Friday, February 17
Chicago, Ill.
7:30 P.M.
Wake Forest University
vs
#7 Texas
Deacs Travel to Chicago for 2023 ITA Division I National Team Indoor Championship
2/16/2023 4:29:00 PM | Men's Tennis
The Demon Deacons will square off with No. 7 Texas to open the 16-team tournament.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – In its second-consecutive appearance in the ITA Division I National Team Indoor Championship, the ninth-seeded and ninth-ranked Wake Forest men's tennis team will face eighth-seeded and seventh-ranked Texas Friday at the XS Tennis Village in Chicago, Ill.
First serve between the Demon Deacons and the Longhorns is slated to commence at 7:30 p.m. ET.
The winner of Friday's match will advance to face the winner of No. 1 Ohio State/Illinois Saturday in the quarterfinals. The loser will move on to the consolation draw. Of note, each team is guaranteed to play three matches over the weekend through either the main or consolation draw.
Match Schedule
The live stream for all matches will be provided via Cracked Racquets, while the live stats can be found here.
2023 ITA Division I National Team Indoor Championship
Featuring 16 of the top teams across the NCAA Division I level, the ITA Division I Men's Indoor Championship has been a staple of the collegiate tennis landscape since it first began back in 1973.
Hosted by the University of Illinois, this year's field will include 13 of the Top 15 teams in the Feb. 8 ITA Collegiate Tennis Team Rankings.
Last Time Out
After dropping a hard-fought 5-2 decision to No. 8 South Carolina, the ninth-ranked Wake Forest men's tennis team bounced back to sweep in-state foe Queens, 4-0, Sunday inside the Wake Forest Indoor Tennis Center.
With the victory over Queens, Wake Forest improved to 2-0 over the Royals this season and 15-0 over in-state opponents since the beginning of the 2022 campaign. Sunday's loss to the eighth-ranked Gamecocks marked only the sixth home loss for the Demon Deacons since the start of the 2016-17 season.
Against No. 8 South Carolina, Wake Forest quickly fell behind as the Gamecocks took the doubles point behind victories in first and second doubles. South Carolina then picked up consecutive sweeps in sixth and fourth singles to take a 3-0 lead, before clinching the match with a 7-5, 6-4 win in second singles.
Despite South Carolina securing the victory, the two sides decided to play out the remainder of the contest. The Demon Deacons went on to earn wins in fifth and third singles as Matthew Thomson defeated Casey Hoole 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 and Luciano Tacchi defeated No. 67 Raphael Lambling 7-5, 7-5, leaving only first singles undecided.
No. 11 Toby Samuel knocked off Melios Efstathiou (6-3, 6-7 [7-9], 6-1) in a tight battle to end the contest between the Demon Deacons and the Gamecocks.
After an hour break, the Deacs returned to action to face Queens for the second time this season. Wake Forest jumped out to an early 1-0 lead as it clinched the doubles point against the Royals behind wins in first and third doubles.
The Deacs then went on to earn sweeps in fifth, third and sixth singles en route to the 4-0 victory over Queens.
The Matchup - No. 7 Texas
Texas enters Friday's match with a 7-1 ledger as its only loss this season came to top-ranked Ohio State.
The Longhorns are 5-1 against ranked opponents this season, including an impressive 4-3 victory over then 12th-ranked Georgia. Texas reached the 2023 ITA Division I National Team Indoor Championship after defeating then 22nd-ranked California and then 14th-ranked Arizona during ITA Kickoff Weekend.
Ranked Longhorns
Singles
#1 – Eliot Spizzirri
#25 – Siem Woldeab
#33 – Pierre-Yves Bailly
#65 – Micah Braswell
#112 – Cleeve Harper
#113 – Eshan Talluri
Doubles
#4 – Cleeve Harper/Eliot Spizzirri
Sunday will mark the 13th meeting between the Demon Deacons and the Longhorns as Wake Forest owns a 3-9 record against Texas all-time.
Sustained Success
Wake Forest has made the NCAA Tournament in each of the past nine seasons, including the 2018 season, in which the Demon Deacons won the program's first ever NCAA Championship.
Since head coach Tony Bresky took over the program in 2012, the Deacs have accumulated 31 All-ACC honors. Of note, five Demon Deacons earned All-ACC honors last season, marking the most in a single season in program history.
Additionally, Bresky became the winningest coach in program history earlier this season.
Follow the Deacs:
GoDeacs.com | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
First serve between the Demon Deacons and the Longhorns is slated to commence at 7:30 p.m. ET.
The winner of Friday's match will advance to face the winner of No. 1 Ohio State/Illinois Saturday in the quarterfinals. The loser will move on to the consolation draw. Of note, each team is guaranteed to play three matches over the weekend through either the main or consolation draw.
Match Schedule
- Friday, Feb. 17
- 7:30 p.m. - No. 9 Wake Forest vs. No. 7 Texas
- Saturday, Feb. 18
- TBA
- Sunday, Feb. 19
- TBA
- Monday, Feb. 20 - Championship
- TBD
The live stream for all matches will be provided via Cracked Racquets, while the live stats can be found here.
2023 ITA Division I National Team Indoor Championship
Featuring 16 of the top teams across the NCAA Division I level, the ITA Division I Men's Indoor Championship has been a staple of the collegiate tennis landscape since it first began back in 1973.
Hosted by the University of Illinois, this year's field will include 13 of the Top 15 teams in the Feb. 8 ITA Collegiate Tennis Team Rankings.
Last Time Out
After dropping a hard-fought 5-2 decision to No. 8 South Carolina, the ninth-ranked Wake Forest men's tennis team bounced back to sweep in-state foe Queens, 4-0, Sunday inside the Wake Forest Indoor Tennis Center.
With the victory over Queens, Wake Forest improved to 2-0 over the Royals this season and 15-0 over in-state opponents since the beginning of the 2022 campaign. Sunday's loss to the eighth-ranked Gamecocks marked only the sixth home loss for the Demon Deacons since the start of the 2016-17 season.
Against No. 8 South Carolina, Wake Forest quickly fell behind as the Gamecocks took the doubles point behind victories in first and second doubles. South Carolina then picked up consecutive sweeps in sixth and fourth singles to take a 3-0 lead, before clinching the match with a 7-5, 6-4 win in second singles.
Despite South Carolina securing the victory, the two sides decided to play out the remainder of the contest. The Demon Deacons went on to earn wins in fifth and third singles as Matthew Thomson defeated Casey Hoole 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 and Luciano Tacchi defeated No. 67 Raphael Lambling 7-5, 7-5, leaving only first singles undecided.
No. 11 Toby Samuel knocked off Melios Efstathiou (6-3, 6-7 [7-9], 6-1) in a tight battle to end the contest between the Demon Deacons and the Gamecocks.
After an hour break, the Deacs returned to action to face Queens for the second time this season. Wake Forest jumped out to an early 1-0 lead as it clinched the doubles point against the Royals behind wins in first and third doubles.
The Deacs then went on to earn sweeps in fifth, third and sixth singles en route to the 4-0 victory over Queens.
The Matchup - No. 7 Texas
Texas enters Friday's match with a 7-1 ledger as its only loss this season came to top-ranked Ohio State.
The Longhorns are 5-1 against ranked opponents this season, including an impressive 4-3 victory over then 12th-ranked Georgia. Texas reached the 2023 ITA Division I National Team Indoor Championship after defeating then 22nd-ranked California and then 14th-ranked Arizona during ITA Kickoff Weekend.
Ranked Longhorns
Singles
#1 – Eliot Spizzirri
#25 – Siem Woldeab
#33 – Pierre-Yves Bailly
#65 – Micah Braswell
#112 – Cleeve Harper
#113 – Eshan Talluri
Doubles
#4 – Cleeve Harper/Eliot Spizzirri
Sunday will mark the 13th meeting between the Demon Deacons and the Longhorns as Wake Forest owns a 3-9 record against Texas all-time.
Sustained Success
Wake Forest has made the NCAA Tournament in each of the past nine seasons, including the 2018 season, in which the Demon Deacons won the program's first ever NCAA Championship.
Since head coach Tony Bresky took over the program in 2012, the Deacs have accumulated 31 All-ACC honors. Of note, five Demon Deacons earned All-ACC honors last season, marking the most in a single season in program history.
Additionally, Bresky became the winningest coach in program history earlier this season.
Follow the Deacs:
GoDeacs.com | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Players Mentioned
Football Media Availability (9/18/25)
Thursday, September 18
Matt Barrie SportsCenter at Wake Forest with Demond Claiborne
Wednesday, September 10
Matt Barrie SportsCenter on Wake Forest Campus (Arnold Palmer Complex)
Wednesday, September 10
Football Media Availability (9/9/25)
Wednesday, September 10