Deacs Fall to No. 10 NC State in Conference Opener

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Back at its home center for the fifth straight match, Wake Forest women's tennis (5-4, 0-1) hosted Big Four foe and nationally-ranked No. 10 NC State on Friday afternoon (Feb. 17). After battling in a close doubles finish, the Demon Deacons ultimately suffered a 7-0 defeat in their Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) opener.

The day saw a third consecutive doubles victory for Mia Ahmad/Casie Wooten, as the pair confidently knocked off the Wolfpack's Sophie Abrams/Abigail Rencheli in a 6-2 decision.

Holding her own in the first dual matchup against a ranked opponent of her collegiate career, Nevena Carton forced a third-set tiebreaker in fourth singles.

Wake Forest now leads 48-16 over NC State in the all-time series.

How it Happened

Active in doubles, Mia Ahmad/Casie Wooten stole the first two games on court two.
No. 10 Anna Brylin/Brooke Killingsworth steadied their work in first doubles, creating a 2-2 tie.
- The pair made quick actions in their fifth game to take a slight lead.
Even play continued in first and second doubles, soon resulting in 3-3 and 2-2 ties, respectively.
- Ahmad/Wooten stayed collected to win another pair of games, leading 4-2 at the time.
Winning three of their next five games, Nevena Carton/Whitley Pate kept competitive on third, down 5-3.
- Brylin/Killingsworth displayed a similar fight, narrowly trailing 5-4.
Ahmad/Wooten remained controlled, ultimately stacking four consecutive games to win court two, 6-2.
NC State finished victorious in first doubles, 6-4.
Carton/Pate played admirably down the stretch to again even the board (5-5), but fell in the final two games.
- The Wolfpack secured the opening doubles point.
Underway in singles, Brylin, Pate, and Maddie Lynch all hung close to start the first set (2-3 apiece).
Carton forced an early tie in her opening frame, 3-3.
NC State went up 2-0 after winning in sixth singles.
Carton kept her first set close, stringing another tie before collecting the final two games to capture a first-set victory over No. 35 Abigail Rencheli.
A fifth-singles victory upped the Wolfpack's advantage to 3-0.
Brylin, Killingsworth, and Wooten all showed heady play in their respective second sets, causing tied scores through back-and-forth rallies.
- The latter stood at 5-5 in set two.
NC State clinched on court one, up 4-0, as singles played out.
Brylin and Killingsworth each stepped into a second-set tiebreaker.
The Wolfpack scooped victories in second and third singles.
- Carton was the last Deac left competing, even in her second set at the time of action.
  - It wasn't long before the freshman entered a third frame, playing out in tiebreaker-fashion.
NC State hung on to sweep the match.
Wake Forest fell, 7-0.

Doubles Results:

Diana Shnaider/Alana Smith (NCSU) def. No. 10 Anna Brylin/Brooke Killingsworth (WF) 4-6
Mia Ahmad/Casie Wooten (WF) def. Sophie Abrams/Abigail Rencheli (NCSU) 6-2
Gina Dittmann/Nell Miller (NCSU) def. Nevena Carton/Whitley Pate (WF) 5-7

Order of Finish: 2, 1, 3

Singles Results:

Diana Shnaider (NCSU) def. No. 29 Casie Wooten (WF) 1-6, 5-7
No. 15 Alana Smith (NCSU) def. Anna Brylin (WF) 4-6, 6-7 (4-7)
No. 64 Sophie Abrams (NCSU) def. Brooke Killingsworth (WF) 0-6, 6-7 (4-7)
No. 35 Abigail Rencheli (NCSU) def. Nevena Carton (WF) 7-5, 4-6, 0-1 (8-10)
Gina Dittmann (NCSU) def. Whitley Pate (WF) 2-6, 2-6
Anna Zyryanova (NCSU) def. Maddie Lynch (WF) 3-6, 0-6

Order of Finish: 6, 5, 1, 2, 3, 4

From the Head Honcho

"Tough match today," said head coach Jeff Wyshner. "With their number one in the lineup now, NC State is expected to be one of the very best teams in the country this year and they certainly look very good. We competed from beginning to end. All three doubles played good matches – Casie and Mia were very sharp. We were in position to win a couple of singles matches but couldn't quite pull through. Credit to NC State for competing in those matches to the end. We have a big road match on Sunday. Hopefully today helped us be ready to go out and get that one."

Up Next

Wake Forest makes a quick turnaround for its first true road tilt of the season, visiting South Carolina on Sunday (Feb. 19) for an 11 a.m. start.

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Team Stats

Players Mentioned

Mia Ahmad

Anna Brylin

Nevena Carton

Brooke Killingsworth

Maddie Lynch

Whitley Pate

Casie Wooten