Liberty Continues Construction on State of the Art Indoor Tennis Facility
Liberty’s latest athletics construction project, an indoor tennis facility, offers its tennis players something they have never had in school history: on-campus indoor courts.
Liberty announced the construction of the facility in November 2019, after an anonymous donor gifted a generous sum toward the facility. Once completed, the facility will cost approximately $5 million.
Located next to the Cook Tennis Center, the indoor facility will grant Liberty’s tennis teams the capacity to practice and play regardless of weather.
“I think it’s going to give us a great sense of confidence knowing we have such a great facility that allows us to practice and compete here on campus. (As) opposed to travelling throughout the city, we can (practice) right here,” Head Women’s Tennis Coach Jeff Maren said.
According to Maren, the new facility will become one of the premier indoor tennis facilities, not only in the region, but in the country.
The construction of the 48,000-square-foot facility began in late April. The facility will host both the men’s and women’s tennis programs, including locker rooms, six tennis courts and a lounge area for athletes. The building will include stands that will hold about 100 spectators to watch the matches.
“(We’ll) have stands in there now, so being able to have fans come and watch is going to be amazing,” junior men’s tennis player Josh Wilson said. “That’s not possible where we train right now indoors, so the environment in this (new facility) is going to be amazing. I’ll look forward to home matches much more.”
Beyond offering a confidence boost for the team, the facility will also serve as an asset to raise the profile of the program, particularly in helping to draw in new recruits.
“I think the confidence level is going to go up – we’ll feel very proud of what we have and what we’re blessed to be able to use on a regular basis,” Maren said. “I think it’s going to impact our play, and for our program it will impact (us) recruiting-wise and scheduling-wise.”
Both Liberty’s men’s and women’s teams currently train in the Crosswhite Athletic Club in Lynchburg. The athletic club is about 15 minutes away from Liberty’s campus.
“Having the new indoor facility is going to be great because we used to travel 15 minutes, so to have it on campus is not only convenient for us, but is nice because you can (play) indoors and outdoors right next to each other,” senior women’s tennis player Kalani Soli said. “(My teammates) are really excited for this new facility, because they feel like it motivates them to do even better because of everyone’s contribution to this.”
As they adjust to COVID-19 and wait for their new facilities, however, Maren’s players will have the chance to continue honing their talents outside the ASUN.
“They are still going to be able to get some competition in since the Intercollegiate Tennis Association which is our governing body, is going to be setting up some fall tournaments throughout the country that girls can go play on their own,” Maren said. “They will have the opportunity to compete a little bit, it just won’t be in a college setting, it will just be more of a general tournament.”
Construction for the facility is expected to be complete by January 2021, in time for the 2021 ASUN Men’s and Women’s Tennis Championships, which Liberty is scheduled to host.
Emmanuel Adamson is a Social Media Manager. Follow him on Twitter at @Eadamson12.