Liberty University
Virginia
No. 7 Virginia Tops Liberty in 2022 Season Opener
1/20/2022 4:14:00 PM | Men's Tennis
The visiting Liberty Flames dropped their 2022 season opener 7-0 to the seventh-ranked Virginia Cavaliers on Thursday afternoon at Boar's Head Sports Club.
The Flames drop to 0-1, and the Cavaliers start the season 1-0.
UVA was victorious in all three doubles matches and swept the six singles contests, winning five of those in straight sets. Liberty senior Nicaise Muamba took the opening set from No. 13-ranked Chris Rodesch, 6-3, before falling in three sets (3-6, 6-3, 6-4).
No. 7 Virginia 7, Liberty 0
Singles Competition
- #13 Chris Rodesch (VA) def. Nicaise Muamba (LIBERTYM) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
- #52 Inaki Montes (VA) def. Josh Wilson (LIBERTYM) 6-3, 6-0
- #71 Bar Botzer (VA) def. R. Marques Da Silva (LIBERTYM) 6-4, 6-3
- #66 J vd Schulenburg (VA) def. Christiaan Worst (LIBERTYM) 6-2, 6-3
- #27 Ryan Goetz (VA) def. Deji Thomas-Smith (LIBERTYM) 6-2, 6-4
- Gianni Ross (VA) def. Goncalo Ferreira (LIBERTYM) 6-0, 6-1
Doubles Competition
- Chris Rodesch/William Woodall (VA) def. Deji Thomas-Smith/Christiaan Worst (LIBERTYM) 6-3
- Inaki Montes/Ryan Goetz (VA) def. Nicaise Muamba/R. Marques Da Silva (LIBERTYM) 6-4
- Bar Botzer/J vd Schulenburg (VA) def. Goncalo Ferreira/Josh Wilson (LIBERTYM) 6-3
Liberty 0-1
Virginia 1-0; National ranking #7
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (6,2,4,5,3,1)
Official: J Conley T-2:41
How It Happened
• The Cavaliers swept the three doubles matches to start the day. Virginia's first doubles pairing to win was Bar Botzer and Jeffrey von der Schulenburg in the No. 3 position, as they defeated the Flames' Josh Wilson and Goncalo Ferreira 6-3.
• UVA clinched the first point of the day with a No. 1 doubles win from Chris Rodesch and William Woodall, 6-3 over Deji Thomas-Smith and Christiaan Worst of Liberty. The Cavaliers completed the sweep on court two, with Iñaki Montes de la Torre and Ryan Goetz taking down Muamba and Rafael Marques Da Silva 6-4.
• The Cavaliers claimed all six singles matches.
• Virginia's singles lineup featured five nationally-ranked players, ranging from the 13th-ranked player in the country (Rodesch) to the 71st-ranked player (Bar Botzer).
• Muamba's match against No. 13 Rodesch was his sixth match against a ranked foe since the start of the spring 2021 campaign. Muamba, the reigning and two-time ASUN Player of the Year, sports a 4-2 record in those matches.
• UVA's match-clinching fourth point came from No. 66 Jeffrey von der Schulenburg on court four. The Virginia sophomore defeated Worst of the Flames 6-2, 6-3.
• The Cavaliers are the highest ranked team the Flames have faced since they took on No. 6 Texas at last year's ITA Kickoff Weekend (Jan. 22, 2021).
• Virginia improves to 11-0 all-time versus Liberty. This is the second straight year in which the Flames have met the Cavaliers in their season opener.
• Thursday's match featured two teams that each won conference titles a season ago. Liberty (20-7 overall record) claimed the ASUN crown, its first conference title in program history. Virginia (23-3 overall record) captured the 2021 ACC title.
Next Up
• The Flames are back in action next Wednesday for their home opener against William & Mary (0-0). First serve is scheduled for 3 p.m. at the Liberty Indoor Tennis Center.
• Liberty is 4-7 all-time against William & Mary. However, the Flames have won each of the last four meetings with the Tribe since 2019, including a pair of victories during the 2021 season. Liberty bested William & Mary 5-2 in its first-ever match in the Liberty Indoor Tennis Center on Feb. 15, 2021. The Flames topped the Tribe six days later (Feb. 21, 2021), 4-3 on the road in Williamsburg, Va.
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:
6,2,4,5,3,1
