No. 43 Liberty Prepared to Face No. 49 UNCW at Home and Bellarmine on Road
3/25/2021 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Live Scoring: No. 43 Liberty vs. No. 49 UNCW (Friday)
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The No. 43-ranked Liberty Flames men's tennis squad will host No. 49 UNCW on Friday in non-conference action before playing a road ASUN match at Bellarmine, Sunday.
The Flames (11-5, 2-0 ASUN), who garnered their first team national ranking in program history on Wednesday, will take on the UNCW Seahawks (7-2) tomorrow at noon at the Liberty Tennis Complex in a battle of ranked teams.
On Sunday, Liberty will square off with ASUN newcomer Bellarmine (3-15, 0-2 ASUN). First serve is slated for 1 p.m. at the Eddie Webber Tennis Complex in Louisville, Ky.
This is the third time in school history that Liberty has started 11-5 overall or better. The Flames have won three straight matches. Last weekend, Liberty won its ASUN opener at North Alabama 7-0 (Friday) and defeated Lipscomb 5-2 (Sunday) on the road as well.
UNCW enters the weekend with a five-match winning streak and broke into the top-50 for the first time this season yesterday as well. The Seahawks swept Campbell 7-0, last Sunday in their most recent match. UNCW holds a 7-0 edge over Liberty in the all-time series. The two programs last met on Feb. 9, 2018, a 6-1 Seahawks victory in Wilmington, N.C.
Bellarmine is looking to snap an eight-match losing skid. The Knights fell 4-3 at North Alabama, last Sunday.
Flames News and Notes
• Liberty is one of four Virginia schools in the ITA Top-50. No. 6 Virginia, No. 38 Virginia Tech and No. 39 VCU are also on the list.
• Liberty's Deji Thomas-Smith earned his first career ASUN Player of the Week honor on Wednesday. Thomas-Smith and the Flames have claimed eight of the 10 weekly honors from the conference in 2021.
• Other ASUN Player of the Week award winners for the Flames this season include Nicaise Muamba (three times), Rafael Marques Da Silva (three times) and Josh Wilson (one time).
• UNCW holds a 7-0 edge over Liberty in the all-time series. The two programs last met on Feb. 9, 2018, a 6-1 Seahawks victory in Wilmington, N.C.
• The Flames and Bellarmine Knights met for the first time on March 7, 2020 in a non-conference match. Liberty swept Bellarmine 7-0 in that match in Lynchburg.
• Liberty was picked to finish second in the ASUN Men's Tennis Preseason Coaches Poll. Bellarmine was selected to finish eighth in the ASUN.
• The Flames sport an unblemished 6-0 record at home this season. Liberty is 3-0 at Crosswhite Athletic Club, 2-0 at the Liberty Tennis Complex (outdoor stadium courts) and 1-0 at the Liberty Indoor Tennis Center. Liberty is 5-4 away from home in 2021.
• Marques Da Silva (11-4) and Muamba (11-4) lead the team with 11 singles victories apiece. Marques Da Silva and Muamba are Liberty's top doubles unit at 10-3 overall (3-1 No. 2, 7-2 No. 3).
