No. 2 Flames Season Closes with a 4-2 Loss at No. 1 Middle Tennessee

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – The No. 2 seed Liberty Flames 2026 season came to an end as runners-up in the Conference USA title match with a 4-2 loss at No. 1 seed Middle Tennessee on Sunday. The Flames finish as CUSA runners-up for the third consecutive season.

No. 64 Liberty jumped ahead against No. 48 Middle Tennessee in what was ultimately a thrilling doubles round. The Flames jumped head on all three courts before the Blue Raiders roared back. MTSU held 5-4 lead on all three courts. Siwanat Auytayakul and Chase Robinson delivered three straight games to secure a 7-5 decision against Karim Al-Amin and Birtan Duran at No. 3 doubles. The Blue Raiders claimed a 6-4 win at No. 2 doubles with Ondrej Horak and Antoine Mayoral defeating R Santiago Arraez and Guy Vorwerk. All eyes were on court one as David Ekpenyong and Benjamin Sparks fought Eric Crivei and Jonasz Dziopak in a tiebreak.

In a back-and-forth breaker, each side fought off a match point. The Flames pair ultimately came away victorious with three straight points, capped off with a Sparks serve that was too hard to handle, winning the match 7-6 (7).

In singles play, Middle Tennessee turned the tide, beginning with Jonasz Dziopak's straight-set 6-3, 6-1 win over Carl Roothman at No. 4 singles. Chase Robinson provided Liberty's sole singles victory, running away with the second set after a battle in the first, for a 7-5, 6-0 triumph against Santiago Lora on court six. The Blue Raiders regained control as Birtan Duran defeated R Santiago Arraez 6-1, 1-6, 6-1 at No. 3 singles.

Middle Tennessee put the Flames on the ropes with Karim Al-Amin's three-set victory over Benjamin Sparks, 6-1, 1-6, 6-2, at No. 2 singles. Ondrej Horak delivered the championship point on court one with an ace for a 7-5, 6-3 win over Siwanat Auytayakul. The match at No. 5 singles between David Ekpenyong and Eric Crivei was left unfinished.

Liberty 2, Middle Tennessee 4
Doubles
David Ekpenyong/Benjamin Sparks (LIBE) def. Eric Crivei/Jonasz Dziopak (MTSU) 7-6(7)
Ondrej Horak/Antoine Mayoral (MTSU) def. R Santiago Arraez/Guy Vorwerk (LIBE) 6-4
Siwanat Auytayakul/Chase Robinson (LIBE) def. Karim Al-Amin/Birtan Duran (MTSU) 7-5
Order of finish: 2, 3, 1

Singles
Ondrej Horak (MTSU) def. Siwanat Auytayakul (LIBE) 7-5, 6-3
Karim Al-Amin (MTSU) def. Benjamin Sparks (LIBE) 6-1, 1-6, 6-2
Birtan Duran (MTSU) def. R Santiago Arraez (LIBE) 6-1, 1-6, 6-1
Jonasz Dziopak (MTSU) def. Carl Roothman (LIBE) 6-3, 6-1
David Ekpenyong (LIBE) vs. Eric Crivei (MTSU) 6-2, 2-6, 0-5 (unfinished)
Chase Robinson (LIBE) def. Santiago Lora (MTSU) 7-5, 6-0

Order of Finish: 4, 6, 3, 2, 1

Flames News & Notes
·      Liberty finishes the 2026 season with a collective 71-61 (.538) singles record and a (.627) doubles mark.
·      Sparks and Ekpenyong (12-6) finish the season with a 7-4 record in the No. 1 doubles position.
·      Arraez and Vorwerk finish as the Flames' winningest doubles pair with a 13-4 doubles mark together.
·      Robinson added to his team-best 14-6 singles mark.
·      Roothman wraps his two-year Liberty tenure with an 11-10 singles record this season.

Schedule

No. 2 Flames Season Closes with a 4-2 Loss at No. 1 Middle Tennessee

Team Stats

Players Mentioned

Siwanat Auytayakul

David Ekpenyong

Chase Robinson

Carl Roothman

Benjamin Sparks

Guy Vorwerk