No. 69 Liberty Sets off for CUSA Road Trip, Take on MTSU and WKU
4/4/2024 12:37:00 PM | Women's Tennis
LYNCHBURG, Va. – The Lady Flames tennis team sets off for a pair of road Conference USA matches, visiting Middle Tennessee on Friday and taking on Western Kentucky on Saturday. Friday's first serve is set for 5 p.m. ET/4 p.m. CT. Saturday's match is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET/ 1 p.m. CT start.
Liberty (11-5, 1-0 CUSA) is shooting for six consecutive victories when it goes against Middle Tennessee (9-10, 2-2 CUSA) and Western Kentucky (12-7, 0-0 CUSA). The Lady Flames dominated Sam Houston 4-0 in their CUSA debut on March 22 at home.
Esther Lovato leads the Lady Flames with nine singles wins (9-4) including a five-match singles winning streak. Lovato looks to add to her program-record 116 singles wins.
Liberty seeks greater success on the road this spring with no home matches remaining. The Lady Flames own a 2-5 record away from Lynchburg.
The Lady Flames are meeting Middle Tennessee for the third time in program history (1-1) but for the first time in CUSA action. The two last met in 2023, with Liberty securing a 4-3 road triumph. It is just the second all-time matchup against WKU and first since 2013, a contest the Lady Flames took 5-0.
Lady Flames News & Notes
Opponents At-a-Glance
Middle Tennessee
Western Kentucky
Liberty (11-5, 1-0 CUSA) is shooting for six consecutive victories when it goes against Middle Tennessee (9-10, 2-2 CUSA) and Western Kentucky (12-7, 0-0 CUSA). The Lady Flames dominated Sam Houston 4-0 in their CUSA debut on March 22 at home.
Esther Lovato leads the Lady Flames with nine singles wins (9-4) including a five-match singles winning streak. Lovato looks to add to her program-record 116 singles wins.
Liberty seeks greater success on the road this spring with no home matches remaining. The Lady Flames own a 2-5 record away from Lynchburg.
The Lady Flames are meeting Middle Tennessee for the third time in program history (1-1) but for the first time in CUSA action. The two last met in 2023, with Liberty securing a 4-3 road triumph. It is just the second all-time matchup against WKU and first since 2013, a contest the Lady Flames took 5-0.
Lady Flames News & Notes
- Liberty has won the past four consecutive matches with identical 4-0 outcomes.
- With no home matches remaining, the Lady Flames collected a 9-0 record playing at home in 2024. It was Liberty's fourth season in program history with a perfect home record. The 2024 season held the most wins in an undefeated home spring.
- Liberty's No. 1 singles player, Maria Juliana Parra Romero, is enjoying a four-match singles winning streak. The junior owns a 6-2 record in the No. 1 position and is the only Lady Flame with more than four wins in an individual singles position.
- The Lady Flames have seen steady improvement in the doubles round throughout the spring. Liberty looks for increased production from the No. 1 doubles slot, headlined by Parra Romero and Tiffany Nguyen (5-4).
- The senior duo of Marina Davtyan and Esther Lovato have played to a perfect 4-0 record in the No. 3 slot.
Opponents At-a-Glance
Middle Tennessee
- The Blue Raiders own a 9-10 record in 2024 and a 2-2 mark in CUSA play. MTSU has matched up with three Atlantic Sun foes, Liberty's former conference, falling in all its meetings against Bellarmine 4-3 on Jan. 26, Lipscomb 4-3 on Feb. 10 and Austin Peay 6-1 on Feb. 16.
- Sara Garakani has made the majority of appearances in the No. 1 singles position, collecting a 9-8 record. The Blue Raiders' strongest position has been the No. 4 singles position, led by Lena Peyer with a 7-4 record in the slot.
- MTSU has combined for a 21-25 record in the doubles round, highlighted by a 5-10 record in the No. 1 doubles position.
Western Kentucky
- The Hilltoppers have a 12-7 record this spring and will be making their Conference USA season opener facing Liberty. WKU has faced a pair of ASUN opponents, dropping matches to Lipscomb 5-2 on Feb. 4 and Austin Peay 6-1 on Feb. 10.
- WKU's weakest singles position this spring has been the No. 1 slot. Paola Cortez has made every appearance in the No. 1 position, owning a 6-10 record in the slot.
- The Hilltoppers have excelled in doubles, combining for a 28-16 record. WKU has managed just a 6-7 record in the No. 2 doubles position.
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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