Wake Forest Enters Final Stretch of the Season with Matches Against Syracuse and Boston College

Friday, March 27

Winston-Salem, N.C.

4 P.M.

Wake Forest University

Syracuse

Photo by: Bryce Mitchell / Wake Forest Athletics

Wake Forest Enters Final Stretch of the Season with Matches Against Syracuse and Boston College

3/26/2026 10:58:00 AM | Women's Tennis

The Demon Deacons will look to improve their ACC record as the postseason approaches.

By: Joseph Baker

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Fresh off of a road win against Princeton, Wake Forest women's tennis (9-9, 1-5 ACC) will look to keep rolling against a pair of struggling ACC squads. First, the Demon Deacons will take on Syracuse (5-8, 1-5 ACC) on Friday evening before welcoming Boston College (8-8, 0-6 ACC) two days later. These matches kick off a two-week homestand, Wake Forest's last of the season.

The Demon Deacons have defeated the Orange the last eight times the pair have met. The teams did not play last season, but the Deacs won, 5-2, in the 2023-24 season. Wake Forest also defeated Boston College in 2024 in the last meeting between the schools. Then a sophomore and freshman respectively, Nevena Carton and Sankavi Gownder combined to go 4-0 in singles in those wins.

After the top-50 road win, Wake Forest has re-entered the ITA rankings. The Deacs come in at No. 65 this week. They are one of 12 ACC schools in the rankings.

Super Senior
Nevena Carton has produced back-to-back clutch wins over ranked singles players. In the loss at SMU, she defeated No. 49 Amalie Van Impe, who had beaten the No. 1 player in the country earlier in the season. A week later, Carton took down Princeton's No. 79 Alice Ferlito in straight sets. Earlier this season, she crossed the 100-win milestone.

Hot Streak
Freshman Evie Oxford has won an incredible 13-straight singles matches. Since losing in the season opener at No. 16 Tennessee, Oxford has not dropped a match in 17 matches over 68 days. Last match, she was moved up to third singles and didn't skip a beat against supposedly tougher competition. She steamrolled Eva Elbaz of Princeton, 6-1, 6-3, earning what would prove to be a vital point in the 4-3 win over the Tigers.

The Matches

Friday, March 27 – Wake Forest vs. Syracuse– 4 p.m.
Sunday, March 29 – Wake Forest vs. Boston College – 12 p.m.

Series History
Friday, March 27 vs. Syracuse (5-8, 1-5 ACC).

Wake Forest leads the all-time series, 13-4
Last meeting: 2024, 5-2 win (away)
Current streak: Wake Forest W 8

Sunday, March 29: vs. Boston College (8-8, 0-6 ACC)

Wake Forest leads the all-time series, 15-7
Last meeting: 2024, 6-1 win (away)
Current streak: Wake Forest W 1

Annual 'Green Game'
Fans, Friday's match against Syracuse will be our 'We are Wake- Green Game.' Come on out to the match and receive a green ribbon. "We are Wake" is a university-wide initiative that reminds us that every member of our community is part of the team. We look out for one another, we reach out when a teammate struggles, and we know that caring for our mental health is just as important as our success on the field or in the classroom

Last Time Out
Wake Forest defeated No. 42 Princeton in a 4-3 thriller. It was the Deacs' first road and top-50 win of the season.

Wake Forest took an early lead with a pair of wins in doubles. Carton and partner Kady Tannenbaum downed No. 87 Tsehay Driscoll and Pearlie Zhang to begin the day, giving the Deacs the early advantage. Shortly after, Evie Oxford and Sankavi Gownder secured the opening point for the Deacs with a win of their own on court two.

Oxford, playing up in third singles for the first time this season, had no issues with the promotion. She made quick work of Eva Elbaz, 6-1, 6-3, and notched the first singles win of the match to put the Demon Deacons up by two. The freshman improved to a remarkable 13-1 record in singles on the season.

Carton's brilliant day continued when she beat No. 79 Alice Ferlito in first singles. It is her second consecutive ranked win after beating Amalie Van Impe of SMU last weekend. Carton completed a perfect 2-0 day in her homecoming match, beating nationally-ranked opponents in both doubles and singles.

The Tigers wouldn't go down without a fight. Princeton responded with three consecutive singles wins to level the match at 3-3. It would all come down to the result of Gownder versus Tsehay Driscoll. After dropping the first set, 6-4, Gownder leveled the match after a hard-fought second set. The junior would come up clutch in the third set to earn the Deacs the road win. The final would end up reading 4-6, 7-6, 7-5 in favor of Gownder.

Up Next
Another two-match weekend awaits the Deacs, as Notre Dame and Louisville make the trip to Winston-Salem. The match against Louisville (April 5) will be Wake Forest's senior day.