The Shnaider effect, stellar weekend help Wolfpack women’s tennis make a statement

Ethan Bakogiannis Sports Editor

After a narrow 3-4 upset defeat at the hands of then-No. 21 Vanderbilt, the thenNo. 3 NC State women’s tennis team hit an early-season crossroads, one that didn’t bode well for the immediate future of a team with national championship-level aspirations.

Over the weekend, though, the red-andwhite responded to the loss in a big way, pulling off two statement wins over ranked programs due to its relentless mindset and a little help from star freshman Diana Shnaider.

Granted, the loss against the Commodores to any other team wouldn’t be a big deal, even after the Pack dropped to No. 10 in the rankings. Many other programs would take a spot inside the top 10 in a heartbeat, but for NC State and head coach Simon Earnshaw’s rigorous standards, the loss to Vanderbilt was a setback. Not only was it an upset loss, it eliminated NC State’s opportunity to compete in the ITA National Indoors Tournament, where it would’ve had the chance to build its resume against even tougher opposition.

Since then, however, NC State’s reversed its fortunes and went on a tear, dominating both of its ranked opponents in its two must-win matches following the loss. The red-and-white outscored then-No. 15 Oklahoma and then-No. 22 Tennessee 12-2 in terms of match score, on back-to-back days no less, reminding everyone of how dangerous this squad can be.

“We really needed [those wins] now because with us not having advanced to the National Indoor, there’s a level of urgency that we have to get these wins,” Earnshaw said. “We needed these wins, for sure.”

So, what happened? What’s the difference? Well, a large part of the Pack’s burst of success comes from Shnaider, who finally joined NC State’s lineup in its fourth match of the season after officially gaining eligibility from the NCAA. The three-time junior grand slam champion and renowned recruit was a breath of fresh air for the Pack, one that rejuvenated its lineup after its loss to Vanderbilt.

Shnaider’s unrelenting attacking skills, uncanny instincts and thunderous forehand make her a force to be reckoned with, allowing her to go blow-for-blow with the best in college tennis. There’s a reason she’s ranked No. 94 in the world — she’s been there, done that and is now determined to dominate at the collegiate level.

Shnaider’s insertion to the lineup doesn’t just impact her court, though. She provides an instant boost to NC State’s depth as a whole, especially in singles. With the freshman rightfully assuming duties on court one, the rest of the Pack’s talented singles roster moved down a court, creating an airtight roster stocked with experienced players from courts one through six.

“The Diana move at [court] one, because she put everyone down a spot, is definitely why we won these last couple of matches,” said graduate student Alana Smith. “Our lineup on [courts] four, five and six is just pretty solid. I think we can definitely compete with all the top teams down there.”

Smith, who played at the one spot during Shnaider’s absence, has moved down one place in the lineup just like the rest of the Pack’s singles players. The No. 13-ranked Smith, who embraced Shnaider’s incorporation, cruised in her two matches on the weekend, winning 6-1, 6-3 and 6-4, 6-2 against her respective Sooner and Volunteer opponents. NC State’s singles domination as a whole proved that like Smith, the rest of the lineup seemed to benefit from the Shnaider effect as well.

The Wolfpack’s desire to respond to the Vanderbilt loss was not only evident with its play over the weekend, but with the team’s determined mindset as well. NC State knew its potential, and made a statement against Oklahoma and Tennessee by claiming the pair of ranked, 6-1 wins.

“We definitely had a ‘come together moment’ after Vanderbilt,” Smith said. “And we were like: we still have a pretty strong schedule. And we’re pretty much playing 10 out of the 15 teams going to endorse so if we know we can just stay solid and get some wins against those teams, we’ll still be in a good position.”

With the Sooners and Volunteers in the rear view mirror, NC State won’t have the opportunity to play more ranked teams at the ITA Indoors but has many more chances to replicate the weekend’s performances and add to its resume even before ACC play begins.

“It is a bit risky to play that level of a nonconference [schedule] if you have eight nonconference matches and six of them are top25 opponents,” Earnshaw said. “But I think we can handle it and I think we showed this weekend that we can more than ever.”

With Shnaider and a reinvigorated lineup, the Wolfpack is riding as high as ever and hungry for more. While the road ahead won’t be easy, especially with the beginning of conference play quickly approaching, NC State’s statement weekend bodes well for its chances to get right back to where it was at the beginning of the season — vying for a national championship.