Duke, UNC and NC State make NCAA women’s tennis Elite 8. Five things you need to know.

Three Triangle ACC women’s tennis teams are preparing for the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament this week in Orlando, Florida.

N.C. State, Duke and UNC all advanced to the Elite 8.

The Blue Devils defeated No. 9 UCF, the No. 1 Tar Heels defeated No. 16 California and the No 6. Wolfpack knocked off USC.

N.C. State (19-5) will take on o. 3 Georgia at 11 a.m. on Wednesday on the TennisOne app, while UNC (29-0) and Duke (18-6) will square off against each other at 7:30 p.m. on the Tennis Channel.

Here are five things you need to know.

1. New territory for the Wolfpack

The run to the quarterfinals is a historic one for N.C. State, making its deepest NCAA run in school history. This is the fifth-straight NCAA appearance for the Wolfpack, a record streak for the program.

“It’s been really a two-year road to get to this point,” N.C. State head coach Simon Earnshaw said Tuesday in a Zoom call with the media.

The Wolfpack hosted a Super Regional in 2019 and COVID-19 cut short its season last spring, meaning their long journey to the Elite 8 was delayed, but the trip is greatly appreciated this time around.

“Sometimes in tough times positive opportunities arrive and we got that,” Earnshaw said. “We were able to capitalize that match on Sunday and we are able to play again (Wednesday).”

This is also the first time the Pack has multiple players, in singles and doubles, earn draws for the NCAA championships.

Graduate Anna Rogers admitted she never expected any of this when she came in as a freshman.

“I didn’t even know any of this really existed,” Rogers said. “It’s crazy to see how far we’ve come, literally started from the bottom and we are here now. It’s pretty crazy to see the evolution of the team over the years, it’s just so rewarding because of how hard we’ve worked to get to this point and how much respect we had to gain along the way. It feels amazing.”

2. The ACC is well represented

In the women’s bracket, half of the quarterfinals are made up of schools from the ACC — Duke, N.C. State, UNC and Florida State.

That’s a bright spot for the conference for sure, but it was a gauntlet in the league to get to this point, Earnshaw explains.

“Hopefully strength in numbers will raise everyone up,” Earnshaw said. “But you can also just cannibalize one another in a way to get to this point. I think for us it helped us. In this conference we’ve got some amazing coaches and you look at the individual rankings and it’s really been a strong, strong year.”

Eight players from the ACC are ranked in the top 25, including UNC’s Sara Daavettila, who is No. 4. The Tar Heels have three players ranked in the top 10.

3. Speaking of Sara Daavettila

Daavettila, a senior who’s the No. 2 seed in the tournament, is closing in on some serious marks for the No. 1 seed Tar Heels.

With her NCAA tournament win over Cal’s Haley Giavara on May 16, Daavettila picked up career win No. 144, which ranks second in school history. She’s 8-2 all-time in singles play.

4. Tar Heels vs. Blue Devils: the greatest rivalry takes on tennis

It’s no secret that the rivalry between the Duke and UNC is one of the best in college sports, especially on the hardwood. Wednesday in Florida, however, it will be the tennis court where the Blue Devils and Tar Heels will fight for a chance at the Final Four.

The No. 1 Heels hold a 4-1 advantage over the unseeded Blue Devils in the NCAA Team Championships. In their previous quarterfinals showdown in 2010, UNC won, 4-3.

5. Duke is the last unseeded team standing

Duke is the one team remaining that didn’t come into the tournament with a seed, having to work it’s way to this point as an underdog.

“We just keep getting better,” Blue Devils coach Jamie Ashworth. “I think this team has a lot left.”

Duke started its journey to the quarterfinals in Waco, Texas on May 7, knocking off Alabama, 4-0, then Baylor, 4-3, the following day. Even though they were playing at a neutral site against UCF, it felt like a home game for the Knights, but the Blue Devils won 4-3.

Now the team not many expected to be here has a showdown with a familiar foe for a shot at the Final Four.

Duke got here by not worrying about rankings or lack thereof.

“We’re playing free,” Ashworth said. “We’re playing really with no pressure on us. I don’t think anyone on our team paid attention to the seeding or that kind of stuff. We just wanted the next opportunity. Whatever opportunity we’ve been given we’ve been able to take advantage of.”

NC State vs. Georgia

When: 11 a.m., Wednesday

Watch: TennisOne app

UNC vs. Duke

When: 7:30 p.m., Wednesday

Watch: Tennis Channel