Liberty University
Clemson
Flames Win Doubles Point But Fall 5-2 to Clemson, Friday Night
2/10/2023 9:15:00 PM | Men's Tennis
The Liberty Flames men's tennis team was defeated by the Clemson Tigers 5-2, Friday night.
Liberty (3-4) jumped ahead with the doubles point, but they could not hold off Clemson (7-1). The Tigers won the first four singles matches (No. 4, No. 1, No. 3 and No. 2) to clinch the victory.
The Flames won the initial doubles point with victories from the No. 3 pairing of Rafael Marques Da Silva and Beau Pelletier along with the clincher from the Flames' No. 1 pairing Josh Wilson and Christiaan Worst in a tiebreaker.
Liberty has yet to beat Clemson in four meetings.
Clemson 5, Liberty 2
Singles Competition
- Ryuhei Azuma (MCLEM) def. Josh Wilson (LIBERTYM) 6-4, 7-5 (7-5)
- Jorge Plans Gonzalez (MCLEM) def. Deji Thomas-Smith (LIBERTYM) 7-6 (7-2), 6-4
- Matt Pitts (MCLEM) def. Christiaan Worst (LIBERTYM) 6-3, 7-5
- Spencer Whitaker (MCLEM) def. Beau Pelletier (LIBERTYM) 6-2, 6-3
- Luis Felipe Miguel (LIBERTYM) def. Max Smith (MCLEM) 4-6, 6-3, 6-3
- Nini Dica (MCLEM) def. Zion Heaven (LIBERTYM) 7-6 (9-7), 6-3
Doubles Competition
- Josh Wilson/Christiaan Worst (LIBERTYM) def. Ryuhei Azuma/Spencer Whitaker (MCLEM) 7-6 (7-4)
- Jorge Plans Gonzalez/Max Smith (MCLEM) def. Deji Thomas-Smith/Luis Felipe Miguel (LIBERTYM) 7-5
- Beau Pelletier/R. Marques Da Silva (LIBERTYM) def. Ethan Silva/Matt Pitts (MCLEM) 6-3
Liberty 3-4
Clemson 7-1
Order of Finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (4,1,3,2,5,6)
Official: D Harrison/J Conley T-3:08
How It Happened
• In his season debut, newly-minted No. 99 Rafael Marques Da Silva made an immediate impact along with Beau Pelletier to take down Ethan Silva and Matt Pitts on court three to win the first doubles match 6-3. Despite having yet to make his spring season debut, Marques Da Silva earned his first career ITA national ranking on Wednesday. The junior went 8-3 in singles over the fall season.
• After dropping a doubles match on court two, Liberty fought to win a tough tiebreaker on court one. Liberty's Josh Wilson and Christiaan Worst fought back from 3-1 down against Ryuhei Azuma and Spencer Whitaker to force a tiebreaker. The liberty duo played a back-and-forth tiebreaker but ultimately pulled away to win 7-6 (7-4).
• Clemson's first point of the day came from court four, where Liberty's Beau Pelletier fell to Clemson's Spencer Whitaker 6-2, 6-3.
• The clinching point of the match for the Tigers came from court three between the Flames' Worst and Clemson's Matt Pitts. Worst fought until the end, but the final score was 6-3, 7-5.
• Liberty freshman Luis Felipe Miguel earned the second point of the night for Liberty, continuing his strong start to the season with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 win over Maxwell Smith. Miguel boosts his singles record to 4-2 on the season.
• Clemson was the second ACC program that Liberty has faced this season after losing the home opener this season to defending national champion No. 1 Virginia 7-0. Liberty has one win in program history against an ACC school, which came via a 4-3 triumph over Virginia Tech on Feb. 9, 2020.
Next Up
• The Flames return to action Sunday afternoon with a chance to rebound and take down the VCU Rams (5-1) at 2 p.m. at the Liberty Indoor Tennis Center.
• Liberty is looking for their first win against the Rams, as the two teams met last year, with then-No. 36 VCU grabbing the 6-1 win April 10. VCU holds the 6-0 series edge.
Main Photo at Top of Story: Josh Wilson
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
3,2,1
#1 Singles Match
#2 Singles Match
#3 Singles Match
#4 Singles Match
#5 Singles Match
#6 Singles Match
Order of Finish:
4,1,3,2,5,6
Players Mentioned
