WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – The William & Mary women's tennis team opens a stretch of five road contests in six matches when it travels to North Carolina to face a pair of ACC foes this weekend. The Tribe treks to Winston-Salem, N.C., to face Wake Forest on Saturday, Feb. 11, at 10:30 a.m., before heading to N.C. State on Sunday, Feb. 12, on 1 p.m.
 
Scouting the Tribe
W&M split its home matches against the Big 12 last week, downing West Virginia, 7-0, before dropping a 4-2 decision to Kansas. The Tribe currently sits at 3-3 on the year. The Green and Gold swept the CAA weekly awards with junior Ekaterina Stepanova garnering her first player of the week honor. She won at the top two singles positions against Big 12 competition and currently sits at 7-4 overall and 4-1 in dual-match play. The doubles tandem of junior Olivia Thaler and sophomore Lauren Goodman garnered the CAA Doubles Team of the Week honor. They paired together for the first time, winning at No. 1 vs. West Virginia and No. 2 against Kansas. It marked the third career CAA doubles honor for Thaler and the second-straight week that Goodman was honored. She was the CAA Player of the Week on Feb. 1 after opening the season 3-0 in singles action. Senior Marie Faure, who was ranked No. 3 in the ITA Atlantic Region in singles, leads the Tribe at 13-6 in singles competition followed closely by freshman Natalia Perry at 12-6. Goodman, Thaler and Stepanova top the Tribe at 4-1 in dual-match play. During head coach Tyler Thomson's tenure at W&M, the Tribe has made it has habit of knocking off Power Five Conference programs.  The Green and Gold owns 16 wins over Power Five Conference opponents in Thomson's five seasons, including five wins over the ACC.
 
Scouting N.C. State
N.C. State is 4-2 on the year after splitting its matches last weekend. The Wolfpack suffered a 4-3 setback to Kansas, a team that topped the Tribe, 4-2, last week as well, before besting East Carolina, 6-1. The Wolfpack split matches at the ITA Kick-Off Weekend topping Arkansas, 4-3, before falling to No. 3-ranked Pepperdine, 4-0. Martina Frantova is ranked No. 31 nationally, sits at 12-6 overall and 3-1 at No. 1. She owns four wins over nationally-ranked opponents, including knocking off No. 50 Anastasia Rychagova of Kansas and Arkansas' No. 103-ranked Ana Oparenovic. Amanda Rebol, who is 13-1 overall and 5-0 in dual-match play, was ranked No. 106 nationally in the latest singles poll. In doubles, the Wolfpack is 10-2 in dual-match play. Bianca Moldovan and Claudia Wiktorin lead the way at 10-4 overall, 5-1 in duals and 2-0 at No. 1. Frantova and Anna Rogers have also spent time at No. 1, going 2-0 at the position and 5-0 overall. Rebol and Rogers have combined to go 7-1 overall and 2-0 in dual-match play at No. 2.
 
Series History: W&M vs. N.C. State
The Tribe leads the all-time series with the Wolfpack at 12-5. W&M makes its second-straight trip to Raleigh to face N.C. State. Last season, the Wolfpack won a narrow 4-3 decision over the Tribe. The series history in Raleigh is even at three apiece and N.C. State has won the last two home tilts.
 
Scouting Wake Forest
Wake Forest enters the match with the Tribe at 6-2 and winners of three straight. The Demon Deacons topped Virginia, 4-0, in the second match of the ITA Kick-Off Weekend in Charlottesville, before winning its last two tilts on the road over Ivy League foes. Wake Forest topped Yale, 7-0, and Princeton, 5-2, last week. Wake Forest's setbacks this season have come at Tennessee and to LSU at the ITA Kick-Off Weekend. Kimmy Guerin and Emma Davis are both in the ITA National Singles rankings at No. 53 and No. 70, respectively. Guerin is 11-6 overall and 5-2 at No. 1 singles, while Davis owns a 13-4 singles mark and at 5-1 ledger at No. 2. In doubles, Guerine and Anna Ulyashchenko are 4-4 at No. 1, while Davis and Chandler Carter have tallied a 4-3 record at No. 2.
 
Series History: W&M vs. Wake Forest
Wake Forest leads the all-time series with W&M, 21-17, but the Tribe has won seven of the last 11 meetings. Last season, the Demon Deacons topped W&M, 6-1, in Williamsburg. The Green and Gold tallied a 4-3 win over Wake Forest in its last trip to Winston-Salem. The Tribe claimed the doubles point, before winning the top three singles matches.