Liberty University
Furman
Liberty Drops a Close Match 4-2 to Furman at Home Friday
3/31/2023 7:16:00 PM | Women's Tennis
The Liberty Lady Flames fought hard against the Furman Paladins on a breezy Friday morning but ultimately came up short, 4-2.
Liberty (13-7) started the day off strong by claiming the doubles point; however, the home team could only secure one singles match on court four. Furman improves to 7-10 on the season.
After splitting doubles matches on courts two (LU 6-4) and three (FU 7-5), the doubles point came down to the No. 1 doubles match. Furman's No. 59 ranked pair pushed Liberty to a tiebreaker with the Lady Flames came out on top with a tough 7-6 (6) win.
Furman responded quickly in singles play, jumping out to 2-1 lead before Tiffany Nguyen won her match on court 4 to even the overall score at 2-2. However, Liberty would not take another singles match during the remaining three.
The Lady Flames are going to have to wait until their next matchup with Furman to get their first win in the series, which now favors the Paladins, 4-0.
Furman 4, Liberty 2
Singles Competition
- M. Juliana P. Romero (LIBERTYW) vs. Ellie Schulson (FUR) 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, unfinished
- Marissa Pennings (FUR) def. Marina Davtyan (LIBERTYW) 5-7, 6-2, 6-0
- Sara Snyder (FUR) def. Esther Lovato (LIBERTYW) 7-6 (7-5), 6-4
- Tiffany Nguyen (LIBERTYW) def. Jess Dawson (FUR) 6-0, 7-6 (7-4)
- Madison Dillon (FUR) def. Elsa Kirch (LIBERTYW) 6-0, 6-0
- Luca Victoria Vocke (FUR) def. Maretha Burger (LIBERTYW) 6-4, 6-0
Doubles Competition
- M. Juliana P. Romero/Tiffany Nguyen (LIBERTYW) def. #59 Jess Dawson/Sara Snyder (FUR) 7-6 (8-6)
- Bruna Sampaio/Maretha Burger (LIBERTYW) def. Marissa Pennings/Ellie Schulson (FUR) 6-4
- Madison Dillon/Luca Victoria Vocke (FUR) def. Marina Davtyan/Esther Lovato (LIBERTYW) 7-5
Furman 7-10
Liberty 13-7
Order of Finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (5,6,4,3,2)
T-3:23
How It Happened
- Liberty took the first doubles match on court two with Bruna Sampaio and Maretha Burger (2-2) besting Marissa Pennings and Ellie Schulson 6-4.
- After the Lady Flames dropped the No. 3 doubles match 7-5, the critical doubles point came down to court one between Maria Julianna Parra Romero and Tiffany Nguyen taking on No. 59 Jess Dawson and Sara Snyder. In a back-and-forth match with multiple ties and lead changes, the set eventually made its way to a tiebreaker. Parra Romero and Nguyen would get a quick lead and never trailed in the tiebreak to take the 7-6 (6) win. The Liberty duo improved to 4-1 together.
- Furman took its first team point of the day in the No. 5 singles match as Furman's Madison Dillon defeated Elsa Kirch (1-9) in straight sets, 6-0, 6-0.
- The Paladins went up 2-1 after taking a victory on court six with Maretha Burger (4-7) falling to Luca Vocke 6-4, 6-0.
- Liberty evened the score at 2-2 in the No. 4 singles match as Nguyen (14-3) cruised through the first set against Dawson but needed a tiebreaker in the second to take the match 6-0, 7-6 (4). Nguyen moved into a tie with Esther Lovato for most wins this spring at 14, extending her win streak to six singles matches.
- Furman took a 3-2 lead on court three as Lovato (14-3) fell in a tight one to Snyder 7-6 (5), 6-4.
- The Paladins secured the overall team victory with a win on court two as Marina Davtyan (11-4) could not hold on after topping Pennings in the first set. The final score was 5-7, 6-2, 6-0.
- The final match of the day in the No. 1 singles matchup went unfinished after the two were tied after two sets. Parra Romero (12-3) fell in a tiebreaker in the first set but fought hard to even the match against Schulson to 7-6 (4), 4-6.
Next Up
- Liberty begins a three-match road swing the wrap up the regular season, starting at Eastern Kentucky (5-15, 1-4 ASUN) on Sunday. First serve is set for 10 a.m. from the Tom Higgins Outdoor Courts.
- The Lady Flames are currently sitting in third place in the ASUN with a 4-1 conference with three ASUN matchups remaining.
- This will be the first-ever meeting between the two tennis programs.
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
2,3,1
#1 Singles Match
#2 Singles Match
#3 Singles Match
#4 Singles Match
#5 Singles Match
#6 Singles Match
Order of Finish:
5,6,4,3,2
Players Mentioned
