Liberty University
Bellarmine
No. 43 Flames Sweep Knights 7-0 in ASUN Regular Season Finale
4/10/2021 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
The 43rd-ranked Liberty Flames men's tennis team swept the Bellarmine Knights 7-0 for a second time this season, this time doing so on its home courts at the Liberty Tennis Complex on Saturday afternoon.
Liberty completes a perfect ASUN regular season, going 6-0 in the North Division. The Flames run their home record to 10-0 in 2021 and are 16-6 overall this season. Liberty's 16 victories this year ties a program record which was originally established by the 1990 Flames squad.
Bellarmine slips to 3-19 overall and 0-6 in the ASUN. The Knights have lost 12 straight matches.
Liberty has clinched the No. 1 seed in the ASUN North Division and will face Bellarmine, the No. 4 seed in the North Division, next Saturday at 2 p.m. in an ASUN Championship quarterfinal showdown. The winner of that contest will move on to the ASUN semifinals, hosted by North Florida on April 23. The 2021 ASUN Men's Tennis Championship final will take place on April 24 at the UNF Tennis Complex in Jacksonville, Fla.
#43 Liberty 7, Bellarmine 0
Singles competition
1. R. Marques Da Silva (LIBERTYM) def. Cole Groetsch (BELL) 6-2, 6-3
2. Deji Thomas-Smith (LIBERTYM) def. Paul Reynolds (BELL) 6-0, 6-0
3. Christiaan Worst (LIBERTYM) def. Emil B. Berglund (BELL) 6-4, 6-1
4. Thando Longwe-Smit (LIBERTYM) def. Ian Deiters (BELL) 6-2, 6-2
5. Goncalo Ferreira (LIBERTYM) def. Sam Rueff (BELL) 6-2, 6-4
6. Zion Heaven (LIBERTYM) def. Joseph Naville (BELL) 6-1, 6-0
Doubles competition
1. Deji Thomas-Smith/Christiaan Worst (LIBERTYM) def. Cole Groetsch/Michael Staff (BELL) 6-1
2. Nicaise Muamba/R. Marques Da Silva (LIBERTYM) vs. Ian Deiters/Paul Reynolds (BELL) 4-3, unfinished
3. Steve Mundt/Josh Wilson (LIBERTYM) def. Eli Franks/Emil B. Berglund (BELL) 6-0
Bellarmine 3-19, 0-6 ASUN
Liberty 16-6, 6-0 ASUN; National ranking #43
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,); Singles (2,6,4,3,1,5)
Official: J Conley/B Harrison T-1:50
How It Happened
• Liberty took the doubles session and won each of the six singles contests in straight sets. The Flames won a combined 72 games in singles, compared to 21 for the Knights.
• In doubles, Liberty's No. 3 unit, Steve Mundt and Josh Wilson, stayed unbeaten with a 6-0 decision over Eli Franks and Emil B. Berglund. The Flames went up 1-0, as its No. 1 unit of Deji Thomas-Smith and Christiaan Worst bested Cole Groetsch and Michael Staff 6-1.
• Thomas-Smith and Zion Heaven quickly put Liberty ahead 3-0 early on in singles. Thomas-Smith cruised to a 6-0, 6-0 win against Paul Reynolds on court two, while Heaven topped Joseph Naville in straight sets (6-1, 6-0) as well at No. 6 singles.
• Thando Longwe-Smit of the Flames clinched the match and bolstered the home lead to 4-0 when he took down Ian Deiters 6-2, 6-2 in the No. 4 slot. Longwe-Smit is 9-3 in singles matches in 2021.
• Worst of Liberty secured a 6-4, 6-1 victory versus Berglund on court three. The No. 1 singles contest between Rafael Marques Da Silva of the Flames and Groetsch went to Marques Da Silva, 6-2, 6-3.
• The final point of the day came from Liberty's Goncalo Ferreira on court five. Ferreira ran his winning streak to five matches with a straight-sets victory (6-2, 6-4) versus Sam Rueff.
• The Flames hold a 5-1 record since breaking into the team national rankings, March 24.
• Liberty is now 3-0 all-time against Bellarmine.
• Since joining the ASUN prior to the beginning of the 2018-19 academic year, Liberty is 12-1 in league regular season matches.
Next Up
• Liberty will host Charlotte (11-8) in a non-conference match, tomorrow afternoon. Match time is 2 p.m. at the Liberty Tennis Complex.
• The Flames and 49ers met earlier this spring in Charlotte, N.C. Liberty edged Charlotte 4-3 in that match. The Flames own the upper hand in the all-time series with the 49ers, 2-1.
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:
2,6,4,3,1,5