Liberty University
Charlotte
No. 72 Flames Earn Another Ranked Win, 4-3 Over No. 70 Charlotte
3/4/2023 7:26:00 PM | Men's Tennis
The No. 72 Liberty Flames took down the No. 70 Charlotte 49ers 4-3 on Saturday afternoon at the Liberty Tennis Complex.
Liberty improves to 5-6 on the year, while Charlotte slips to 4-7. The victory comes after the Flames (5-6) were ranked for the first time this season in the latest ITA Collegiate Rankings on Tuesday. This is Liberty's second ranked victory in the last nine days. The Flames downed No. 46 Penn State 6-1 on Feb. 24.
The Flames take a 4-2 lead in the all-time series.
Liberty started out hot, snagging the doubles point with wins on court one and two and kept that momentum up going into the singles round. Liberty got the match score to 3-0 with wins on court five and two before Charlotte won the next two matches on courts four and three to get the score to 3-2. Liberty won the match in dramatic fashion on court six with freshman Luis Felipe Miguel getting the clutch three-set win 6-4, 6-7 (1), 6-2 to secure the victory.
Liberty finishes the five-match home stretch with a 2-3 mark, with both victories coming against ranked competition (No. 46 Penn State and No. 70 Charlotte). The Flames also faced No. 64 South Florida during the home stint as well as VCU and Clemson. The Rams are currently ranked No. 27, while the Tigers are in the 44 slot.
Liberty improves to 4-4 at home in front of Flames Nation this season.
Thoughts From Head Coach Derek Schwandt
"Today was a strong team effort. Our two controllables, attitude and effort, were solid. We are excited about the team finish today."
#72 Liberty 4, #70 Charlotte 3
Singles Competition
- Coy Simon (CLT) def. Josh Wilson (LIBERTYM) 3-6, 7-5, 7-5
- R. Marques Da Silva (LIBERTYM) def. Matias Iturbe (CLT) 6-0, 7-5
- Abhi Vannemreddy (CLT) def. Christiaan Worst (LIBERTYM) 7-6 (7-5), 6-4
- Ivan Dreycopp (CLT) def. Deji Thomas-Smith (LIBERTYM) 2-6, 6-2, 6-2
- Beau Pelletier (LIBERTYM) def. Aditya Narayanan (CLT) 6-3, 6-2
- Luis Felipe Miguel (LIBERTYM) def. Brett Gloria (CLT) 6-4, 6-7 (1-7), 6-2
Doubles Competition
- Josh Wilson/Christiaan Worst (LIBERTYM) def. Matias Iturbe/Brett Gloria (CLT) 6-3
- Deji Thomas-Smith/Luis Felipe Miguel (LIBERTYM) def. Coy Simon/Ivan Dreycopp (CLT) 6-1
- Beau Pelletier/R. Marques Da Silva (LIBERTYM) vs. Abhi Vannemreddy/Aditya Narayanan (CLT) 4-5, unfinished
Liberty 5-6; National ranking #72
Charlotte 4-7; National ranking #70
Order of Finish: Doubles (2,1); Singles (5,2,4,3,6,1)
Official: R Sanders/P Williams T-3:15
How It Happened
• Liberty earned the vital doubles point, led by the duo of Deji Thomas-Smith and Luis Felipe Miguel (4-2) on court two getting a quick 6-1 win over Coy Simon and Ivan Dreycopp. The Flames clinched point with the senior pair of Josh Wilson and Christiaan Worst (6-4) taking down Matias Itrube and Brett Gloria 6-3 on court one.
• Liberty's first singles point came from senior Beau Pelletier, who made quick work of Aditya Narayanan on court five with a 6-3, 6-2 final score. Pelletier bolsters his spring record to 4-5.
• The Flames' Rafael Marques Da Silva earned his first singles win of the spring 2023 campaign. Marques Da Silva knocked off Matias Itrube 6-0, 7-5 on court two. The sophomore is now 1-2 on the season.
• Charlotte picked up first point of the day on court four, with the 49ers' Dreycopp besting Liberty's Thomas-Smith 2-6, 6-2, 6-2.
• Liberty senior Worst, coming off being named the ASUN Player of the Week on Wednesday, went 1-1 for the day. In singles, the senior lost a tiebreak in the first set and his comeback attempt to Abi Vannemreddy fell just short, ending in a 7-6 (5), 6-4 setback.
• Liberty received the match-clinching point on court six and took a 4-2 lead, as Miguel fought to a three set win after losing a second set tiebreaker. Miguel won four straight games in the third set to take the match over Gloria 6-4, 6-7 (1), 6-2. Miguel, 2-0 for the day, continues his impactful first season as a Flame with a 12-6 overall record (5-3 doubles, 7-3 singles).
• Charlotte's Simon (No. 1 singles) came back to edge Wilson in three sets (3-6, 7-5, 7-5) on court one, settling the final score at 4-3.
• Adding the No. 70 49ers this weekend, the difficult schedule that the Flames have had to face includes nine teams currently listed in the latest ITA rankings. This includes No. 21 Virginia, No. 5 Kentucky, No. 48 Washington, No. 44 Clemson, No. 27 VCU, No. 60 Penn State and No. 57 South Florida.
Next Up
• Liberty will compete at the Arizona State Spring Break Tournament, next Friday through Sunday. Opponents for the Flames are yet to be determined.
Main Photo at Top of Story: Luis Felipe Miguel
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
2,1
#1 Singles Match
#2 Singles Match
#3 Singles Match
#4 Singles Match
#5 Singles Match
#6 Singles Match
Order of Finish:
5,2,4,3,6,1
Players Mentioned
