Men’s and Women’s Tennis Fail to Progress Through Super Regionals

Liberty tennis was back in action Oct. 23 as the men’s and women’s teams competed in the ITA Atlantic Super Regional with positive efforts on both sides. 

 The men’s team competed at the Folkes-Stevens Tennis Center in Norfolk, Virginia, and the women competed at the Virginia Tennis Complex in Charlottesville, Virginia. The weekend gave both teams another chance to get a glimpse at what to expect throughout the regular season. 

The men’s team opened the weekend victorious as Josh Wilson and Deji Thomas-Smith both won singles rounds. Thomas-Smith beat William and Mary’s Sebastian Quiros in two sets (6-4, 6-5) before losing in three sets to Charles Bertimon of VCU. 

Wilson opened the event for the Flames beating Nicola Vidal of ODU in three sets (7-6, 1-6, 6-4). Wilson’s win was good for his team leading 10th singles win of the fall season. Wilson said he was happy to get a win to begin the competition.

“It was a tough start to the day because we got up at 5:45 a.m. and did not get much sleep,” Wilson said. “But we were able to bring a lot of energy, and I found a way to win my first one in three sets.” 

Wilson went on to play Temple’s No. 8 seed Marin Delmas but fell short in two sets (6-2, 6-3). 

The Flames also participated in doubles action over the weekend. Deji Thomas Smith and Christian Worst lost to VCU’s Joakim Almedia and Matisse Bobichon 8-3.  Josh Wilson and Rafael Marques Da Silva faced off against Virginia’s Jeffrey von der Schulenburg and Bar Botzer, but they dropped a tough one 8-7 in a tie breaker. 

Wilson said the dice just did not roll their way. 

“Tennis is a [tough] sport because you never know what you are going to have on the day,” Wilson said. “For me, my serve was not working particularly well, so that needs to get a lot better and more consistent.”

For the women, it was Maria Juliana Parra Romero and Esther Lovato competing for Liberty as they closed the tournament with three victories combined. Parra Romero had only her second singles loss of the season, falling to nationally-ranked Tastiana Sasnouskaya of ODU. Parra Romero now holds a 5-1 singles record. 

Parra Romero, a standout freshman thus far, was happy with her first regionals tournament. 

“It was my first regional tournament, and I got to play against some of the best players in the country,” Parra Romero said. “It was really fun and a good experience winning my first match there.”

Romero admitted she was not completely sure what level of competition she would face beforehand, but she said that not knowing how skilled her opponents were played to her advantage. 

“In my head, I was thinking it was a normal tournament but after, they told me it was the Super Regional with the best in the country,” Parra Romero said. “Not having that pressure of knowing that ended up being really good.”

Lovato faced off against Penn State’s Alina Lebedeva for a back-and-forth match. Lovato won the first set (6-3) before losing her grip in the final two sets (4-6, 0-1) as Lebedeva slipped by with a 10-8 win. No. 120 Lovato lost only her second time this fall, bringing her to a record of 6-2. Women’s Head Coach Jeff Maren was pleased at the level of competition. 

“Super Regionals is tough, and our region is probably one of the best in the country just because of the [ranked schools],” Maren said. “The girls did well, and they got to play against some great competition, which is the best part of it.” 

Zehnder is a sports reporter. Follow him on Twitter.