Liberty University
Georgia State
Flames Remain Unbeaten at Home With 6-1 Triumph Against Georgia State
2/5/2021 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
The Liberty men's tennis team stayed unbeaten at home with a 6-1 triumph over visiting Georgia State, Friday afternoon at Crosswhite Athletic Club.
The Flames run their home record to 3-0 and are 3-3 overall in 2021 after their second home win in the last five days. The Panthers drop to 0-2. Friday's match was the first-ever meeting between the two schools.
Liberty's top doubles unit, Josh Wilson and Goncalo Ferreira, earned their second straight ranked doubles victory. The duo bested Georgia State's No. 30 Andrei Duarte and Roberts Grinvalds 7-5 to clinch the doubles session.
The Flames won at No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, No. 4 and No. 6 singles as well.
Thoughts From Assistant Coach Trevor Foshey
"The guys are really coming together as a team. This was all nine guys, whether in the lineup or not, competing as one unit. It sounds cliché, but we're just sticking to the fundamentals and getting better and better at them each match."
Liberty 6, Georgia State 1
Singles Competition
1. Nicaise Muamba (LIBERTYM) def. Vazha Shubladze (GSUM) 6-4, 6-3
2. Josh Wilson (LIBERTYM) def. Andrei Duarte (GSUM) 7-5, 6-4
3. R. Marques Da Silva (LIBERTYM) def. Mihai Marinescu (GSUM) 6-1, 6-4
4. Goncalo Ferreira (LIBERTYM) def. Harvey Maughan (GSUM) 4-6, 6-1, 7-5
5. Roberts Grinvalds (GSUM) def. Christiaan Worst (LIBERTYM) 7-5, 7-5
6. Deji Thomas-Smith (LIBERTYM) def. Diego Padilha (GSUM) 6-4, 6-4
Doubles Competition
1. Josh Wilson/Goncalo Ferreira (LIBERTYM) def. #30 Andrei Duarte/Roberts Grinvalds (GSUM) 7-5
2. Christiaan Worst/Deji Thomas-Smith (LIBERTYM) vs. Vazha Shubladze/Harvey Maughan (GSUM) 5-4, unfinished
3. Nicaise Muamba/R. Marques Da Silva (LIBERTYM) def. Kevin Huynh/Mihai Marinescu (GSUM) 6-2
Georgia State 0-2
Liberty 3-3
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1); Singles (3,2,1,5,4,6)
Official: D Harrison/M Mayrosh T-3:23
How It Happened
• Liberty's No. 3 doubles team of Nicaise Muamba and Rafael Marques Da Silva picked up their second consecutive win, defeating the Panthers' Kevin Huynh and Mihai Marinescu 6-2.
• In Wilson and Ferreira's previously mentioned victory, the duo overcame a 5-4 deficit. The pairing now has three career wins versus ranked opponents.
• With a 1-0 lead after the doubles session, Liberty's top three singles players, who are each ASUN Player of the Week honorees already this season, secured the team victory for the Flames. First, Marques Da Silva, playing in the No. 3 position for the first time in his career, closed out a 6-1, 6-4 victory versus Marinescu.
• This week's ASUN Player of the Week, Wilson, also won in straight sets (7-5, 6-4) on court two over Duarte.
• Last week's ASUN Player of the Week, Muamba, topped Vazha Shubladze 6-4, 6-3. Muamba's win bumped Liberty's lead to 4-0, securing the match. The Liberty junior sports a team-best 4-1 singles record, this spring.
• Georgia State's only point of the day came from Grinvalds, who battled past the Flames' Chrstiaan Worst 7-5, 7-5 in the No. 5 singles contest.
• Liberty's Ferreira was down a set to Harvey Maughan in the No. 4 slot but bounced back to win the match 4-6, 6-1, 7-5. The second-year Flame trailed 5-4 in the third set and claimed the last three games for his first singles victory of the season.
• The Flames' Deji Thomas-Smith, who was the last one to begin his match, knocked off Diego Padilha 6-4, 6-4. His second singles victory of the year settled the final score at 6-1 in favor of Liberty.
• Friday's five-point margin of victory was Liberty's largest of 2021. The Flames also have home victories over Elon (5-2 final) and Old Dominion (4-3 final).
Next Up
• Liberty will be back in action at Charlotte (3-2), Sunday afternoon. First serve is slated for 2 p.m. at Life Time Athletic Charlotte.
• This is the third all-time meeting between the two schools but first since 2013. The series is even at 1-1.
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
3,1
#1 Singles Match
#2 Singles Match
#3 Singles Match
#4 Singles Match
#5 Singles Match
#6 Singles Match
Order of Finish:
3,2,1,5,4,6