No. 45 Flames Prepare for Pair of Weekend Matchups
4/4/2024 12:06:00 PM | Men's Tennis
LYNCHBURG, Va. – The No. 45 Liberty men's tennis team is set for two matches this weekend, traveling to take on No. 39 VCU on Friday and hosting Elon on Sunday. Friday's match in Richmond Va. is set for a 2 p.m. first serve at the Thalhimer tennis Center. Sunday's meeting is scheduled for 2 p.m. at the Liberty Tennis Complex.
The No. 45 Flames (15-5) aim to extend their winning streak to eight games with a pair of victories facing No. 39 VCU (9-9) and Elon (12-5) this weekend. Liberty returns for a set of matches in Virginia following a pair of road matches last week, topping No. 45 Florida Atlantic (March 27) 4-3 and besting No. 69 South Florida 4-2 (last Friday).
Deji Thomas-Smith was awarded his second Conference USA Men's Tennis Athlete of the Week award on Wednesday, previously receiving the honor on Feb. 21. The senior is currently on an 11-match singles winning streak.
Liberty's No. 1 singles, No. 102 Rafael Marques Da Silva, owns an 11-5 singles record in 2024. The two-time CUSA Athlete of the Week selection this season has collected a 4-2 record against ranked opponents, most recently topping No. 48 Alvin Tudorica (No. 69 USF) 7-5, 7-5 on Saturday.
This weekend's matchups mark two of the final three regular season matchups of the season before setting off for the Conference USA Men's Tennis Championship. Liberty can boost its home record to an impressive 10-1, welcoming Elon on Sunday. The Flames could also collect an 8-1 record against in-state programs. Liberty's only loss was in its season-opening 6-1 loss at No. 1 Virginia on Jan. 13.
Liberty looks for its first-ever triumph over VCU. The Flames are currently 0-7 against the Rams. In the most recent meeting, VCU came out on top 5-2 in Lynchburg last season. The Flames seek to build on a 5-10 all-time record against Elon, last topping the Phoenix 4-3 at home in 2022.
Flames News & Notes
Opponents At-a-Glance
No. 39 VCU
Elon
The No. 45 Flames (15-5) aim to extend their winning streak to eight games with a pair of victories facing No. 39 VCU (9-9) and Elon (12-5) this weekend. Liberty returns for a set of matches in Virginia following a pair of road matches last week, topping No. 45 Florida Atlantic (March 27) 4-3 and besting No. 69 South Florida 4-2 (last Friday).
Deji Thomas-Smith was awarded his second Conference USA Men's Tennis Athlete of the Week award on Wednesday, previously receiving the honor on Feb. 21. The senior is currently on an 11-match singles winning streak.
Liberty's No. 1 singles, No. 102 Rafael Marques Da Silva, owns an 11-5 singles record in 2024. The two-time CUSA Athlete of the Week selection this season has collected a 4-2 record against ranked opponents, most recently topping No. 48 Alvin Tudorica (No. 69 USF) 7-5, 7-5 on Saturday.
This weekend's matchups mark two of the final three regular season matchups of the season before setting off for the Conference USA Men's Tennis Championship. Liberty can boost its home record to an impressive 10-1, welcoming Elon on Sunday. The Flames could also collect an 8-1 record against in-state programs. Liberty's only loss was in its season-opening 6-1 loss at No. 1 Virginia on Jan. 13.
Liberty looks for its first-ever triumph over VCU. The Flames are currently 0-7 against the Rams. In the most recent meeting, VCU came out on top 5-2 in Lynchburg last season. The Flames seek to build on a 5-10 all-time record against Elon, last topping the Phoenix 4-3 at home in 2022.
Flames News & Notes
- After hitting a road bump in his last few matches, Luis Felipe Miguel (12-6) rebounded with a 2-0 singles week in Florida.
- Six Flames have achieved at least 10 singles wins including freshman Rodrigo Santiago Arraez (11-2), redshirt freshman Chase Robinson (10-2) and senior Thando Longwe-Smit (11-7).
- For the first time this season, Liberty paired Thomas-Smith and Miguel in the doubles round, but they fell 7-6 (5) in a tiebreaker to the No. 55 pair of Erik Grevelius and Alvin Tudorica (USF) in the No. 1 doubles match. The duo collected a 14-7 record together in 2023.
- Liberty also paired freshmen Romeo Hadzimehmedovic and Matija Samardzic (2-0) in Saturday's 4-2 win at No. 69 USF.
- The Flames regular season concludes with a home match against UNCW (10-5) on April 13. Liberty will be honoring its senior class during the match.
Opponents At-a-Glance
No. 39 VCU
- Despite a 9-9 record, the Rams present a big test for the Flames. VCU has played multiple similar opponents to Liberty, including a 6-1 win over Richmond (Feb. 7), a 4-3 loss to Old Dominion (Feb. 16), a 4-0 win over Grand Canyon (March 2), a 4-2 victory over No. 58 Boise State (March 3), a 4-3 triumph over No. 70 Charlotte (March 24) and a 4-3 win over No. 69 South Florida 4-3 last Sunday.
- VCU has split time between No. 92 Mattisse Bobichon (3-4 at No. 1, 6-7 overall) and No. 60 Mathias Bondaz (5-3 at No. 1, 11-3 overall) in the No. 1 singles slot this season.
- The Rams have struggled in doubles, collectively owning an 18-26 record across all three doubles positions. VCU is headlined by the No. 54 doubles pairing of German Samofalov and Oscar Pinto Sansano.
Elon
- The Phoenix has collected a 12-5 record in 2024. Elon has faced similar foes to the Flames including a 4-3 win over Georgia State (Jan. 20), beating Presbyterian 5-2 (March 10), falling to JMU 4-3 (March 12) and besting No. 68 William & Mary 4-3 on March 25.
- Veljko Krstic owns a 5-6 record in the No. 1 singles position and a 4-0 mark in the No. 2 singles position (9-6 overall).
- Elon has controlled doubles this spring. The Phoenix owns a combined 27-17 record in doubles led by an 11-4 record in the No. 3 doubles slot.
Players Mentioned
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Wednesday, April 15
Thursday, April 09
Saturday, April 04
Saturday, January 24