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Friday, April 5
Richmond, Va.
2:00 PM ET
Liberty University
1
at
4
VCU
No. 45 Flames Drop Road Match at No. 39 VCU 4-1
4/5/2024 8:56:00 PM | Men's Tennis
RICHMOND, Va. – The No. 45 Liberty men's tennis team fell to No. 39 VCU 4-1 on the road despite an impressive doubles round. The Rams grabbed four consecutive singles victories on courts four, two, one and three.
The No. 45 Flames (15-6) sealed an early advantage over No. 39 VCU with doubles triumphs in the No. 2 and 3 doubles matches. VCU dominated the first sets in the singles, dropping just a single set on court six. Despite a strong second set push in the No. 1 and 2 singles matches, Liberty dropped four straight matches to give VCU the 4-1 win.
Liberty played its final regular season road match on Friday, concluding the spring with a 6-5 record away from Lynchburg.
The Flames conclude the 2024 season with a 9-2 mark facing in-state programs. Along with Friday's result, Liberty fell to No. 1 Virginia 6-1 on Jan. 13.
Liberty continues to seek its first victory all-time against VCU, dropping to 0-8 against the Rams.
Thoughts from Head Coach Derek Schwandt
"We will learn from this match and get better. VCU is a tough opponent. We are thankful for the test today and will reset for Sunday at home versus Elon."
#39 VCU 4, #45 Liberty 1
Singles Competition
1. #60 Mathis Bondaz (VCUMEN) def. #102 R Marques Da Silva (LIBERTYM) 6-3, 6-4
2. #92 Matisse Bobichon (VCUMEN) def. Luis Felipe Miguel (LIBERTYM) 6-1, 7-6 (7-5)
3. Oscar Pinto Sansano (VCUMEN) def. Deji Thomas-Smith (LIBERTYM) 7-5, 6-3
4. Romain Gales (VCUMEN) def. Thando Longwe-Smit (LIBERTYM) 6-4, 6-3
5. Hamza El Amine (VCUMEN) vs. R Santiago Arraez (LIBERTYM) 6-4, 4-4, unfinished
6. German Samofalov (VCUMEN) vs. Chase Robinson (LIBERTYM) 4-6, 3-5, unfinished
Doubles Competition
1. #54 Oscar Pinto Sansano/German Samofalov (VCUMEN) vs. Deji Thomas-Smith/Luis Felipe Miguel (LIBERTYM) 4-4, unfinished
2. R Marques Da Silva/Thando Longwe-Smit (LIBERTYM) def. Romain Gales/Hamza El Amine (VCUMEN) 6-3
3. R Hadzimehmedovic/Matija Samardzic (LIBERTYM) def. Matisse Bobichon/Gray Voelzke (VCUMEN) 6-2
Liberty 15-6; National ranking #45
VCU 10-9; National ranking #39
Order of Finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (4,2,1,3)
T-2:18
Doubles
Singles
Up Next
No. 45 Liberty (15-6) comes home for a Sunday matinee against Elon (12-6). First serve is set for 2 p.m. from the Liberty Tennis Complex.
The No. 45 Flames (15-6) sealed an early advantage over No. 39 VCU with doubles triumphs in the No. 2 and 3 doubles matches. VCU dominated the first sets in the singles, dropping just a single set on court six. Despite a strong second set push in the No. 1 and 2 singles matches, Liberty dropped four straight matches to give VCU the 4-1 win.
Liberty played its final regular season road match on Friday, concluding the spring with a 6-5 record away from Lynchburg.
The Flames conclude the 2024 season with a 9-2 mark facing in-state programs. Along with Friday's result, Liberty fell to No. 1 Virginia 6-1 on Jan. 13.
Liberty continues to seek its first victory all-time against VCU, dropping to 0-8 against the Rams.
Thoughts from Head Coach Derek Schwandt
"We will learn from this match and get better. VCU is a tough opponent. We are thankful for the test today and will reset for Sunday at home versus Elon."
#39 VCU 4, #45 Liberty 1
Singles Competition
1. #60 Mathis Bondaz (VCUMEN) def. #102 R Marques Da Silva (LIBERTYM) 6-3, 6-4
2. #92 Matisse Bobichon (VCUMEN) def. Luis Felipe Miguel (LIBERTYM) 6-1, 7-6 (7-5)
3. Oscar Pinto Sansano (VCUMEN) def. Deji Thomas-Smith (LIBERTYM) 7-5, 6-3
4. Romain Gales (VCUMEN) def. Thando Longwe-Smit (LIBERTYM) 6-4, 6-3
5. Hamza El Amine (VCUMEN) vs. R Santiago Arraez (LIBERTYM) 6-4, 4-4, unfinished
6. German Samofalov (VCUMEN) vs. Chase Robinson (LIBERTYM) 4-6, 3-5, unfinished
Doubles Competition
1. #54 Oscar Pinto Sansano/German Samofalov (VCUMEN) vs. Deji Thomas-Smith/Luis Felipe Miguel (LIBERTYM) 4-4, unfinished
2. R Marques Da Silva/Thando Longwe-Smit (LIBERTYM) def. Romain Gales/Hamza El Amine (VCUMEN) 6-3
3. R Hadzimehmedovic/Matija Samardzic (LIBERTYM) def. Matisse Bobichon/Gray Voelzke (VCUMEN) 6-2
Liberty 15-6; National ranking #45
VCU 10-9; National ranking #39
Order of Finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (4,2,1,3)
T-2:18
Doubles
- Liberty jumped ahead in the doubles round on court three. The freshmen pair of Romeo Hadzimehmedovic and Matija Samardzic (3-0) raced past Mattisse Bobichon and Gray Voelske 6-2.
- The Flames secured the doubles point in the No. 2 doubles match. The senior duo of Rafael Marques Da Silva and Thando Longwe-Smit (6-7) cruised past Romain Gales and Hamza El Anime 6-3.
- Deji Thomas-Smith and Luis Felipe Miguel (0-1) were tied 4-4 against No. 54 Oscar Pinto Sansano and German Samofalov.
Singles
- The Rams evened the match in the No. 4 singles match. Longwe-Smit (11-8) fell to Gales 6-4, 6-3.
- VCU took a 2-1 lead on court two. Miguel climbed his way back in the second set after a dominant first set from No. 92 Bobichon. The sophomore fought back from a 4-2 second set deficit to force a tiebreaker but came up just short 6-1, 7-6 (5).
- The home team grabbed a commanding 3-1 lead on court one. Similarly to Miguel, Marques Da Silva (11-6) put up a fierce fight in the second set but came up short against No. 60 Mathis Bondaz 6-3, 6-4.
- The Rams secured the match-winning fourth point in the No. 3 singles match. Thomas-Smith came up short of a first set win, ultimately losing to Sansano 7-5, 6-3.
- Liberty was competitive in the final two matches that went unfinished. Rodrigo Santiago Arraez (11-2) was down a set but was tied at 4-4 on court five. Chase Robinson was points away from a victory, finishing while leading 6-4, 5-3.
Up Next
No. 45 Liberty (15-6) comes home for a Sunday matinee against Elon (12-6). First serve is set for 2 p.m. from the Liberty Tennis Complex.
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
12
4UF
Oscar Pinto Sansano/ German Samofalov (54/-) [VCUMEN]
4UF
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
3,2
#1 Singles Match
12
34
Mathis Bondaz / 0 (60/-) [VCUMEN]
66
#2 Singles Match
12
16
Matisse Bobichon / 0 (92/-) [VCUMEN]
67
#3 Singles Match
12
53
Oscar Pinto Sansano / 0 [VCUMEN]
76
#4 Singles Match
12
43
Romain Gales / 0 [VCUMEN]
66
#5 Singles Match
123
44UF
Hamza El Amine / 0 [VCUMEN]
64UF
#6 Singles Match
123
65UF
German Samofalov / 0 [VCUMEN]
43UF
Order of Finish:
4,2,1,3
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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