Liberty University
Lipscomb
Lady Flames Close Out Weekend by Defeating Bisons 4-3 in ASUN Match
3/21/2021 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
The Liberty Lady Flames topped the Lipscomb Bisons 4-3 in their second ASUN Conference match of the weekend, Sunday at the Huston-Marsh-Griffith Tennis Center.
With the win, Liberty improves to 12-3 overall and 2-0 in the ASUN. The Lady Flames take over sole possession of first place in the North Division of the ASUN. Lipscomb slips to 6-7 overall and 1-1 in conference.
The Lady Flames wrap up a 2-1 week on the road following today's victory. Liberty defeated North Alabama 5-2 on Friday and fell 4-2 to Charlotte, Wednesday.
Thoughts From Head Coach Jeff Maren
"The girls had to battle back from a deficit but had the mental fortitude to dig out the win. Lipscomb is a very good team, so we needed a lot of toughness from everyone. To God be the glory!"
Singles Competition
1. Alexandra Almborg (LIBERTYW) def. POPOVA, Kate (LIPW) 6-3, 6-2
2. Tiffany Nguyen (LIBERTYW) def. ZAKORDONIEC, Emma (LIPW) 6-3, 6-3
3. Esther Lovato (LIBERTYW) def. DOBRANOS, Sasha (LIPW) 7-6 (9-7), 6-2
4. Micaela Ode Mitre (LIBERTYW) def. TRBEZNIK, Anja (LIPW) 6-4, 6-3
5. DIACHENKO, Liza (LIPW) def. Grace Hashiguchi (LIBERTYW) 6-3, 6-3
6. BANDY, Maddox (LIPW) def. Eloise Saraty (LIBERTYW) 5-7, 6-4, 6-2
Doubles Competition
1. POPOVA, Kate/TRBEZNIK, Anja (LIPW) def. Alexandra Almborg/Eloise Saraty (LIBERTYW) 6-3
2. DIACHENKO, Liza/DOBRANOS, Sasha (LIPW) def. Tiffany Nguyen/Micaela Ode Mitre (LIBERTYW) 7-6 (9-7)
3. Esther Lovato/Grace Hashiguchi (LIBERTYW) def. BANDY, Maddox/HOWARD, Perri (LIPW) 6-4
Liberty 12-3, 2-0 ASUN
Lipscomb 6-7, 1-1 ASUN
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (1,2,5,4,3,6)
Official: Reeves T-3:08
Liberty 4, Lipscomb 3
How It Happened
• Liberty lost the doubles point for just the fourth time in its 15 matches. The Lady Flames prevailed on court three but fell on courts one and two.
• Lipscomb's top duo, Kate Popova and Anja Trbeznik, defeated Alexandra Almborg and Eloise Saraty of Liberty 6-2. Liberty's one doubles victory came from Grace Hashiguchi and Esther Lovato (No. 3 doubles), a 6-4 triumph over Maddox Bandy and Perri Howard.
• The Bisons earned the first point of the day with a tiebreaker victory from its No. 2 doubles unit, Liza Diachenko and Sasha Dobranos. The pairing edged Tiffany Nguyen and Micaela Ode Mitre of Liberty in a lengthy tiebreaker, 7-6 (7).
• Liberty's No. 1-4 singles players all won their matches to put Liberty ahead 4-1, securing the victory. On court one, the Lady Flames' Almborg evened the match at 1-1 after defeating reigning ASUN Player of the Week Popova 6-3, 6-2. Liberty took its first lead of the match, 2-1, after Nguyen (No. 2 singles) knocked off Emma Zakordoniec in straight sets (6-3, 6-3).
• Nguyen's doubles partner, Ode Mitre, earned her 10th spring singles win when she bested Trbeznik in two sets, 6-4, 6-3, on court four. Ode Mitre is 10-4 on the season and 3-0 at No. 4 singles.
• The Lady Flames' Lovato ran her record to a perfect 14-0 (2-0, No. 3, 12-0 No. 4) and gave Liberty the match-clinching fourth point after defeating Dobranos in two sets, 7-6 (7), 6-2 on court three. Lovato has now secured the victory for the Lady Flames in three straight wins and has claimed 19 straight singles contests overall, dating back to 2020.
• Lipscomb collected victories in the No. 5 and 6 singles matches, bringing the final score to 4-3. The Bisons' Diachenko got past Hashiguchi of the Lady Flames 6-3, 6-3 on court five. Bandy of Lipscomb knocked off Saraty in three sets (5-7, 6-4, 6-2) in the No. 6 slot.
• Liberty is 3-0 all-time against Lipscomb, including a 2-0 mark in ASUN matches. Both Lady Flames victories in conference play versus the Bisons have been by a 4-3 score.
Next Up
• Liberty will head to Huntington, W. Va., for a non-conference bout at Marshall (4-5), next Saturday. Match time is scheduled for 11 a.m. at the Brian David Fox Tennis Center.
• The Lady Flames are 2-5 all-time against the Thundering Herd. Liberty topped Marshall 4-3 in the last meeting (April 11, 2019), which was held in Lynchburg.
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
1,3,2
#1 Singles Match
#2 Singles Match
#3 Singles Match
#4 Singles Match
#5 Singles Match
#6 Singles Match
Order of Finish:
1,2,5,4,3,6