Saturday, March 11, 2017

Men's Tennis Spring Break Trip Preview

The Liberty men's tennis team will play four matches in four days over spring break in Florida, beginning Sunday morning against Valparaiso.
The Flames (4-6) will take on the Crusaders (12-1) on Sunday at 11:30 a.m. at the Star Island Resort and Tennis Club in Kissimmee, Fla.
Liberty's remaining three matches will take place at the USTA National Campus in Orlando. On Monday, the Flames will compete against Farleigh Dickinson at 11:30 a.m. Liberty will wrap up the trip with a doubleheader on Wednesday against Fairfield (11:30 a.m.) and Saint Joseph's (7 p.m.).
The Flames will play four matches in four days over spring break in Florida, beginning Sunday morning at 11:30 a.m. vs. Valparaiso.
How to Follow the FlamesLive video and stats will be unavailable for Sunday's match against Valparaiso.
Live video and stats will be available for matches played at the USTA National Campus on Monday and Wednesday. Find the links for each match on the Liberty men's tennis schedule & results panel on LibertyFlames.com.
Season Update
Liberty is looking to get back on track after losing its last three matches. The Flames dropped a 6-1 decision to Big South opponent Campbell on Thursday afternoon at the Cook Tennis Center. Freshman Vince Salas was the lone Flame to record a win, besting his opponent, Dustin Werner, 4-6, 6-0, 7-6 (8-6).
The Flames' four wins this season have come against King (5-2 on Jan. 28), Bluefield State (4-3 on Jan. 28), George Mason (4-3 on Feb. 10) and N.C. Central (5-2 on Feb. 17).
Inside the Numbers
Salas owns the Flames' best overall mark (13-9) in singles during the 2016-17 season. The Angeles, Philippines, native is 5-5 in singles dual competition, so far this spring. Salas and junior captain Diego Castano hold the best doubles record for Liberty in the spring at 4-3.
Fellow freshman Chase Burton has 10 singles victories for the season, including a 4-2 mark playing out of the No. 1 slot.
Sophomore captain Eddie Gutierrez is 5-5 in singles in 2017. Gutierrez is 3-1 in the No. 2 spot in the lineup.
Scouting Valparaiso
The Crusaders (12-1, 1-0 Horizon League) are currently riding an 11-match winning streak, with their most recent win coming against Duquesne, Friday. Their lone defeat of 2017 was a 4-3 loss at Wisconsin back on Jan. 28.
Valparaiso's 10-man roster is a combined 78-20 in singles and 33-6 in doubles during the spring. No. 1 singles player Jeffrey Schorsch is 10-0 in 2017, while Brandon Ancona and Kyle Dunn are both 10-4 in dual competition.
The Crusaders have tried 16 different doubles pairings just this spring. Dunn and Garrett Gardner have the most wins (6) as a duo during the spring season's first month-and-a-half.
Scouting Farleigh Dickinson
The Knights come into their Florida trip with a 3-4 record. Their three victories this year have come over NYIT, Hofstra and Navy.
Fairleigh Dickinson's nine-man roster is an experienced group with four seniors and three juniors. The Knights are coached by Jeff Brandes. Brandes took over the men's and women's tennis programs at FDU on Feb. 17, 2016.  
Scouting Fairfield
The Stags are currently 3-7 and 1-0 in MAAC play. They have matchups this weekend against Stony Brook and Yale, before making the trek down to Florida. Their three wins have come against Rider, Hofstra and Lafayette.
Fairfield's seven-man team is seeing its best singles play from Brad Orban (10-3 at No. 1), who is the lone player on the squad with an above .500 winning percentage in singles in 2017. In doubles, Dylan Appel and Anthony Caputo have won both times they have played together for a Stags squad that is 15-21 in doubles, this spring.
Scouting Saint Joseph's 
The Hawks hold a 4-3 mark and 0-2 record in A-10 play entering matches with Queens and Davidson, this weekend.
Saint Joseph's has 14 players on its roster, including three seniors (Tristan Boustany, Kyle Chalmers and Valentijn van Erven). Ian Crookenden is in his ninth year as the director and head coach of both the men's and women's tennis teams at Saint Joseph's. 

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