Sunday, February 8
Lynchburg, Va.
12:00 PM ET
Liberty University
6
vs
1
Penn State
Liberty Spoils Penn State’s Perfect Season, Tops Nittany Lions 6-1
2/8/2026 3:27:00 PM | Men's Tennis
LYNCHBURG, Va. – Liberty men's tennis (4-3) handed Penn State (7-1) its first loss of the season with a 6-1 final on Sunday afternoon at the Liberty Indoor Tennis Center. The Flames earn their third consecutive victory following a 1-3 start to the 2026 season.
Liberty secured the doubles point with victories in the No. 2 and No. 3 positions and controlled the singles round by winning five of six matches.
The Flames secured the doubles point with victories on courts two and three. The team of David Ekpenyong and Benjamin Sparks clinched a 7-5 win at No. 2 doubles against Marcus Schoeman and Reiya Hattori, while Rodrigo Santiago Arraez and Guy Vorwerk triumphed 6-3 on court three over Eyal Shyovitz and Emil Matikainen.
In singles, Liberty continued its strong performance, starting with Arraez with a straight-sets triumph, 6-2, 6-4, at No. 1 singles against Wright. On court six, the Nittany Lions' Shyovitz picked up the visitors' sole singles win, defeating Chase Robinson 6-2, 6-3. Liberty's Roothman added another point at No. 2 singles with a 7-5, 6-2 decision over Schoeman.
The Flames secured the match-winning fourth point in Ekpenyong's three-set comeback victory at No. 4 singles, 1-6, 6-1, 6-3 over Lindsay. Play continued on the remaining two courts.
Auytayakul secured a hard-fought three-set victory at No. 3 singles, overcoming Hattori 6-1, 5-7, 1-0 (10-8). Sparks closed out the match with a tight three-set win at No. 5 singles, defeating Matikainen 6-4, 3-6, 7-5.
Liberty 6, Penn State 1
Singles Competition
1. R Santiago Arraez (LIBERTYM) def. Michael Wright (PSU) 6-2, 6-4
2. Carl Roothman (LIBERTYM) def. Marcus Schoeman (PSU) 7-5, 6-2
3. Siwanat Auytayakul (LIBERTYM) def. Reiya Hattori (PSU) 6-1, 5-7, 1-0 (10-8)
4. David Ekpenyong (LIBERTYM) def. David Lindsay (PSU) 1-6, 6-1, 6-3
5. Benjamin Sparks (LIBERTYM) def. Emil Matikainen (PSU) 6-4, 3-6, 7-5
6. Eyal Shyovitz (PSU) def. Chase Robinson (LIBERTYM) 6-2, 6-3
Doubles Competition
1. Siwanat Auytayakul/Carl Roothman (LIBERTYM) vs. Michael Wright/David Lindsay (PSU) 5-6, unfinished
2. David Ekpenyong/Benjamin Sparks (LIBERTYM) def. Marcus Schoeman/Reiya Hattori (PSU) 7-5
3. R Santiago Arraez/Guy Vorwerk (LIBERTYM) def. Eyal Shyovitz/Emil Matikainen (PSU) 6-3
Penn State 7-1
Liberty 4-3
Order of Finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (1,6,2,4,3,5)
Official: Bruce Harrison T-2:51
Flames News & Notes
Up Next
Liberty travels to the West Coast for a pair of matchups in Oregon. The Flames take on Oregon (7-2) on Friday at 8 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT before battling Portland (2-5) in a neutral-site match on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET/1:30 p.m. PT.
Liberty secured the doubles point with victories in the No. 2 and No. 3 positions and controlled the singles round by winning five of six matches.
The Flames secured the doubles point with victories on courts two and three. The team of David Ekpenyong and Benjamin Sparks clinched a 7-5 win at No. 2 doubles against Marcus Schoeman and Reiya Hattori, while Rodrigo Santiago Arraez and Guy Vorwerk triumphed 6-3 on court three over Eyal Shyovitz and Emil Matikainen.
In singles, Liberty continued its strong performance, starting with Arraez with a straight-sets triumph, 6-2, 6-4, at No. 1 singles against Wright. On court six, the Nittany Lions' Shyovitz picked up the visitors' sole singles win, defeating Chase Robinson 6-2, 6-3. Liberty's Roothman added another point at No. 2 singles with a 7-5, 6-2 decision over Schoeman.
The Flames secured the match-winning fourth point in Ekpenyong's three-set comeback victory at No. 4 singles, 1-6, 6-1, 6-3 over Lindsay. Play continued on the remaining two courts.
Auytayakul secured a hard-fought three-set victory at No. 3 singles, overcoming Hattori 6-1, 5-7, 1-0 (10-8). Sparks closed out the match with a tight three-set win at No. 5 singles, defeating Matikainen 6-4, 3-6, 7-5.
Liberty 6, Penn State 1
Singles Competition
1. R Santiago Arraez (LIBERTYM) def. Michael Wright (PSU) 6-2, 6-4
2. Carl Roothman (LIBERTYM) def. Marcus Schoeman (PSU) 7-5, 6-2
3. Siwanat Auytayakul (LIBERTYM) def. Reiya Hattori (PSU) 6-1, 5-7, 1-0 (10-8)
4. David Ekpenyong (LIBERTYM) def. David Lindsay (PSU) 1-6, 6-1, 6-3
5. Benjamin Sparks (LIBERTYM) def. Emil Matikainen (PSU) 6-4, 3-6, 7-5
6. Eyal Shyovitz (PSU) def. Chase Robinson (LIBERTYM) 6-2, 6-3
Doubles Competition
1. Siwanat Auytayakul/Carl Roothman (LIBERTYM) vs. Michael Wright/David Lindsay (PSU) 5-6, unfinished
2. David Ekpenyong/Benjamin Sparks (LIBERTYM) def. Marcus Schoeman/Reiya Hattori (PSU) 7-5
3. R Santiago Arraez/Guy Vorwerk (LIBERTYM) def. Eyal Shyovitz/Emil Matikainen (PSU) 6-3
Penn State 7-1
Liberty 4-3
Order of Finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (1,6,2,4,3,5)
Official: Bruce Harrison T-2:51
Flames News & Notes
- Roothman owns a team-best four-match singles winning streak.
- Ekpenyong and Sparks each own a three-match singles winning streak
- Liberty's No. 2 (5-2) and No. 3 (4-1) doubles pairings continue to carry Liberty in the doubles round.
- Arraez improves to 4-3 in the No. 1 singles slot.
Up Next
Liberty travels to the West Coast for a pair of matchups in Oregon. The Flames take on Oregon (7-2) on Friday at 8 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT before battling Portland (2-5) in a neutral-site match on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET/1:30 p.m. PT.
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
3,2
#1 Singles Match
12
Michael Wright / 0 [PSU]
24
66
#2 Singles Match
12
Marcus Schoeman / 0 [PSU]
52
76
#3 Singles Match
123
Reiya Hattori / 0 [PSU]
170
651
#4 Singles Match
123
David Lindsay / 0 [PSU]
613
166
#5 Singles Match
123
Emil Matikainen / 0 [PSU]
465
637
#6 Singles Match
12
Eyal Shyovitz / 0 [PSU]
66
23
Order of Finish:
1,6,2,3,5
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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