Friday, January 23
Lynchburg, Va.
5:00 PM ET
Liberty University
vs
Richmond
Flames Victorious in Home Opener with Win over Richmond
1/23/2026 8:20:00 PM | Men's Tennis
LYNCHBURG, Va. – The Liberty men's tennis team (1-2) secured its first win of the season in its home opener with a 7-0 sweep over Richmond.
Three Flames, David Ekpenyong, Benjamin Sparks and Guy Vorwerk made their spring home debut on Friday.
Liberty secured the doubles point with victories on courts one and two. The Flames were up 6-5 on court three when the round went unfinished.
Chase Robinson secured the first singles point for the Flames in the No. 6 singles match with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Sam Rathmanner. Carl Roothman followed with a 6-3, 6-3 triumph over Charlie Burdell on court two.
Liberty secured the match-clinching fourth point from Ekpenyong. The Flame bested Cole Brashear 6-4, 6-2 in the No. 5 singles match for Liberty's first win of the season. Play continued with full matches after the match was clinched.
Rodrigo Santiago Arraez picked up his second win of the season with a 7-5, 6-1, coming back in the first set in the No. 1 singles match. Sparks stretched the win to 6-0 with a gritty 7-6 (5), 7-5 triumph. Siwanat Auyatayakul finished the sweep with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 win in the No. 3 singles match.
Liberty 7, Richmond 0
Singles Competition
1. R Santiago Arraez (LIBERTYM) def. Davis Wiley (URM) 7-5, 6-1
2. Carl Roothman (LIBERTYM) def. Charlie Burdell (URM) 6-3, 6-3
3. Siwanat Auytayakul (LIBERTYM) def. Paxton Pritchard (URM) 3-6, 6-4, 6-2
4. Benjamin Sparks (LIBERTYM) def. Otto Sewell (URM) 7-6 (7-5), 7-5
5. David Ekpenyong (LIBERTYM) def. Cole Brashear (URM) 6-4, 6-3
6. Chase Robinson (LIBERTYM) def. Sam Rathmanner (URM) 6-2, 6-1
Doubles Competition
1. Carl Roothman/Siwanat Auytayakul (LIBERTYM) def. Cole Brashear/Davis Wiley (URM) 6-4
2. Benjamin Sparks/David Ekpenyong (LIBERTYM) def. Sam Rathmanner/Paxton Pritchard (URM) 6-3
3. Guy Vorwerk/R Santiago Arraez (LIBERTYM) vs. Otto Sewell/Charlie Burdell (URM) 6-5, unfinished
Richmond 0-1
Liberty 1-2
Order of Finish: Doubles (2,1); Singles (6,2,5,1,4,3)
Flames News & Notes
Up Next
Liberty returns to the Liberty Indoor Tennis Center for a match against Penn (2-0) on Friday at 5 p.m.
Three Flames, David Ekpenyong, Benjamin Sparks and Guy Vorwerk made their spring home debut on Friday.
Liberty secured the doubles point with victories on courts one and two. The Flames were up 6-5 on court three when the round went unfinished.
Chase Robinson secured the first singles point for the Flames in the No. 6 singles match with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Sam Rathmanner. Carl Roothman followed with a 6-3, 6-3 triumph over Charlie Burdell on court two.
Liberty secured the match-clinching fourth point from Ekpenyong. The Flame bested Cole Brashear 6-4, 6-2 in the No. 5 singles match for Liberty's first win of the season. Play continued with full matches after the match was clinched.
Rodrigo Santiago Arraez picked up his second win of the season with a 7-5, 6-1, coming back in the first set in the No. 1 singles match. Sparks stretched the win to 6-0 with a gritty 7-6 (5), 7-5 triumph. Siwanat Auyatayakul finished the sweep with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 win in the No. 3 singles match.
Liberty 7, Richmond 0
Singles Competition
1. R Santiago Arraez (LIBERTYM) def. Davis Wiley (URM) 7-5, 6-1
2. Carl Roothman (LIBERTYM) def. Charlie Burdell (URM) 6-3, 6-3
3. Siwanat Auytayakul (LIBERTYM) def. Paxton Pritchard (URM) 3-6, 6-4, 6-2
4. Benjamin Sparks (LIBERTYM) def. Otto Sewell (URM) 7-6 (7-5), 7-5
5. David Ekpenyong (LIBERTYM) def. Cole Brashear (URM) 6-4, 6-3
6. Chase Robinson (LIBERTYM) def. Sam Rathmanner (URM) 6-2, 6-1
Doubles Competition
1. Carl Roothman/Siwanat Auytayakul (LIBERTYM) def. Cole Brashear/Davis Wiley (URM) 6-4
2. Benjamin Sparks/David Ekpenyong (LIBERTYM) def. Sam Rathmanner/Paxton Pritchard (URM) 6-3
3. Guy Vorwerk/R Santiago Arraez (LIBERTYM) vs. Otto Sewell/Charlie Burdell (URM) 6-5, unfinished
Richmond 0-1
Liberty 1-2
Order of Finish: Doubles (2,1); Singles (6,2,5,1,4,3)
Flames News & Notes
- Four Flames secured their first singles win of the season, including two, Ekpenyong and Sparks, who won their first career spring season matches.
- Liberty's No. 2 doubles pair of Ekpenyong and Sparks improve to 2-1 together this season.
- The Flames extend their winning streak to five matches against Richmond and improve to 8-11 all-time against the Spiders.
Up Next
Liberty returns to the Liberty Indoor Tennis Center for a match against Penn (2-0) on Friday at 5 p.m.
Players Mentioned
/ 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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