No. 73 Lady Flames Top Kennesaw State 6–1 to Open ASUN Play

After an hour delay to start the day, No. 73 came out swinging to open ASUN play taking down the Kennesaw State Owls 6-1 on Friday at the Liberty Indoor Tennis Center.

Liberty (10-5, 1-0 ASUN) claimed the doubles point to start the day, winning on courts one and three. The Owls (5-4, 0-1 ASUN) snagged the first singles point, but the Lady Flames won five straight singles contests to secure the victory.

Liberty improves to 3-0 all-time against Kennesaw State and starts 1-0 in the ASUN for the third straight year. The Lady Flames are 3-1 all-time in ASUN openers.

A strength of Liberty this spring has been rebounding from losses. The Lady Flames have won all five matches this season following a loss. Liberty fell to Coastal Carolina 4-2, March 9 in its most recent action prior to today.

With a 6-1, 6-1, win today on court two, Liberty's Esther Lovato has accumulated 89 career wins, putting her just three shy of matching the program record of 92.

Quote from Liberty Head Coach Jeff Maren

"I'm very proud of how our girls handled the match today. We played with great focus and determination. I believe this will help us for our next matches. To God be the glory!"

#73 Liberty 6, Kennesaw State 1

Singles Competition

1. M. Juliana P. Romero (LIBERTYW) def. Taylor Dean (KSUW) 6-2, 1-6, 6-1
2. Esther Lovato (LIBERTYW) def. Ji Youn Lee (KSUW) 6-1, 6-1
3. Marina Davtyan (LIBERTYW) def. Sofia Madrid (KSUW) 6-1, 6-1
4. Tiffany Nguyen (LIBERTYW) def. Sophia Unger (KSUW) 6-0, 6-2
5. Sofia Pinedo (KSUW) def. Elsa Kirch (LIBERTYW) 6-0, 6-3
6. Maretha Burger (LIBERTYW) def. Amulika Gottiparthy (KSUW) 6-3, 6-3

Doubles Competition

1. Tiffany Nguyen/M. Juliana P. Romero (LIBERTYW) def. Taylor Dean/Sofia Madrid (KSUW) 6-4
2. Izabelle Persson/Sophia Unger (KSUW) def. Maretha Burger/Alexandra Almborg (LIBERTYW) 6-4
3. Marina Davtyan/Esther Lovato (LIBERTYW) def. Sofia Pinedo/Ji Youn Lee (KSUW) 6-4

Liberty 10-5, 1-0 ASUN; National ranking #73

Kennesaw State 5-4, 0-1 ASUN

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

Official: A Svec/M Sarver T-2:52

How It Happened

• Court three between Liberty's Marina Davtyan and Esther Lovato (4-1) facing the Owls' Sofia Pinedo and Ji Lee was the first doubles match to finish, with the Lady Flames coming out on top 6-4.

• Court two saw Kennesaw State's Izabelle Perrson and Sophia Unger come back from down 3-0 to Liberty's Maretha Burger and Alexandra Almborg. The match finished 6-4 in favor of the Owls, tying the doubles session at 1-all. It was the first match paired together for the Liberty duo.

• The Lady Flames clinched the doubles point on court one with Maria Juliana Parra Romero and Tiffany Nguyen facing the Owls' Taylor Dean and Sofia Madrid. Liberty was down 3-2 in the set before roaring back to get the 6-4 win. This was the first spring match that Parra Romero and Nguyen were paired for after going 2-0 together in the fall.

• KSU earned the first singles point of the day on court five as the Owls' Pinedo took down Liberty's Elsa Kirch 6-0, 6-3.

• Liberty's first singles point came thanks to Davtyan (7-3) making quick work of Madrid on court three 6-1, 6-1.

• Liberty got another quick win in the No. 4 position from Nguyen, besting Unger 6-0, 6-2. Nguyen improves to 9-3 for the spring.

• Liberty got its match clinching fourth point on court two with Lovato defeating Lee 6-1, 6-1. The junior leads the Lady Flames in wins this season and sports an 11-1 mark. Lovato moves to 89 career singles wins, putting her three shy of the program record of 92 by Evangeline Crist (2015-18).

• Liberty picked up an additional win on court six, as Burger was victorious over Amulika Gottiparthy 6-3, 6-3. The win was the first for the Lady Flames in the No. 6 slot since Feb. 12.

• Court one featured the most intense match, with Parra Romero challenging the Owls' Dean. The Liberty sophomore took care of Dean 6-2 in the first set, but Dean roared back in the second for a 6-1 result to even the score. Parra Romero came out on fire in the third with five straight games to leave no doubt in the match. The final score was 6-2, 1-6, 6-1. Parra Romero earns her 10th singles win of the season.

Next Up

• The Lady Flames get back on the road Saturday morning as they travel to take on the Lipscomb Bisons (6-7, 1-0 ASUN) to continue ASUN play. First serve is set for 7 p.m. from the Ensworth High School Tennis Center.

• Liberty looks to continue its winning ways over Lipscomb. The Lady Flames are 5-0 all-time versus the Bisons. The two met last season, with the Lady Flames taking a 6-1 win in Lynchburg. Four Lady Flames that played in last season's match will look to play Saturday night.