New Liberty Indoor Tennis Center sees its first action on Saturday

Liberty University’s newest athletics facility opened for the first time on Saturday. The Lady Flames tennis team had the honor of playing the first-ever match inside the 48,000-square foot Liberty Indoor Tennis Center and christened it in grand fashion with a 7-0 sweep over Davidson before following it up with a 6-1 win over Towson.

The facility features six courts and seating for 100 fans. The building also houses team locker rooms, a team lounge, a laundry facility and a concessions area. The new center, coupled with the 12 outdoor courts, make up the Liberty Tennis Complex.

The Flames men’s tennis team was also scheduled to play for the first time on Saturday, facing the William & Mary Tribe, but the matches were called off due to weather; they will now play the Tribe on Monday afternoon. The Flames are riding a three-match winning streak.

The $5 million project was first announced on Nov. 14, 2019, and construction began on April 23, 2020. The capital gift responsible for this construction project represented the largest single gift pledge to the Flames Club in athletics department history.

Liberty was scheduled to hold a dedication ceremony on Friday afternoon ahead of the first matches, but the university closed due to inclement weather and announced that the ceremony has been postponed to a later date.

The Liberty Indoor Tennis Center now stands amongst the finest tennis facilities in the country and will offer the Flames the option to play in any climate without delaying matches due to rain.

Due to COVID-19 and state regulations, capacity at all Liberty Athletics events is under a limited capacity of 250 patrons or 30 percent capacity, whichever is less based on social distancing protocols. No public tickets are available to the Liberty Indoor Tennis Center, and attendance has been limited to a player pass list only.

Liberty Indoor Tennis Center Firsts

• First point: Nicole Krykanov and Josie Schaffer | Davidson No. 1 doubles
• First Liberty point: Tiffany Nguyen and Micaela Ode Mitre | Liberty No. 2 doubles
• First game victory: Tiffany Nguyen and Micaela Ode Mitre | Liberty No. 2 doubles
• First doubles victory: Grace Hashiguchi and Marina Davtyan | Liberty No. 3 doubles
• First doubles-clinching victory: Tiffany Nguyen and Micaela Ode Mitre | Liberty No. 2 doubles
• First singles victory: Micaela Ode Mitre |  Liberty No. 6 singles
• First match-clinching victory (fourth point): Alexandra Almborg | Liberty No. 1 singles