Liberty University
Virginia Tech
Lady Flames Fall 5-2 to Hokies in Regular Season Finale
4/14/2021 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Liberty fell 5-2 to ACC foe Virginia Tech to close out regular season competition, Wednesday afternoon at the Liberty Tennis Complex.
The Lady Flames drop to 17-6 on the season. Liberty finishes 9-2 at home in the regular season. The Lady Flames started 8-0 at home before losing two of their last three matches on their home courts.
Virginia Tech improves its record to 6-16 this year and snaps a four-match losing streak.
Virginia Tech 5, Liberty 2
Singles Competition
1. Alexandra Almborg (LIBERTYW) def. Tamara Barad Itzhaki (VT) 6-3, 7-5
2. #119 Nika Kozar (VT) def. Tiffany Nguyen (LIBERTYW) 6-0, 6-3
3. Esther Lovato (LIBERTYW) def. Nina Sorkin (VT) 7-5, 6-4
4. Rita Pinto (VT) def. Micaela Ode Mitre (LIBERTYW) 6-2, 6-1
5. Katie Andreini (VT) def. Grace Hashiguchi (LIBERTYW) 6-4, 6-1
6. Elizabet Danailova (VT) def. Eloise Saraty (LIBERTYW) 6-3, 6-0
Doubles Competition
1. Alexandra Almborg/Eloise Saraty (LIBERTYW) def. Nika Kozar/Nina Sorkin (VT) 6-2
2. #70 Shene Disbergen/Rita Pinto (VT) def. Tiffany Nguyen/Micaela Ode Mitre (LIBERTYW) 6-4
3. Katie Andreini/Erika Cheng (VT) def. Esther Lovato/Grace Hashiguchi (LIBERTYW) 6-1
Virginia Tech 6-16
Liberty 17-6
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (2,6,4,5,1,3)
Official: R Sanders/B Harrison T-2:46
How It Happened
• Liberty dropped the doubles point for the second time in its last three matches.
• The Hokies' Katie Andreini and Erika Cheng (No. 3 doubles) defeated Liberty's Esther Lovato and Grace Hashiguchi 6-1. The Lady Flames evened up the doubles session on court one, as Alexandra Almborg and Eloise Saraty led throughout their match on the way to a 6-2 triumph over Virginia Tech's Nika Kozar and Nina Sorkin. Almborg and Saraty have won 13 doubles matches, this spring.
• The No. 2 doubles contest proved to the difference maker. The Hokies' 70th-ranked Shene Disbergen and Rita Pinto and the Lady Flames' Tiffany Nguyen and Micaela Ode were locked in a 4-4 tie prior to the Virginia Tech duo take the last two games for a 6-4 win. Disbergen and Pinto's triumph made it 1-0 Hokies in the match.
• Virginia Tech claimed four of the six singles matches to pick up the victory.
• Liberty No. 1 and No. 3 singles players, Almborg and Lovato, won their respective matches. However, the Lady Flames trailed 5-0 prior to Almborg and Lovato's wins.
• Almborg held off Tamara Barad Itzhaki in straight sets (6-3, 7-5). Lovato improved to 21-1 in singles this season with her 7-5, 6-4 result over Sorkin.
• The Hokies received singles victories from their No. 2, No. 6, No. 4 and No. 5 players, in that order, to win the match. Virginia Tech's No. 2 player, nationally-ranked No. 119 Kozar, upended Nguyen in back-to-back sets, 6-0, 6-3. Elizabet Danailova of the Hokies increased the visiting lead to 3-0 with a two-set result against Saraty (6-3, 6-0).
• Pinto (No. 4 singles) earned the match-clinching fourth point for Virginia Tech, 6-2, 6-1 over Ode Mitre. The Hokies' last point of the afternoon came from Andreini, a 6-4, 6-1 winner over Hashiguchi on court five.
• Today's match wrapped up a stretch of six home matches for the Lady Flames in the last 14 days. Liberty posted a 4-2 record during that span.
• Virginia Tech improves to 7-0 all-time versus Liberty.
Next Up
• Liberty will begin preparing for the 2021 ASUN Women's Tennis Championship, which begins this Saturday. The Lady Flames, who are the No. 1 seed in the ASUN North Division after going 6-0 in conference during the regular season, will face No. 4 seed Bellarmine (0-16, 0-6 ASUN) in the quarterfinal round on Saturday. Match time is slated for 10 a.m. at the Liberty Tennis Complex.
• The Lady Flames and Knights met twice in the regular season, with Liberty winning both of those contests. Liberty won 6-1 on the road, March 28, and 7-0 at home, last Saturday.
• The winner of Saturday's match will advance to the ASUN Championship semifinals at the UNF Tennis Complex in Jacksonville, Fla., April 23. If the Lady Flames were to advance to the semifinals, they would play against the lowest remaining ASUN South Division seed. The ASUN Women's Tennis Championship title match will be held the next day, April 24.
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
3,1,2
#1 Singles Match
#2 Singles Match
#3 Singles Match
#4 Singles Match
#5 Singles Match
#6 Singles Match
Order of Finish:
2,6,4,5,1,3