Saturday, January 18
Lynchburg, Va.
1:00 PM ET
Liberty University
vs
Richmond
Men’s Tennis Opens Spring Season Hosting Richmond Saturday
1/16/2025 3:09:00 PM | Men's Tennis
LYNCHBURG, Va. – The Liberty Flames men's tennis team looks to begin the 2025 season strong with a home match against Richmond on Saturday at 1 p.m. The season-opening match will be played at the Liberty Indoor Tennis Center and will be streamed via Playsight.
The new-look Flames team boasts five newcomers including three additions via transfer and two freshmen. Liberty returns four returning players from the 2023-24 roster including Ernst Gouws, Chase Robinson, Matija Samardzic and Rodrigo Santiago Arraez.
Liberty added experience to the 2024-25 roster with the additions of transfers Joaquim De Almeida (VCU), Carl Roothman (Okla. State), and Trey Stinchcomb (Clemson). The Flames added an influx of youth with the international signings of freshmen Siwanat Auytayakul (Thailand) and Guy Vorwerk (South Africa). Also joining the team is freshman Ben Sparks (Naples, Fla.) who is utilizing a redshirt season in his first year at Liberty.
The team enjoyed a fruitful fall season headlined by Almeida and Auytayakul claiming the doubles title at the ITA Atlantic Regional on Oct. 14. The championship earned the pair an automatic bid to the NCAA Individual Championships in Waco, Texas on Nov. 20. The duo secured Liberty's first-ever match victory at the event with a 6-4, 3-6, 1-0 (8) triumph over California's No. 25 pair of Carl Emil Overbeck and Theo Dean.
The Flames tennis team looks to build off an 18-9 season in which the team achieved a high ranking of No. 45 in the ITA team rankings. The spring season concluded with a second-place finish in the 2024 CUSA Men's Tennis Championship and a semifinal run at the 2024 UTR Sports NIT Championships.
Flames News & Notes
The new-look Flames team boasts five newcomers including three additions via transfer and two freshmen. Liberty returns four returning players from the 2023-24 roster including Ernst Gouws, Chase Robinson, Matija Samardzic and Rodrigo Santiago Arraez.
Liberty added experience to the 2024-25 roster with the additions of transfers Joaquim De Almeida (VCU), Carl Roothman (Okla. State), and Trey Stinchcomb (Clemson). The Flames added an influx of youth with the international signings of freshmen Siwanat Auytayakul (Thailand) and Guy Vorwerk (South Africa). Also joining the team is freshman Ben Sparks (Naples, Fla.) who is utilizing a redshirt season in his first year at Liberty.
The team enjoyed a fruitful fall season headlined by Almeida and Auytayakul claiming the doubles title at the ITA Atlantic Regional on Oct. 14. The championship earned the pair an automatic bid to the NCAA Individual Championships in Waco, Texas on Nov. 20. The duo secured Liberty's first-ever match victory at the event with a 6-4, 3-6, 1-0 (8) triumph over California's No. 25 pair of Carl Emil Overbeck and Theo Dean.
The Flames tennis team looks to build off an 18-9 season in which the team achieved a high ranking of No. 45 in the ITA team rankings. The spring season concluded with a second-place finish in the 2024 CUSA Men's Tennis Championship and a semifinal run at the 2024 UTR Sports NIT Championships.
Flames News & Notes
- Following their 6-2 doubles run together this Fall, Almeida and Auytayakul earned a No. 23 ITA national ranking on Dec. 3. They are the highest-ranked Liberty doubles team since Shea Thomas and Jorge Azuero earned a No. 19 ranking on Feb. 11, 2014.
- The Flames featured six athletes this fall with an overall record .500 or better. Auytayakul paced the team with a 12-8 collective record including a 4-4 singles mark and an 8-4 doubles record.
- Liberty is 6-11 all-time against Richmond with the Flames taking the past three matchups including a 7-0 triumph at home on March 20, 2024.
- Head Coach Derek Schwandt enters his eighth season leading the Flames. Kyle Seelig is set for his second season as an assistant coach along with Jessica Seelig-Failla joining the staff for her first season coaching the men's team after serving as an assistant coach with the women's tennis team in the 2023-24 season.
- The Flames seek its first victory in a season opener since 2017 topping King 5-2 at home. Liberty has seen challenging competition in season-opening matches including three matches against Virginia, two facing Miami and a single meeting with Virginia Tech.
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
/ Men's Tennis
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