Liberty University
William & Mary
Flames Continue Dominance Over William & Mary With 4-3 Win
2/4/2023 10:55:21 PM | Men's Tennis
The Liberty Flames men’s tennis team went on the road Saturday and took down William & Mary 4-3 at the McCormack-Nagelson Tennis Center.
The Flames got off to a quick start and won the first three singles matches to get the match-clinching fourth point. The Tribe came back to take the final three points with a trio of three-set victories.
Liberty (3-3, 1-0 ASUN) jumped out to a quick start by winning the doubles point and got key singles wins from Beau Pelletier, Josh Wilson and Luis Felipe Miguel to earn the road victory.
Liberty earned its sixth straight win against William & Mary (1-2), a streak that started during the 2018 campaign in head coach Derek Schwandt’s second season at the helm. All of Liberty’s wins against the Tribe have been under Schwandt.
The win saw the Flames get back to a .500 record for the season. The match was also the first road victory for the Flames in 2023.
Thoughts From Head Coach Derek Schwandt
“The team competed hard for each other today. Coach McKay says ‘It’s a fight all season long not to be outcome-based.’ We are excited to get back to training and stay focused on our process.”
Liberty 4, William & Mary 3
Singles Competition
- Josh Wilson (LIBERTYM) def. George Davis (WM) 2-6, 6-3, 6-2
- Joseph Brailovsky (WM) def. Deji Thomas-Smith (LIBERTYM) 7-5, 7-6 (7-5)
- Beau Pelletier (LIBERTYM) def. Bill Duo (WM) 6-2, 6-4
- Sean Joseph (WM) def. Christiaan Worst (LIBERTYM) 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (7-1)
- Luis Felipe Miguel (LIBERTYM) def. Daniel Pellerito (WM) 6-3, 7-6 (8-6)
- Alexander Karman (WM) def. Thando Longwe-Smit (LIBERTYM) 4-6, 7-5, 1-0 (10-5)
Doubles Competition
- George Davis/Bill Duo (WM) vs. Josh Wilson/Christiaan Worst (LIBERTYM) 5-4, unfinished
- Deji Thomas-Smith/Luis Felipe Miguel (LIBERTYM) def. Joseph Brailovsky/Andres Silva (WM) 6-4
- Thando Longwe-Smit/Beau Pelletier (LIBERTYM) def. Alexander Karman/Daniel Pellerito (WM) 6-3
Liberty 3-3
William & Mary 1-2
Order of Finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (3,1,5,4,6,2)
How It Happened
• Liberty earned the doubles point thanks to wins by the No. 3 pairing of Luis Felipe Miguel and Deji Thomas-Smith taking down William & Mary’s Alexander Karman and Daniel Pellerito 6-3. The Flames clinched the doubles point thanks to the No. 2 pairing Thando Longwe-Smit and Beau Pelletier besting the Tribe’s Joseph Brailovsky and Andres Silva with a 6-4 score.
• Liberty earned its first singles point courtesy of Beau Pelletier beating the Tribe’s Bill Duo 6-2, 6-4 on court three. The win for the senior was his first singles victory of the spring season.
• Liberty’s No. 1 singles competitor Josh Wilson, the reigning ASUN Player of the Week, took care of business today by topping the Tribe’s George Davis in three sets, 2-6. 6-3, 6-2. Wilson improves to 4-2 in spring singles competition.
• Flames freshman Miguel continued a strong start to his Liberty career by taking down William & Mary’s Sean Joseph on court five by a 6-3, 7-6 (6) count. Miguel went 2-0 for the day and improved his record to 3-2 in singles on the season.
• Liberty is 6-7 all-time against William & Mary but has won each of the last six meetings.
Next Up
• Liberty comes back home to face Clemson (6-1) on Friday at 5 p.m. in the Liberty Indoor Tennis Center.
• The Flames are looking for their first win against the Tigers in what will be the fourth matchup between the two squads. Their last meeting came in 2021, with Clemson earning the 6-1 win.
• The match will mark the fourth meeting with a Power Five conference school, with five such meetings on the schedule.
Main Photo at Top of Story: Beau Pelletier
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
3,2
#1 Singles Match
#2 Singles Match
#3 Singles Match
#4 Singles Match
#5 Singles Match
#6 Singles Match
Order of Finish:
3,1,5,4,6,2