The Liberty women’s tennis team proved once again it is one of the nation’s top teams Jan. 28, sweeping the Longwood Lancers in its home opener by a final score of 4-0. That victory would be the Flames second of the day after defeating ECU 4-2 that morning.
This win marks 10 straight wins to open the Flames home slate, the most in program history.
Liberty started off hot in the double’s competition. It did not take long for the Flames to lead in all three of their matches.
Sophomore Maria Juliana Parra Romero and senior Marina Davtyan were the first duo to pick up a win, while juniors Tiffany Nguyen and Micalea Ode Mitre quickly followed. These two wins gave Liberty its first point of the event.
In the singles competition, the Flames again jumped on the Lancers.
Again, Parra Romero and Davtyan wasted no time, both winning by a commanding score of 6-0. Following junior Esther Lovato retiring her opponent, Liberty officially ended the match as victors.
The Lady Flames never once trailed throughout the event.
For Head Coach Jeff Maren, the victory was a reminder of how far this program has come.
“This is my 11th season here, and I remember in my first year, we upset Longwood,” Maren said. “That was actually an upset, and now it’s a comfortable win for us… We have done a good job of moving to that next level.”
For this upcoming season, early indicators show the Flames may continue to reach the next level. ASUN Freshman of the Year and member of the All-Conference Team, Parra Romero, has high expectations for her team’s season.
“We want to win conference this year and go to nationals afterwards,” Parra Romero said. “We have a really strong team, and next semester, it’s going to be even stronger.”
The Flames will be back on the court Friday, Feb. 30 when they travel to East Lansing to take on the Michigan State Spartans.
Garrett is a sports reporter for the Liberty Champion