NC State men’s and women’s tennis teams advance to Sweet Sixteen

The men’s and women’s NCAA tennis tournaments got underway this weekend, and both of NC State’s teams had the luxury of hosting for the first two rounds.

The women’s tennis team, which has been ranked in the top 10 all year, is the No. 6 overall seed in the field. The ladies didn’t have much trouble advancing through the regional, beating William & Mary on Saturday, 4-0, and 22nd-ranked Tennessee on Sunday, 4-1.

Jaeda Daniel clinched the match for State:

This is the third consecutive Sweet Sixteen appearance for the ladies, who are coming off the program’s first-ever Final Four appearance. They’ll host No. 11 Cal next weekend with a potential match against No. 3 Duke looming in the Elite Eight. UNC is the tournament’s No. 1 overall seed.

On the men’s side, the Wolfpack strolled past Liberty 4-0 in the first round and went down to the wire with Middle Tennessee in the second, edging the Blue Raiders 4-3. That’s technically an upset, since MTSU is the No. 16 overall seed and the Pack is unseeded.

It’s a big accomplishment for the men, who haven’t been to the Sweet Sixteen since 2007. That was also the program’s first and only Sweet Sixteen appearance.

Their task now: travel to Texas and take on top-seeded TCU. The Horned Frogs are 25-4 on the year. Hey, no problem!