Pack Defeats Louisville, 4-2, in Opening Match of ITA Kick Off

Pack Defeats Louisville, 4-2, in Opening Match of ITA Kick Off NC State advances to the championship match

Sophomore Beck Bond

Jan. 25, 2013

OXFORD, Miss. - The NC State men's tennis team won its opening match of the 2013 ITA Kick Off against the 36th-ranked Louisville Cardinals, 4-2, on Friday in the Gillom Sports Center to advance to the championship match. The Wolfpack won the doubles point and three matches in singles play to claim the victory.

"The match was very similar to our first two matches in that it was a war," said head coach Jon Choboy. "Doubles came down to the last match and we were able to win it, so that was huge for us and gave us some good momentum."

The top-ranked doubles pair for the Pack, Dave Thomson and Sean Weber, started the day off with a huge 8-5 victory over the 31st-ranked duo of Albert Wagner and Alex Gornet. Robbie Mudge and Thomas Weigel suffered an 8-4 setback against Van Damrongsri and Seb Stiefelmeyer, 8-4, in the next doubles match.

Beck Bond and Austin Powell's match against Michael Lippens and Luis Elizondo would determine the winner of the doubles point with each team having one doubles match win. Bond and Powell came up victorious for State with an 8-5 win to claim the doubles point.

"They gave us everything they could throw at us and our guys did a nice job of handling it," said Choboy. "They're a pretty highly ranked team, so it was a real good effort by the guys."

Louisville edged the Pack in the first two matches, as Powell fell to 82nd-ranked Stiefelmeyer, 6-4, 6-2, and Thomson stumbled against Wagner, 6-3, 5-7, 6-1. The Cardinals held a narrow 2-1 lead after the first two singles matches.

"We lost at 1 and 2, but Dave (Thomson) really battled hard in his match to keep momentum from swinging in the other team's direction," said Choboy. "He kept us from losing momentum by competing throughout the match."

NC State rebounded by reeling off three consecutive victories at the 3, 4 and 5 spots to claim the win. Mudge defeated Chris Simich, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, Weigel topped Elizondo, 4-6, 6-0, 6-2, and Weber knocked off Lippens in straight sets 7-5, 6-2.

The Wolfpack will face the winner of the contest between the top-ranked Ole Miss Rebels and fourth-ranked Columbia Lions, at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 26. The winner of the championship match will clinch a spot in the 2013 ITA National Men's Team Indoor Championships, hosted by the University of Washington, Feb. 15-18.

Live stats for tomorrow's match can be found by clicking HERE.

ITA Kick-Off Weekend
North Carolina State vs. Louisville
Jan 25, 2013 at Oxford, Miss.
(Gillom Sports Center)

#41 North Carolina State 4, #36 Louisville 2

Doubles
1. Sean Weber/Dave Thomson (NCSTATE) def. #31 Albert Wagner/Alex Gornet (LOU-MT) 8-5
2. Beck Bond/Austin Powell (NCSTATE) def. Michael Lippens/Luis Elizondo (LOU-MT) 8-5
3. Van Damrongsri/Seb Stiefelmeyer (LOU-MT) def. Robbie Mudge/Thomas Weigel (NCSTATE) 8-4

Singles
1. #82 Seb Stiefelmeyer (LOU-MT) def. Austin Powell (NCSTATE) 6-4, 6-2
2. Albert Wagner (LOU-MT) def. Dave Thomson (NCSTATE) 6-3, 5-7, 6-1
3. Robbie Mudge (NCSTATE) def. Chris Simich (LOU-MT) 6-3, 3-6, 6-2
4. Thomas Weigel (NCSTATE) def. Luis Elizondo (LOU-MT) 4-6, 6-0, 6-4
5. Sean Weber (NCSTATE) def. Michael Lippens (LOU-MT) 7-5, 6-2
6. Alex Gornet (LOU-MT) vs. Simon Norenius (NCSTATE) 5-7, 1-0, unfinished

Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (1,2,3,4,5)

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