With a 3-1 lead, No. 39 N.C. State needed only one more win to advance past No. 31. Auburn. However, with three singles matches left, coach Hans Olsen said the match was anything but wrapped up.
“Auburn is a good team,” Olsen said. “They had beaten Georgia when Georgia was No. 1 in the country during the regular season. They know how to compete. We were just trying to stay in the moment and fight for every point. The matches were really tight on every court, so we knew it was going to be a tough battle.”
Olsen turned out to be correct. The Tigers took the last three matches, clinching a 4-3 victory and earning a trip the second round.
The Wolfpack started strong, winning consecutive doubles matches and taking the doubles point. State also won two of the first three singles matches. However, it could not compete with the top of the Auburn lineup, which won all of the No. 1 through No. 4 matches.
The success at doubles was particularly meaningful for the Pack, according to Olsen. He said improvement in that aspect was one of the team’s main goals at the beginning of the year.
“One goal we had was to really make a difference in the doubles,” Olsen said. “In the last four matches, we won the doubles against UNC, Duke, Virginia and Auburn. And they’re all very good doubles teams.”
Throughout the season, the team reached many new milestones. State beat Duke for the first time in program history. It also was the first year one of State’s doubles team had ever advanced to the NCAA Tournament and the first time State had advanced to the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back years.
With three freshmen, two sophomores and a junior starting at singles against Auburn, State was the youngest team among those that qualified for the NCAA Tournament. Despite the early exit from the postseason, Olsen is pleased with the season, especially considering its youth.
“Our season was fabulous,” Olsen said. “For the youngest team, we accomplished a tremendous amount. The experience we gained from that loss and all the good wins this year is going to add up in the coming years.”
Before the match, the team captains, junior Julia Roach, senior Lauren Barry and senior Alison Barry, presented the team with necklaces with the initials “C.I.” inscribed in them. The engravings reminded the team of their theme for the 2007 season – competitive intensity.
Olsen said this slogan helped bring his team together and was a big part of their strong finish.
“To bring this team together took months and a tremendous amount of leadership,” Olsen said.
“We’ve been talking about competitive intensity a lot. That’s been our kind of theme when the team competes. For the team, it was an example of how they’ve come together and really competed as a team.”
With so many players returning, Olsen believes the future is bright.
“The program is moving in a very positive direction,” Olsen said. “I feel we really accomplished a lot this year. We’re looking to build on it in the future. I think we’ve got a great young group of tennis players.”
