Saturday, February 10
Lynchburg, Va.
10:00 AM ET
Liberty University
4
vs
3
Delaware
Parra Romero’s Marathon Match Leads Liberty Past Delaware 4-3
2/10/2024 4:11:00 PM | Women's Tennis
LYNCHBURG, Va. – Maria Juliana Parra Romero secured the match-winning point following a marathon four-plus hour match to help Liberty top Delaware 4-3 on Saturday from the Liberty Indoor Tennis Center.
Liberty (4-1) extends its home-match winning streak to four matches to kick off the 2024 season. Delaware drops to 2-3 following the defeat.
Delaware secured the doubles point with wins on courts three and one. The two teams traded blows in singles, with the lead changing four times in the four-hour 24-minute contest.
Liberty regained the lead at 3-2 with singles match wins from Marina Davtyan, Esther Lovato and Sadie Daavetilla. Delaware tied the match at 3-3 with a three set victory on court five.
Parra Romero, following an hour long doubles match, battled through a grueling three-hour match on court one. Facing Slade Coetzee, Parra Romero dropped an intense first set tiebreaker 7-6 (8-6). The sophomore persevered, fighting off multiple comeback attempts, hanging on to grab the second set 7-5. Parra Romero took care of business in a competitive set the score may not reflect, to win the match for the Lady Flames 6-7 (6), 7-5, 6-1.
The two programs met for the first time on Saturday. Delaware is set to join Liberty and become members of Conference USA for the 2025-26.
Thoughts from Head Coach Jeff Maren
"I thought that we showed a lot of grit, guts and intestinal fortitude. That's what was necessary because the team's talent level was pretty equal. It really came down to who handle the key moments best and I feel like we did enough of those to win the match."
On Parra Romero
"Juli is somebody that everybody counts on, she believes that she can win no matter what the situation is. When she's down a set and down 5-4, I don't think anybody was thinking she was going to lose. In that third set, the way that she composed herself with all the pressure on her and all eyes on her, she handled that well and it just it increases the respect level that we as coaches and players have for her. To God be the Glory."
Thoughts from Maria Juliana Parra Romero
"It was a really physical match, she (Slade Coetzee) is not the type of player that I'm used to playing at the number one spot. She was really hard to read at some points so I knew that I had to be very physical with her. I changed my game and I was able to stay in there, be mentally tough, and I think that helped me to get back in the second set and win the match."
Liberty 4, Delaware 3
Singles Competition
1. M. Juliana P. Romero (LIBERTYW) def. Slade Coetzee (DEL) 6-7 (6-8), 7-5, 6-1
2. Esther Lovato (LIBERTYW) def. Eliza Askarova (DEL) 7-5, 6-3
3. Marina Davtyan (LIBERTYW) def. Alina Vasilenko (DEL) 6-3, 6-3
4. Maryia Hrynashka (DEL) def. Daniella O'Neill (LIBERTYW) 1-6, 6-1, 6-1
5. Alex Staiculescu (DEL) def. Maria Turchetto (LIBERTYW) 7-5, 6-7 (3-7), 6-0
6. Sadie Daavettila (LIBERTYW) def. Julieta Honrubia (DEL) 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (7-5)
Doubles Competition
1. Eliza Askarova/Alex Staiculescu (DEL) def. M. Juliana P. Romero/Sadie Daavettila (LIBERTYW) 7-5
2. #59 Priscila Janikian/Daniella O'Neill (LIBERTYW) def. Slade Coetzee/Samantha Svendsen (DEL) 6-1
3. Julieta Honrubia/Maryia Hrynashka (DEL) def. Maria Turchetto/Marina Davtyan (LIBERTYW) 6-1
Delaware 2-3
Liberty 4-1
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (3,4,2,6,5,1)
Official: S Lunsford, D Hale T-4:24
How it Happened
Doubles
Singles
Up Next
Liberty (4-1) prepares for a busy weekend, starting with a home match against VCU (6-0) on Sunday at 11 a.m. from the Liberty Indoor Tennis Center. The Lady Flames then hit the road for a neutral site match on Saturday in South Carolina to face Harvard (4-1), hosted by Furman, at 1 p.m. Liberty then faces Furman (1-2) on Monday at 3 p.m.
Liberty (4-1) extends its home-match winning streak to four matches to kick off the 2024 season. Delaware drops to 2-3 following the defeat.
Delaware secured the doubles point with wins on courts three and one. The two teams traded blows in singles, with the lead changing four times in the four-hour 24-minute contest.
Liberty regained the lead at 3-2 with singles match wins from Marina Davtyan, Esther Lovato and Sadie Daavetilla. Delaware tied the match at 3-3 with a three set victory on court five.
Parra Romero, following an hour long doubles match, battled through a grueling three-hour match on court one. Facing Slade Coetzee, Parra Romero dropped an intense first set tiebreaker 7-6 (8-6). The sophomore persevered, fighting off multiple comeback attempts, hanging on to grab the second set 7-5. Parra Romero took care of business in a competitive set the score may not reflect, to win the match for the Lady Flames 6-7 (6), 7-5, 6-1.
The two programs met for the first time on Saturday. Delaware is set to join Liberty and become members of Conference USA for the 2025-26.
Thoughts from Head Coach Jeff Maren
"I thought that we showed a lot of grit, guts and intestinal fortitude. That's what was necessary because the team's talent level was pretty equal. It really came down to who handle the key moments best and I feel like we did enough of those to win the match."
On Parra Romero
"Juli is somebody that everybody counts on, she believes that she can win no matter what the situation is. When she's down a set and down 5-4, I don't think anybody was thinking she was going to lose. In that third set, the way that she composed herself with all the pressure on her and all eyes on her, she handled that well and it just it increases the respect level that we as coaches and players have for her. To God be the Glory."
Thoughts from Maria Juliana Parra Romero
"It was a really physical match, she (Slade Coetzee) is not the type of player that I'm used to playing at the number one spot. She was really hard to read at some points so I knew that I had to be very physical with her. I changed my game and I was able to stay in there, be mentally tough, and I think that helped me to get back in the second set and win the match."
Liberty 4, Delaware 3
Singles Competition
1. M. Juliana P. Romero (LIBERTYW) def. Slade Coetzee (DEL) 6-7 (6-8), 7-5, 6-1
2. Esther Lovato (LIBERTYW) def. Eliza Askarova (DEL) 7-5, 6-3
3. Marina Davtyan (LIBERTYW) def. Alina Vasilenko (DEL) 6-3, 6-3
4. Maryia Hrynashka (DEL) def. Daniella O'Neill (LIBERTYW) 1-6, 6-1, 6-1
5. Alex Staiculescu (DEL) def. Maria Turchetto (LIBERTYW) 7-5, 6-7 (3-7), 6-0
6. Sadie Daavettila (LIBERTYW) def. Julieta Honrubia (DEL) 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (7-5)
Doubles Competition
1. Eliza Askarova/Alex Staiculescu (DEL) def. M. Juliana P. Romero/Sadie Daavettila (LIBERTYW) 7-5
2. #59 Priscila Janikian/Daniella O'Neill (LIBERTYW) def. Slade Coetzee/Samantha Svendsen (DEL) 6-1
3. Julieta Honrubia/Maryia Hrynashka (DEL) def. Maria Turchetto/Marina Davtyan (LIBERTYW) 6-1
Delaware 2-3
Liberty 4-1
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (3,4,2,6,5,1)
Official: S Lunsford, D Hale T-4:24
How it Happened
Doubles
- Liberty jumped out ahead on court two with the newly-minted No. 59 pair of Priscila Janikian and Daniella O'Neill ousting Slade Coetzee and Samantha Svendsen 6-1.
- Delaware evened the doubles round on court three. Delaware's Julieta Honrubio and Maryia Hrynashka bested Liberty's Marina Davtyan and Maria Turchetto 6-1.
- The Blue Hens secured the doubles round in the No. 1 doubles match with Delaware's Alexandra Staiculescu and Eliza Askarova battling Maria Juliana Parra Romero and Sadie Daavettila to a 7-5 victory.
Singles
- The Lady Flames evened the match at 1-1 on court three with Davtyan (2-1) blazing past Vasilenko 6-3, 6-3.
- Delaware gained a 2-1 advantage in the No. 4 singles match. Trailing after one set 6-1, the Blue Hens' Hrynashka battled back to top Liberty's O'Neill (3-1) 1-6, 6-1, 6-1.
- Liberty secured the next two points of the match, beginning with the No. 2 singles match. Liberty's Lovato (2-2) handled Askarova 7-5, 6-3 to even the match at 2-2.
- The Lady Flames' jumped ahead 3-2 on court six after a furious comeback bid from Delaware's Honrubio. Liberty's Daavetilla (2-0) held a match point at 5-2 in the third set, but needed a tiebreaker to down her for 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (5).
- Delaware answered back on court five. Liberty's Turchetto (3-2) battled throughout a grueling two sets but ran out of gas in the third to Staiculescu, dropping the match 7-5, 6-7 (3), 6-0.
- Parra Romero (2-1) earned the match-winning fourth point for the Lady Flames in the No. 1 singles match. In a match that lasted over three hours, Parra Romero pulled away in the third set to win 6-7 (6), 7-5, 6-1.
Up Next
Liberty (4-1) prepares for a busy weekend, starting with a home match against VCU (6-0) on Sunday at 11 a.m. from the Liberty Indoor Tennis Center. The Lady Flames then hit the road for a neutral site match on Saturday in South Carolina to face Harvard (4-1), hosted by Furman, at 1 p.m. Liberty then faces Furman (1-2) on Monday at 3 p.m.
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
1
Eliza Askarova/ Alex Staiculescu [DEL]
7
5
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
2,3,1
#1 Singles Match
123
Slade Coetzee / 0 [DEL]
751
676
#2 Singles Match
12
Eliza Askarova / 0 [DEL]
53
76
#3 Singles Match
12
Alina Vasilenko / 0 [DEL]
33
66
#4 Singles Match
123
Maryia Hrynashka / 0 [DEL]
166
611
#5 Singles Match
123
Alex Staiculescu / 0 [DEL]
766
570
#6 Singles Match
123
Julieta Honrubia / 0 [DEL]
266
637
Order of Finish:
3,4,2,6,5,1
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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