Lady Flames Top Tribe 4-3, Saturday Afternoon

After dropping the doubles point to William & Mary, visiting Liberty came back to top the Tribe 4-3 on Saturday afternoon at the Mackesy Tennis Center.

Liberty improves to 9-4 on the season and has won seven of its last eight matches. Meanwhile, William & Mary falls to 3-5 and has lost four straight contests.

With the match even at 3-all, the Lady Flames’ Tiffany Nguyen defeated Ine Stange in three sets, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, to secure the road victory.

Thoughts From Head Coach Jeff Maren

“This was a very good win! William & Mary is an excellent team who forced us to play with a lot of grit and determination. After losing a tight doubles point, the girls responded with a lot of energy and fight at the beginning of singles. That really helped us to gain the edge. The best part is that we continue to honor Christ by using the gifts He gave us. To God be the glory!’

Liberty 4, William & Mary 3

Singles Competition

1. Mila Saric (WM) def. Alexandra Almborg (LIBERTYW) 6-2, 6-2
2. M. Juliana P. Romero (LIBERTYW) def. Hedda Gurholt (WM) 6-3, 6-2
3. Elisa Van Meeteren (WM) def. Willa Rogers (LIBERTYW) 6-4, 4-6, 6-4
4. Esther Lovato (LIBERTYW) def. Raffaela Alhach (WM) 6-1, 6-3
5. Tiffany Nguyen (LIBERTYW) def. Ine Stange (WM) 6-2, 3-6, 6-1
6. Micaela Ode Mitre (LIBERTYW) def. Lisa Fukutoku (WM) 6-1, 6-0

Doubles Competition

1. Tiffany Nguyen/M. Juliana P. Romero (LIBERTYW) def. Mila Saric/Hedda Gurholt (WM) 7-5
2. Elisa Van Meeteren/Raffaela Alhach (WM) def. Maretha Burger/Esther Lovato (LIBERTYW) 6-4
3. Emma Fernald/Ine Stange (WM) def. Willa Rogers/Micaela Ode Mitre (LIBERTYW) 7-6 (11-9)

Liberty 9-4

William & Mary 3-5

Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (6,4,1,2,3,5)

T-3:14 

How It Happened

• A tight doubles session ended with William & Mary taking the first point of the day. The Lady Flames bounced back by winning four of the six singles matches, picking up victories on courts two, four, five and six.

• The Tribe’s Emma Fernald and Ine Stange prevailed in a lengthy tiebreaker, 7-6 (11-9), over Willa Rogers and Micaela Ode Mitre on court three to give the hosts the first point of the match.

• William & Mary’s other doubles triumph came from Elisa Van Meeteren and Raffaela Alhach, a 6-4 winner over Maretha Burger and Esther Lovato on court two. Liberty’s doubles victory was courtesy of Nguyen and Maria Juliana Parra Romero, 7-5 over Mila Saric and Hedda Gurholt.

• Liberty seized a 2-1 lead by winning the first two completed singles contests. The Lady Flames’ Ode Mitre (No. 6) knocked off Lisa Fukotoku of the Tribe 6-1, 6-0, followed by a 6-1, 6-3 result from Lovato over Alhach in the No. 4 singles match.

• Lovato is 8-2 in spring singles contests, including a perfect 7-0 mark in the No. 4 slot in the lineup. She has a team-best six-match winning streak.

• William & Mary’s Saric downed the Lady Flames’ Alexandra Almborg 6-2, 6-2 on court one to even the contest back up at 2-2.

• Liberty drew within a point of victory (3-2) when Parra Romero earned a 6-3, 6-2 win against Gurholt at No. 2 singles. Parra Romero is 8-2 in singles competition this spring and leads the squad with 19 singles victories during her first season as a Lady Flame.

• The Tribe’s Van Meeteren closed out a three-set win versus Rogers (6-4, 4-6, 6-4) on court three.

• Shortly after Van Meeteren’s match-tying win, Nguyen won the match for Liberty with her 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 result against Stange. Nguyen has been victorious in five straight No. 5 singles matches.

• Liberty bolsters its record to 3-1 against William & Mary. The Lady Flames have straight victories in the series.

• The Lady Flames improve to 2-2 in road matches.

• This is the second time in the last three matches that Liberty has lost the doubles point but still won the match. The Lady Flames lost the doubles point to Missouri but won the match 4-3 (Feb. 23) for their first-ever victory over an SEC foe.

Next Up

• Liberty will head to Texas next weekend. The Lady Flames’ first match in the Lone Star State will be against UTSA (1-11), March 13 at 3 p.m. Eastern.

• The Lady Flames are 0-1 all-time against the Roadrunners. Liberty fell 4-3 to UTSA in the only meeting between the two squads on March 11, 2014.