ROME, Ga. – Despite a late charge, Virginia Tech ran out of steam at the ACC Men's Tennis Championship on Thursday afternoon against No. 20 NC State. The Hokies fell 4-1 to the Wolfpack, though they were within a handful of games of advancing to the next round.
Tech did itself no favors in doubles, as NC State earned commanding 6-1 wins on Court 2 and Court 3. The No. 20 pair of Jordan Chrysostom and Ryan Fishback were in a tight 4-3 affair with No. 43 Martins Rocens and Fons Van Sambeek in Court 1 as the point was clinched.
The Hokies looked much more prepared for the moment as play continued into singles. Though State extended its lead with straight set wins on Court 5 and Court 6, Alvaro Saez-Royuela Ariza offered hope for Tech. The sophomore looked dominant on Court 2, as he notched a 6-2, 6-4 result.
However, Virginia Tech just ran out of time after beginning to mount a comeback. The two Hokies facing ranked opponents – No. 81 Ryan Fishback (No. 91 Rafa Izquierdo Luque) and Carlo Donato (No. 113 Robin Catry) – both dropped their first sets. Both players clawed back into the match with second set wins and were ahead in their third sets when the Wolfpack clinched the overall victory.
Hugo Maia had taken the first set on Court 4, but dropped his second and caught some unfortunate breaks in the third set to provide NC State the fourth team point.
