No. 51 Flames Set Off for Tough Tests at Diablos College Invite
2/29/2024 4:24:00 PM | Men's Tennis
LYNCHBURG, Va. – The No. 51 Liberty men's tennis team prepares to affirm its ranking as it travels to Tempe, Ariz. for a round-robin style tournament at the Diablos College Invite, hosted by Arizona State, this weekend. The Flames (9-3), who are currently on a four-match winning streak, kick off the tournament with a matchup against No. 15 Michigan State (12-1) on Friday at 3 p.m. ET/1 p.m. MT.
Liberty is guaranteed three matches, but its next opponents are to be determined. Eight programs are participating in the event, including No. 9 Arizona, No. 23 and host Arizona State, No. 30 VCU, No. 36 Michigan, No. 58 Boise State and Grand Canyon.
Liberty looks to capitalize off an impressive 2-0 weekend with triumphs over No. 65 Dartmouth, 6-1, and No. 54 Charlotte, 4-3.
Deji Thomas-Smith has gone 7-0 overall (4-0 singles, 3-0 doubles) in his most recent matches. He earned Conference USA Men's Tennis Athlete of the Week recognition on Feb. 21. The senior picked up the match-winning fourth point in Sunday's 4-3 victory at No. 54 Charlotte.
Liberty bested Michigan State in their only previous matchup in 2023, winning 4-1 in a neutral site match on March 11.
Flames News & Notes
Opponent At-a-Glance
Friday, March 1:
Session 1 (1 p.m.): Michigan State/Liberty & VCU/Michigan
Session 2 (5 p.m.): Arizona/GCU & ASU/Boise State
Saturday, March 2:
Session 1 (1 p.m.): TBD
Session 2 (5 p.m.): TBD
Sunday, March 3:
Session 1 (10 a.m.): TBD
Session 2 (1 p.m.): TBD
The ranked singles and doubles heading into this weekend include:
Singles Rankings
#4 Ozan Baris, Michigan State
#6 Colton Smith, Arizona
#9 Murphy Cassone, Arizona State
#18 Gavin Young, Michigan
#19 Ronnie Hohmann, Michigan State
#39 Jay Friend, Arizona
#43 Sam Sippel, Boise State
#70 Matisse Bobichon, VCU
#73 Mathis Bondaz, VCU
#76 Gustaf Strom, Arizona
#88 Max Sheldon, Michigan State
#92 Graydon Lair, Michigan State
#98 Romain Gales, VCU
#105 Bor Artnak, Arizona State
#108 Jacob Bickersteth, Michigan
Doubles Rankings
#1 Max Sheldon/Ozan Baris, Michigan State
#11 Colton Smith/Jay Friend, Arizona
#26 Bor Artnak/Max McKennon, Arizona State
#30 Jacob Bickersteth/Gavin Young, Michigan
#38 Colton Smith/Herman Hoeyeraal, Arizona
#49 Sasha Rozin/Gustaf Strom, Arizona
Liberty is guaranteed three matches, but its next opponents are to be determined. Eight programs are participating in the event, including No. 9 Arizona, No. 23 and host Arizona State, No. 30 VCU, No. 36 Michigan, No. 58 Boise State and Grand Canyon.
Liberty looks to capitalize off an impressive 2-0 weekend with triumphs over No. 65 Dartmouth, 6-1, and No. 54 Charlotte, 4-3.
Deji Thomas-Smith has gone 7-0 overall (4-0 singles, 3-0 doubles) in his most recent matches. He earned Conference USA Men's Tennis Athlete of the Week recognition on Feb. 21. The senior picked up the match-winning fourth point in Sunday's 4-3 victory at No. 54 Charlotte.
Liberty bested Michigan State in their only previous matchup in 2023, winning 4-1 in a neutral site match on March 11.
Flames News & Notes
- The Flames have received steady performances across its singles positions, including 8-4 records from their No. 1 and 2 positions.
- Liberty returned its No. 1 singles player Rafael Marques Da Silva in Sunday's win over Charlotte. The senior was 1-1 for the day, playing a key role in Liberty securing a vital doubles point.
- Freshmen continue to be the story of the season for Liberty. Rodrigo Santiago Arraez (8-0 singles) and Romeo Hadzimehmedovic (4-0 singles) have combined for a 12-0 singles record. True freshman Matija Samardzic (10-1 doubles, 5-6 singles) and redshirt freshman Chase Robinson (5-1 doubles, 5-2 singles) have also played key roles for the Flames.
- The Flames look to take advantage of their strong doubles, teams led by the pairing of Samardzic and Luis Felipe Miguel (9-1). Liberty has won the doubles point in 10 of its 12 matches this season.
- The Flames moved up 23 spot in the national rankings this week. Liberty was ranked No. 74 nationally last week and is now the No. 51-ranked team in the country.
- Liberty's No. 51 national ranking is its best ranking since being listed as the No. 39 team in the country at the end of the 2020-21 season (May 26, 2021).
Opponent At-a-Glance
- The No. 15 Michigan State squad has dominated its way to a 12-1 record this spring. The Spartans' lone loss came to No. 35 Princeton 4-0 on Saturday, an opponent Liberty fell 6-1 to on Feb. 4.
- Michigan State sports four ranked singles players: No. 4 Ozan Baris (7-1), No. 19 Ronnie Hohmann (7-2), No. 88 Max Sheldon (8-0) and No. 92 Graydon Lair (4-1).
- The Spartans boast the No. 1 doubles pair of Sheldon and Baris, who own a 2-1 record together.
Friday, March 1:
Session 1 (1 p.m.): Michigan State/Liberty & VCU/Michigan
Session 2 (5 p.m.): Arizona/GCU & ASU/Boise State
Saturday, March 2:
Session 1 (1 p.m.): TBD
Session 2 (5 p.m.): TBD
Sunday, March 3:
Session 1 (10 a.m.): TBD
Session 2 (1 p.m.): TBD
The ranked singles and doubles heading into this weekend include:
Singles Rankings
#4 Ozan Baris, Michigan State
#6 Colton Smith, Arizona
#9 Murphy Cassone, Arizona State
#18 Gavin Young, Michigan
#19 Ronnie Hohmann, Michigan State
#39 Jay Friend, Arizona
#43 Sam Sippel, Boise State
#70 Matisse Bobichon, VCU
#73 Mathis Bondaz, VCU
#76 Gustaf Strom, Arizona
#88 Max Sheldon, Michigan State
#92 Graydon Lair, Michigan State
#98 Romain Gales, VCU
#105 Bor Artnak, Arizona State
#108 Jacob Bickersteth, Michigan
Doubles Rankings
#1 Max Sheldon/Ozan Baris, Michigan State
#11 Colton Smith/Jay Friend, Arizona
#26 Bor Artnak/Max McKennon, Arizona State
#30 Jacob Bickersteth/Gavin Young, Michigan
#38 Colton Smith/Herman Hoeyeraal, Arizona
#49 Sasha Rozin/Gustaf Strom, Arizona
Players Mentioned
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