Dedication Ceremony Opens Liberty Indoor Tennis Center

The Liberty Indoor Tennis Center opened Tuesday, Feb. 23, with a dedication ceremony, officially becoming the new home of the men’s and women’s tennis teams.  

The 48,000-square-foot facility broke ground April 23, 2020 thanks to a $3 million donation from an anonymous donor – the largest donation in Flames Club history. Liberty University’s Director of Athletics Ian McCaw said every dollar from the donation went into the $5 million facility, and that he is thankful for the new addition to the program. 

 “Tennis is on the rise, and this facility will give our student-athletes an incredible place to train and compete throughout the year regardless of what our climate may be in the Lynchburg area,” McCaw said. “It’s also going to allow us to attract some of the top teams in the region and the nation to come and compete here as well.” 

Derek Schwandt, entering his fourth year as the head coach of the men’s tennis team, said the new facility exceeded his expectations.  

“The excellent standard here is amazing,” Schwandt said.  “We ask a lot of the guys. We ask a lot of their best focus, their best fight every day, and this is just a way that Liberty University is showing its commitment to our student-athletes.” 

Jeff Maren is entering his ninth season as head coach of the women’s team and hopes the facility will host many memorable events in the future, as well as serve as a recruiting attraction for potential Flames players.  

“We are going to win a lot of matches, and those will be memories – these guys and girls are going to have their share of victories here,” Maren said. “Recruiting is going to be a piece of cake now. This will be the first stop on our recruiting tour when we have visitors.” 

Both teams have already played matches in the facility. The women’s team defeated Davidson and Towson Feb. 13 and the men’s team defeated William & Mary Feb 15. Women’s team freshman and ASUN Player of the Week Tiffany Nguyen said she and her teammates are already getting settled in. 

“This is our new home,” Nguyen said. 

At full capacity, the center can host 100 fans.  

“God has blessed us with one of the top tennis facilities in the country, so we are very thankful,” McCaw said. “It took many hands to make this facility a reality and we are very indebted to all of those. It came out even better than we dreamed about, and we are so excited to be able to turn it over to our teams and our student-athletes.” 

Zac Zehnder is a Sports Reporter. Follow him on Twitter at @zaczehnder.