Liberty University Flames

The Liberty Lady Flames tennis team is set to face Middle Tennessee and Florida International to start its spring 2023 campaign. Both matches will take place at the FGCU Tennis Complex in Fort Myers, Fla.

Liberty will square off with Middle Tennessee in the season opener, Friday afternoon at 12:30 p.m. On Sunday morning, the Lady Flames and FIU Panthers will face each other at 9 a.m.

Liberty and MTSU met in Fort Myers on Jan. 18, 2020. The Blue Raiders edged the Lady Flames 4-3 in what was the first-ever meeting between the two squads.

Liberty is 0-2 all-time versus FIU. The Panthers topped the Lady Flames 4-3 in the most recent meeting three years ago (Feb. 7, 2020) in Miami, Fla.

Lady Flames News and Notes

• This is the third time in the last four years that Liberty has begun the season with a pair of matches at FGCU. Last year, the Lady Flames faced Minnesota and Toledo in a doubleheader in Fort Myers.

• Liberty was picked to finish third in the league in the 2023 ASUN Women’s Tennis Preseason Coaches Poll, behind only North Florida (No. 1) and defending ASUN champion Stetson (No. 2).

• The Lady Flames matched a program record with 19 wins in 2022 and reached the ASUN Women’s Tennis Championship title match for the first time in school history. Liberty fell 4-2 to Stetson in the final.

• Liberty is 9-13 all-time in spring season openers but is 6-3 in those contests over the last nine years. The Lady Flames’ last win in a season opener was two years ago at Georgia State (Jan. 23, 2021), a 6-1 final.

• The Lady Flames competed in six fall events. Sophomore Maria Juliana Parra Romero (11-3) led the squad with 11 wins and made history at the ITA All-American Championships. Parra Romero became the first player in program history to win four singles matches at the prestigious event. She also earned the first ranked victory of her career, defeating Oregon’s No. 107 Sophie Leuscher in straight sets (6-3, 6-2).

• Junior Esther Lovato posted a 10-1 singles mark in the fall, while Micaela Ode Mitre finished third on the squad with eight triumphs. Ode Mitre and her doubles partner Tiffany Nguyen led all Lady Flames pairings with a 7-1 mark in fall competition.

• Liberty returns nine players, led by last year’s ASUN Freshman of the Year and All-Conference first team selection Parra Romero. ASUN All-Conference first team selection Lovato returns, along with ASUN All-Conference second team selection Tiffany Nguyen.

• Middle Tennessee ended the 2022 season with a 9-15 overall record and 1-6 mark in Conference USA play. Florida International finished last year with a 17-5 overall record and ended the season as the No. 43-ranked team in the nation.

• Liberty will open its home schedule on Jan. 28 with a doubleheader against East Carolina (9 a.m.) and Longwood (5 p.m.).

Main Photo at Top of Story: Maria Juliana Parra Romero (left) and Alexandra Almborg (right)

Schedule

Lady Flames Set to Meet Middle Tennessee, Florida International to Start 2023 Season