Lady Flames Tennis to Play at 49er Invite

Liberty will compete in its fourth tournament of the fall, heading to Charlotte for the 49er Invite.

The three-day event will be held at the Halton-Wagner Tennis Complex in Charlotte, N.C. from Friday through Sunday. The 10-team tournament features a strong field, including: Liberty, Charlotte, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia Tech, Clemson, Rutgers, ETSU, Columbia and Long Island.

Nine Liberty players will play the 49er Invite, including ITA Atlantic Super Regional qualifiers Esther Lovato and Maria Juliana Parra Romero. Maretha Burger, Elsa Kirch, Tiffany Nguyen, Micaela Ode Mitre, Willa Rogers, Bruna Sampaio and Eloise Saraty round out the Liberty participants.

Event/Days/Location: 49er Invite | Friday-Sunday | Halton-Wagner Tennis Complex | Charlotte, N.C.

Participating Teams: Liberty, Charlotte, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia Tech, Clemson, Rutgers, ETSU, Columbia, Long Island

Liberty Flames Players Participating: Maretha Burger, Elsa Kirch, Esther Lovato, Tiffany Nguyen, Micaela Ode Mitre, Maria Juliana Parra Romero, Willa Rogers, Bruna Sampaio, Eloise Saraty

Schedule:

Friday | 9 a.m. start

Saturday | 9 a.m. start

Sunday | 9 a.m. start

Tournament Breakdown:

Liberty has posted a 24-17 combined singles record and 14-6 doubles mark in its first three fall tournaments. In singles, Maria Juliana Parra Romero leads the way with a 6-0 record. Eloise Saraty (4-2) and Maretha Burger (4-3) are tied for second on the squad with four wins each.

Head coach Jeff Maren has experimented with 13 different doubles combinations this fall. The Lady Flames’ Micaela Ode Mitre and Parra Romero lead that group with a 3-1 record. Nine different Liberty pairings are 1-0.

Of the nine squads entered in this weekend’s 49er Invite, four teams finished the spring 2021 season as a nationally-ranked squad: No. 2 North Carolina, No. 26 South Carolina, No. 53 Charlotte and No. 73 Clemson.