Liberty Claims Second-Straight Men's @ASUNTennis Title; Defeats FGCU, 4-2
Liberty Claims Second-Straight Men's @ASUNTennis Title; Defeats FGCU, 4-2
Championship Page | Championship Bracket | Record Book
Statistics | Standings | ITA Rankings
The Basics
Score: #3 Liberty 4, #1 FGCU 2
Records: Liberty (13-10, 6-2 ASUN) | FGCU (15-7, 7-1 ASUN)
Location: FGCU Tennis Complex (Fort Myers, Fla.)
FORT MYERS, Fla. - For the second straight season #3 Liberty captured the ASUN Conference Men's Tennis Championship becoming the first league team to successfully defend their title since ETSU won eight straight (2007-14). The 67th-ranked Flames played to a 4-2 victory over the top-seeded Eagles as the team strung together four-straight Singles victories.
The Eagles got out to a 2-0 start with the Doubles point from Randy Wilson and Eric Oncins (6-3) on Court 3 and Max Damm and Magnus Johnson (6-3) on Court 1 and Gugli Stefanacci's win on Court 5. Liberty responded with four solo victories to claim the program's second consecutive title. Thando Longwe-Smit clinched the deciding point after he fought off a 1-6 first set to the Eagles' Juan Lopez. Longwe-Smit won 7-6(7-1) in the second set before winning 6-2 in the third.
Championship MVP Nicaise Muamba earned Liberty's first point of the match with a 6-2, 6-1 win. Christiaan Worst tied the match at two following his 6-2, 6-2, victory on Court 4 and Josh Wilson gained Liberty the match momentum after he battled on Court 1 for a 6-4, 6-4 win. The Flames redeemed their regular-season loss to the Eagles and earned the second win in the all-time series as they secured the ASUN's automatic qualifier to the NCAA Men's Championship Tournament. Liberty finds out its next opponent when the NCAA Selection Show takes place on Monday, May 2.
2022 Men's Tennis All-Tournament Team
Nicaise Muamba, Liberty - Championship MVP
Josh Wilson, Liberty
Marcelo Sepulveda, FGCU
News & Notes
- Liberty earned its second championship title in program history, winning back-to-back championships
- The Flames are just 2-5 in the all-time series against the Ealges with both vicotires coming in the championship final match
- The Flames became the first league team to successfully defend their tournament title since ETSU won eight straight from 2007-14
- Liberty claimed its first victory against the Eagles on the Courts of the FGCU Tennis Complex as the team improved to 6-1 all-time in the ASUN Championship
Up Next
Liberty awaits the 2022 NCAA Men's Tennis Championship Selection Show which airs Monday, May 2 at 6 PM ET on NCAA.com to find out who the team faces to open the tournament.
ASUN Conference, Atlanta, Ga. - the only DI conference headquartered in the ATL, our footprint's primary media, sports, business, transportation and cultural hub
The ASUN, a Division I conference member of the NCAA, boasts a membership of institutions that share visionary leadership, bold ambition and creative innovation. As a nimble adaptive conference, unafraid to blaze a national pathway for better service to our student-athletes, teams, and institutions, the ASUN has a proud history of firsts, national academic and athletic achievements and a conference culture that walks the walk with its four ASUN Beams. Students First! Rise. Connect. Impact. #ASUNBuilt by Bellarmine (Louisville), Central Arkansas (Conway), Eastern Kentucky (Richmond), FGCU (Fort Myers), Jacksonville (Fla.), Jacksonville State (Jacksonville, Ala.), Kennesaw State (Ga.), Liberty (Lynchburg, Va.), Lipscomb (Nashville), North Alabama (Florence), North Florida (Jacksonville, Fla.), and Stetson (DeLand, Fla.). Austin Peay, based in Clarksville, Tenn., is set to join the league in the 2022-23 academic year.