Flames Tripped Up Twice against Oregon and Portland

EUGENE, Ore. – The Liberty Flames tennis team travels back to Lynchburg after failing to capture a win against Oregon (6-1 final) and Portland (5-2 final) this weekend in Eugene, Ore.

Liberty fell on back-to-back days in Eugene, Ore. On Friday, the Flames fell to host Oregon (8-2) and were upended in a neutral-site match against Portland (3-5) on Saturday.

Against the Ducks, Oregon secured the doubles point with victories at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles. No. 28 Matthew Burton and Pierre Mouesca clinched a 6-3 win over Siwanat Auytayakul and Carl Roothman on court one, followed by Vlad Breazu and Declan Galligan's 6-2 triumph against David Ekpenyong and Benjamin Sparks at No. 2 doubles. The match at No. 3 doubles between R Santiago Arraez and Guy Vorwerk and the Ducks duo of Cameron Burton and Lachlan Robertson remained unfinished at 5-5.

In singles play, the Ducks extended their lead with a 6-1, 6-2 victory by Sam Olszakowski over Auytayakul on court three, followed by Breazu's 6-4, 6-3 win over Arraez at No. 1 singles. Oregon sealed the match on court five despite Sparks' rally, Oregon's Robertson prevailed 6-1, 2-6, 6-4.

Liberty's lone singles victory came from Ekpenyong, who emerged victorious in a three-set battle, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-1), against Matthew Burton at No. 4 singles. The host team later added another point in Cameron Burton's 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 7-5 win over Chase Robinson at No. 6 singles. Oregon's Mouesca defeated Roothman 6-7 (4), 7-6 (7), 10-7 at No. 2 singles to conclude the match.

Thoughts from Head Coach Derek Schwandt
"We faced a lot of adversity today and the team stayed together, they battled hard. We got better tonight."

Facing Portland, the Pilots secured the doubles point with victories on courts one and three. Nikola Keremedchiev and Cade Fernando defeated Siwanat Auytayakul and Carl Roothman 6-4 at No. 1 doubles, while Tom Garcia and Eli Noel clinched the point with a 7-5 win over Guy Vorwerk and R Santiago Arraez at No. 3 doubles. The match at No. 2 doubles between Stefan Skobelev and Lucas Kimelman and the Liberty pair of David Ekpenyong and Benjamin Sparks was left unfinished at 6-6.

Stefan Skobelev put the Pilots ahead with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Benjamin Sparks at No. 5 singles, followed by Lucas Kimelman's 7-5, 6-2 victory against David Ekpenyong at No. 4 singles. The Pilots clinched the match on court one as Keremedchiev picked up a 7-5, 6-3 win over Arraez.

Liberty received its first match point in the No. 6 singles match with Chase Robinson earning a 7-5, 6-4 win over Tannor Binder. Portland extended its lead as Fernando overcame Roothman in a match tie-break, 7-6, 3-6, 1-0 (8) at No. 3 singles. Auytayakul picked up a win for Liberty in a hard-fought three-setter, defeating Garcia 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 at No. 2 singles, but it was not enough to change the overall outcome.

Thoughts from Head Coach Derek Schwandt
"We were tested this weekend. We are thankful for the experience and the opportunity to get better in a challenging environment."

Oregon 6, Liberty 1

Singles Competition
1. Vlad Breazu (ORE) def. R Santiago Arraez (LIBERTYM) 6-4, 6-3
2. Pierre Mouesca (ORE) def. Carl Roothman (LIBERTYM) 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (7-4), 10-7
3. Sam Olszakowski (ORE) def. Siwanat Auytayakul (LIBERTYM) 6-1, 6-2
4. David Ekpenyong (LIBERTYM) def. Matthew Burton (ORE) 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-1)
5. Lachlan Robertson (ORE) def. Benjamin Sparks (LIBERTYM) 6-1, 2-6, 6-4
6. Cameron Burton (ORE) def. Chase Robinson (LIBERTYM) 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 7-5

Doubles Competition
1. #28 Matthew Burton/Pierre Mouesca (ORE) def. Siwanat Auytayakul/Carl Roothman (LIBERTYM) 6-3
2. Vlad Breazu/Declan Galligan (ORE) def. David Ekpenyong/Benjamin Sparks (LIBERTYM) 6-2
3. Cameron Burton/Lachlan Robertson (ORE) vs. R Santiago Arraez/Guy Vorwerk (LIBERTYM) 5-5, unfinished

Liberty 4-4
Oregon 8-2
Order of Finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (3,1,5,2,4,6)
T-3:30

Portland 5, Liberty 2

Singles Competition
1. Nikola Keremedchiev (POR) def. R Santiago Arraez (LIBERTYM) 7-5, 6-3
2. Siwanat Auytayakul (LIBERTYM) def. Tom Garcia (POR) 4-6, 6-3, 7-5
3. Cade Fernando (POR) def. Carl Roothman (LIBERTYM) 7-6, 3-6, 1-0 (10-8)
4. Lucas Kimelman (POR) def. David Ekpenyong (LIBERTYM) 7-5, 6-2
5. Stefan Skobelev (POR) def. Benjamin Sparks (LIBERTYM) 6-2, 6-2
6. Chase Robinson (LIBERTYM) def. Tannor Binder (POR) 7-5, 6-4

Doubles Competition
1. Nikola Keremedchiev/Cade Fernando (POR) def. Siwanat Auytayakul/Carl Roothman (LIBERTYM) 6-4
2. David Ekpenyong/Benjamin Sparks (LIBERTYM) vs. Stefan Skobelev/Lucas Kimelman (POR) 6-6, unfinished
3. Tom Garcia/Eli Noel (POR) def. Guy Vorwerk/R Santiago Arraez (LIBERTYM) 7-5

Portland 3-5
Liberty 4-5
Order of Finish: Doubles (1,3); Singles (5,4,1,6,3,2)

Up Next
Liberty (4-5) receives an off-week to prepare for a three-match tournament at the Diablos College Invitational, hosted by Arizona State, on Feb. 27 and 28.

Schedule

Flames Tripped Up Twice against Oregon and Portland

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Team Stats

Players Mentioned

Siwanat Auytayakul

David Ekpenyong

Chase Robinson

Carl Roothman

Benjamin Sparks

Guy Vorwerk