Mia Slama’s emergence helped NC State win the ACC title. A quest for a national championship is up next

NC State’s Mia Slama found herself with her back against the wall in the ACC Tournament semifinals last Saturday. Down four match points in the second set against the defending singles national champion, a comeback seemed just as difficult as summiting Mount Everest.  For any player, trailing 40-0 to North Carolina’s Reece Brantmeier would be intimidating. But instead of crumbling under the pressure of battling the No. 2-ranked player in the nation, Slama appeared to dig deep into her blue-chip recruit background to fight off every serve from the Tar Heels’ star player.  The sophomore battled her way back into the match, winning the second set in a 7-6 tie breaker. And from there, she hit a new gear to close out the tilt with a 7-5 result in the third set to clinch the Wolfpack’s spot in the conference final.  While her teammates running into her arms on the court in Cary was a feeling that the former No. 8 recruit in the 2024 class struggled to find the words to describe, it was only exponentially greater the following day.  Slama, the Pack’s No. 1 court player, closed out a 4-0 win over top-seeded Virginia to claim the program’s second-ever ACC title. She did so by knocking off Vivian Yang, who beat her in a tight three-setter during the final week of the regular season, in straight sets. For the Boca Raton, Fla, native, the league tournament provided a true coming out party on the national landscape. Her junior career spoke for itself as she reached as high as No. 33 in the ITF rankings, but confirming it in one of college tennis’ top conferences against its best competition was the ultimate prize for a player that has grinded her way to the top of NC State’s lineup.