Liberty Tennis hosts 9 schools during Liberty Dual tournament

Top-notch competitors from across the East Coast filled the Liberty University Tennis Complex this weekend in a 10-team tournament as Liberty hosted the Liberty Dual Sept. 27-29. 

Teams from Elon, Charlotte, Navy, Norfolk State, Old Dominion, Penn, Princeton, University of Virginia and William & Mary participated alongside Liberty. The Flames ended 14-16 overall, 5-4 in doubles and 9-12 in singles.

The event took place Friday through Sunday, despite rainy weather conditions blowing in from Hurricane Helene. This was Liberty’s first time hosting a dual since 2022. 

The tournament was held in a hidden dual format. Two teams faced off in a series of matches to compete for an individual score, rather than for a team ranking. Each day, the competing teams would play four doubles sets followed by eight singles sets. Throughout the weekend, Liberty competed against Old Dominion, William & Mary and Penn.

“It was an awesome opportunity to compete and learn this weekend at home against strong competition,” Head Coach Derek Schwandt said. “We are thankful for all the teams giving us their best.”

This tournament kicked off the Flames’ 2024-25 tennis season. Four new players stepped onto the courts for Liberty for the first time over the weekend. Those new recruits include senior Joaquim Almeida, junior Carl Roothman, redshirt senior Trey Stinchcomb and freshman Siwanat Auytayakul. 

Four players are returning to the court this season for the Flames, including redshirt freshman Ernst Gouws, redshirt sophomore Chase Robinson, sophomore Matija Samardzic and sophomore Rodrigo Santiago Arraez.   

The competition sparked up Friday afternoon as Liberty went head-to-head with its first opponent, Old Dominion. It was a slow start for the Flames, who lost two out of three doubles games with Stinchcomb and Robinson being the only pair to earn a win. Robinson also was one of three Flames to win his singles game. The Flames were 4-6 against the Monarchs, 1-2 in doubles and 3-4 in singles. 

Saturday morning, Liberty hit the courts again as it took on William & Mary. The Liberty Tennis Complex echoed with the swishes of rackets and squeaks of tennis shoes as the match began with a doubles set being played on each court.

The Flames found their momentum on day two, as all three groups playing defeated the Tribe in doubles. They carried this momentum on to the singles matches, where Almeida, Auytayakul, Samardzic and Roothman won individually. The Flames ended split in singles 4-4, going 7-4 overall against the Tribe.

“It was a good weekend for the team to build on and to use what we learned this weekend to improve for what’s next,” Roothman said. “I thought that the boys competed extremely well, and I enjoyed playing my first few matches as being part of Liberty Tennis.”

The tournament concluded Sunday morning, starting early at 8 a.m. in an effort to beat the rain. Liberty faced Penn in its final sets, where the Flames went 1-2 in doubles with Auytayakul and Robinson winning the sole game for the Flames. The Flames ended the tournament 3-6 against Penn, going 1-2 in doubles and 2-4 in singles.

With Penn being their toughest opponent of the weekend, four of the Flames fell to their competitors in singles, while Samardzic and Arraez each claimed an individual win. The Flames performed against many competitors of differing skill sets, which put them to the test throughout the weekend.

“Some highlights were the love of the game, resiliency and problem-solving displayed by several of our guys,” Schwandt said.

Robinson, who is returning for his second season with the Flames, had a solid weekend, as he won all three doubles games and one of three singles. Samardzic, another returning player, excelled in singles, winning all three games.

“We love competing as a team at home and are looking forward to the team matches this spring,” Schwandt said. “This fall, and all season long, we will be committed to the process of improving our games and improving as a team.”

The Flames’ season continues as they head to play in the ITA Atlantic Regional in Norfolk, Virginia, Oct. 10-14.

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