Saturday, January 25
Fort Worth, Texas
11:00 AM ET/10:00 AM CT
Liberty University
vs
No. 17 Michigan State
Flames Prepped for Challenging ITA Kickoff Weekend
1/24/2025 11:26:00 AM | Men's Tennis
LYNCHBURG, Va. – Liberty sets off for Fort Worth, Texas to compete in the prestigious ITA Kickoff Weekend, opening the event against No. 17 Michigan State on Saturday at 11 a.m. ET at TCU's Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center. Depending on Saturday's results, the Flames will match up with either the defending champion and No. 2 TCU or Pacific. The weekend's events will be streamed on Swing Vision.
The Flames (1-0) enter the event as the No. 3 seed with Michigan State (3-0) holding the No. 2 seed. They join host No. 1 seed TCU (3-0) and No. 4 Pacific (1-0). Liberty topped Richmond 6-1 at home last Saturday.
The ITA Kickoff Weekend consists of 14 host sites with four teams competing at each site. The victors of the two matches in each draw will meet in the championship match later in the weekend, while the other two squads will battle in a consolation contest. The winner at each site will advance to the 50th Annual ITA Division I Men's Team Indoor Championship, held Feb. 17-20 at SMU in Dallas, Texas and Baylor in Waco, Texas. The Mustangs and Bears will automatically be in the 16-team field as the host site schools.
Liberty is set to compete in the prestigious event for the fourth time in program history, all in the previous five seasons. The Flames competed in the ITA Kickoff Weekend in three consecutive seasons from 2021-23. Liberty seeks its first triumph following six opportunities at this year's event. In its most recent outing in 2023, the Flames faced off with host No. 1 seed Kentucky and No. 3 seed Washington, falling in both matches.
The Flames have most recently met Michigan State in 2024, falling 4-0 to then No. 15 Michigan State at the Diablos Tennis Tournament on March 1. Liberty topped Michigan State in its first-ever meeting in 2023, a 4-1 victory at the same Diablos Tennis Tournament.
Liberty is no stranger to playing the defending NCAA defending champion, the Flames have the opportunity to face off with another reigning champion in TCU. The No. 4 Horned Frogs topped No. 2 seed Texas 4-3 on May 19 to claim the 2024 national title. The Flames have met the defending NCAA champion over the most recent two seasons, with both meetings coming against Virginia in 2022 and 2023.
The Flames could also have an opportunity to meet the team that put an end to their 2024 season. Liberty fell to Pacific 4-2 in the semifinal round of the 2024 UTR Sports NIT Championship. The Tigers were ultimately ousted 4-1 by Tulsa in the NIT Championship final.
Flames News & Notes
The Flames (1-0) enter the event as the No. 3 seed with Michigan State (3-0) holding the No. 2 seed. They join host No. 1 seed TCU (3-0) and No. 4 Pacific (1-0). Liberty topped Richmond 6-1 at home last Saturday.
The ITA Kickoff Weekend consists of 14 host sites with four teams competing at each site. The victors of the two matches in each draw will meet in the championship match later in the weekend, while the other two squads will battle in a consolation contest. The winner at each site will advance to the 50th Annual ITA Division I Men's Team Indoor Championship, held Feb. 17-20 at SMU in Dallas, Texas and Baylor in Waco, Texas. The Mustangs and Bears will automatically be in the 16-team field as the host site schools.
Liberty is set to compete in the prestigious event for the fourth time in program history, all in the previous five seasons. The Flames competed in the ITA Kickoff Weekend in three consecutive seasons from 2021-23. Liberty seeks its first triumph following six opportunities at this year's event. In its most recent outing in 2023, the Flames faced off with host No. 1 seed Kentucky and No. 3 seed Washington, falling in both matches.
The Flames have most recently met Michigan State in 2024, falling 4-0 to then No. 15 Michigan State at the Diablos Tennis Tournament on March 1. Liberty topped Michigan State in its first-ever meeting in 2023, a 4-1 victory at the same Diablos Tennis Tournament.
Liberty is no stranger to playing the defending NCAA defending champion, the Flames have the opportunity to face off with another reigning champion in TCU. The No. 4 Horned Frogs topped No. 2 seed Texas 4-3 on May 19 to claim the 2024 national title. The Flames have met the defending NCAA champion over the most recent two seasons, with both meetings coming against Virginia in 2022 and 2023.
The Flames could also have an opportunity to meet the team that put an end to their 2024 season. Liberty fell to Pacific 4-2 in the semifinal round of the 2024 UTR Sports NIT Championship. The Tigers were ultimately ousted 4-1 by Tulsa in the NIT Championship final.
Flames News & Notes
- Senior Carl Roothman, a transfer from Oklahoma State, prepares for his first spring singles match as a Flame this weekend. Roothman played in doubles last Saturday against Radford with partner Ernst Gouws, going unfinished 3-4.
- Four Flames, Joaquim Almeida, Siwanat Auytayakul, Chase Robinson and Gouws, recorded both a doubles and a singles victory last Saturday.
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
Coach Connell Talks About The Win Over KSU
Thursday, April 17
Joaquim Almeida Talks About The Upcoming CUSA Tournament
Tuesday, April 15
Daniella O'Neill Talks About The Upcoming CUSA Tournament
Tuesday, April 15
Joaquim Almeida: Finding the Lord and Liberty
Friday, April 11