 4)
A competitive wave steadily composed of Friday evening (March 4) for No. 15 Wake Forest women's tennis, as the Demon Deacons hosted No. 14 Miami in their Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) opener. Wake Forest battled until the end before suffering a 4-3 defeat.
A doubles pairing of Samantha Martinelli and Casie Wooten got off to a 3-0 start before defeating No. 38 Maya Tahan/Diana Khodan, 6-3. It was the duo's fifth win of the spring campaign. Nevertheless, Miami went on to capture the doubles point.
Underway in singles, Martinelli, Anna Brylin, and Brooke Killingsworth all took 4-1 leads in their respective opening sets. Martinelli was again the first Deac to pick up a singles win, tying the match score at 1 even. However, Miami soon regained the lead, 2-1, in a second singles decision. Brylin maintained complete control on her court, tying the evening up again (2-2) before the Hurricanes surged ahead shortly afterward, 3-2, in third singles. Over in sixth singles, Killingsworth competed through three sets to tie the margin up for the third time, 3-3, but Miami ultimately won its lone remaining solo match, clinching the victory.
The loss was the Deacs' second at home this season, along with being the third straight matchup against a nationally-ranked opponent.
Wake Forest 6, Florida State 1 (March 6)
Facing yet another ranked opponent within the current ITA standings, Wake Forest women's tennis showed out as a whole on Sunday afternoon (March 6), taking down No. 54 Florida State in a 6-1 decision.
With only two doubles matchups occurring due to the Seminoles' limited roster, Wake Forest secured the first point. Martinelli and Wooten took a 4-3 lead before winning two final consecutive games. Prior to singles play, Wake Forest added another point due to a forfeited solo match by Florida State.
The Deacs picked up four more individual wins, starting with Brylin, who only gave up three games total. Martinelli followed in a clinch, increasing the Demon Deacon advantage to 4-0. Anna Campana won on court two, and Florida State notched a win in first singles. Wooten finished her match through two sets to put the cap on another stellar home showing.
The win was Wake Forest's first in ACC play this season and the first match victory over Florida State since 2017. Additionally, it was the Demon Deacons' second season win against a nationally-ranked foe.
Standing Strong
Anna Brylin has enjoyed a successful spring thus far, currently holding the best clip (9-1) for Wake Forest in singles. The senior has teamed up with sophomore Brooke Killingsworth to stand No. 6 in the nation in doubles, as the two have posted a 5-2 record.
Samantha Martinelli has gone undefeated for a month in singles, winning seven straight matches. All but one of her wins have ended in two-set decisions. The Denver native stands 8-4 in solo play.
Scouting the Opposition
NC State has only lost one match this year (4-1 versus No. 1 North Carolina) and is on a four-match win streak. The Wolfpack stands at a perfect 10-0 at home. This past weekend, the team hosted No. 14 Miami and Elon University in a Sunday doubleheader (March 6), capturing 4-3 and 7-0 victories, respectively.
Four members of the NC State roster make up the ITA singles rankings:
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No. 9 Jaeda Daniel
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No. 20 Alana Smith
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No. 24 Abigail Rencheli
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No. 112 Nell Miller
In doubles, three duos have landed spots within ITA rankings:
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No. T-16 Jaeda Daniel/Nell Miller
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No. 47 Jaeda Daniel/Alana Smith
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No. 51 Amelia Rajecki/Abigail Rencheli
In the all-time series, Wake Forest holds a 48-14 lead over NC State. The Wolfpack has won the last eight meetings.
Up Next
Following Tuesday, the Deacs will have a 10-day break from match competition, leading to a weekend spent visiting Georgia Tech (March 18) and Clemson (March 20).
Players Mentioned
