Flames Return Home to Face Presbyterian, Saturday Afternoon

Following a stretch of seven matches away from Lynchburg, the Liberty Flames men's tennis team (7-10, 0-3 Big South) will return to the Cook Tennis Center for a home Big South matchup against first place Presbyterian (11-9, 3-0 Big South). Match time is set for 1 p.m. on Saturday.

Presbyterian is the only remaining unbeaten squad in the Big South at 3-0 in league play, while Liberty is still in search of its first conference win after a few narrow defeats.

Series History
The Flames hold a 6-2 advantage over the Blue Hose in the all-time series. Presbyterian won the last meeting between the two schools, 4-3, on March 24, 2016, in Clinton, S.C.

Flames Facts
Freshman Vince Salas owns the Flames' best overall mark (16-13) in singles, this year. The Angeles, Philippines, native is 8-9 in singles dual competition, so far this spring.

Fellow freshman Chase Burton, a two-time Big South Freshman of the Week, is 14-13 in singles overall, including a 4-2 mark playing out of the No. 1 slot and 2-0 record in the No. 3 position. Burton is 2-1 (.667) in the No. 2 slot in Big South play, which is tied for the best winning percentage among No. 2 Big South singles players.

Sophomore captain Eddie Gutierrez (13-14 overall, 9-8 spring) is a combined 7-3 in the No. 2 and No. 3 positions in the lineup during the spring season, while junior captain Diego Castano (13-16 overall, 8-9 spring) has won four of his last six singles matches.

Liberty Head Men's Tennis Coach Chris Johnson's strongest doubles pairing for the duration of the 2016-17 season has been Castano and sophomore Alex Poynter (10-6 overall). The duo is 4-5 this spring but has won its last two matches. Sophomore Max Borcuti and Chase Burton are 6-5 as a tandem during the spring, while Gutierrez and Salas have a 4-5 mark in 2017.

Liberty (7-10, 0-3 BSC) will face Presbyterian (11-9, 3-0 BSC) on Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Cook Tennis Center.

Scouting Presbyterian
The Blue Hose's conference wins have come over Gardner-Webb (5-2 on Feb. 22), Campbell (4-3 on March 18) and UNC Asheville (5-2 on Monday). Four of their last five matches will be Big South bouts, starting with road matches at Liberty and Longwood, Saturday and Sunday. Presbyterian has never won a Big South title but has finished runner-up in three of its last five seasons, including in 2016.

Second-year head coach Patrick Fediuk's nine-man roster consists of three seniors, four juniors and two freshman. Senior Ben Kelley has the team's best singles record at 14-3. Kelley is 8-2 (.800) in the No. 5 slot, which is the best winning percentage at No. 5 among Big South players. Fellow senior Joel Roberts is 10-6 in singles play, this spring, while Kelly and Roberts are 11-7 at No. 1 doubles. PC's doubles units have been strong all spring (38-18 record). Jaime Lopez and Diego Manzanas are 12-5, while Alexander Lykou and Brandon Mills are 11-4 as a pairing.

Women's Lacrosse Season Update with Victoria Tickle

Prior to the Liberty women's lacrosse team's Big South opener at Presbyterian on Saturday, LFSN's Alan York had a chance to talk to senior defender Victoria Tickle.

York and Tickle discussed the Lady Flames' 2017 season up to this point and looked ahead to Big South Conference play. Liberty was selected to finish fourth in the Big South Conference women's lacrosse preseason poll, as voted on by the league's head coaches.

Tickle and the Lady Flames will play at Presbyterian on Saturday at noon at Old Clinton Stadium in Clinton, S.C. Liberty will then play at Longwood on Wednesday, followed by a home game against Campbell on April 8.

Rams Use Scoring Spurts at Beginning of Each Half to Defeat Lady Flames

The VCU lacrosse team used a pair of 4-0 spurts to start both halves, helping the Rams to a 21-12 victory over the visiting Liberty Lady Flames, Saturday afternoon at Cary Street Field.

The Rams improve to .500 at 4-4 with the win, while the Lady Flames drop to 1-9 on the season.

VCU received a game-high six goals from Keriann McTavish, while Sky Hyatt added three goals and six assists. Liberty's Brianna McCaffrey netted three goals, while Kayla Foster and Carly White scored two apiece for the Lady Flames.

White scored two goals and added three assists at VCU on Saturday afternoon.

VCU netminder Ria Peralta (4-4) made 15 saves in a winning effort for VCU, while Liberty goalkeeper Katherine Widrick (0-4) tallied nine saves while surrendering 16 goals in 51:10 in net.
The Rams scored the game's first four goals and broke a 6-6 tie at the half with four goals in the first 4:16 of the second half. Liberty could get no closer than three the rest of the way.

Jenn Nonn opened the scoring for VCU with an unassisted goal just 64 seconds into the contest, giving the Rams a 1-0 lead. Goals from Jessica Del Rossi, Megan Williamson and McTavish put the hosts ahead, 4-0, with 20:49 remaining in the first half.

The Lady Flames' first goal of the day came from Abby Britton on a give-and-go with Courtney Brown. Britton's goal was her eighth of 2017. With 17:39 left in the half, McCaffrey found the top left corner of the net off a feed from Kayla Foster, cutting the deficit to 4-2.

After nearly eight minutes of scoreless action, VCU's Williamson's and Del Rossi scored in a 14-second span to reestablish the Rams' lead of four goals (6-2).

Liberty answered with a 4-0 run to close the first stanza and even up the game at 6-6. Brown scored a free-position goal, followed by a Foster goal to bring the score to 6-4 with 3:02 remaining in the half.
Just over 30 seconds later, redshirt sophomore Kaitlyn Cassidy-Fischetti scored her first career collegiate goal. Cassidy-Fischetti received a pass from Foster and fired a shot past Peralta and into the left side of the goal. McCaffrey's second goal of the half brought Liberty even (6-6) with 1:26 on the clock. The Lady Flames and Rams went to intermission tied, 6-6.

In the early stages of the second half, VCU used a four-goal outburst to regain control of the game. McTavish tallied two goals in that stretch, while Hyatt and Sofia Emond found the back of the goal as well.

Liberty's McCaffrey brought the visitors to within three with a low flick shot from the right side of the eight-meter arc, bringing the deficit to 10-7 with 24:57 remaining in the game.

The Rams once again distanced themselves from the Lady Flames with a 7-2 run over the next 14:14 to lead, 17-9, with 10:43 to play. In that timeframe, VCU got goals from: McTavish (3), Hyatt (2), Edmon (1) and Molly Barcikowski. Freshmen Carly White (free-position goal) and Grace Fletcher scored for Liberty during the Rams' run, while Foster recorded her second goal of the day to bring the deficit down to seven (17-10) with 8:29 on the game clock.

Following a Williamson goal, White and Jenna Joyal struck for the Lady Flames, both unassisted markers, to make it a six-goal game, 18-12, with 5:36 to play.

VCU closed the game with three goals, capped off by Barcikowski's second of the day with a second to play in the game. The attacker's goal settled the final score at 21-12.

Liberty held a 38-35 edge in shots on the afternoon and 21-13 advantage in draw controls. VCU possessed a 27-20 advantage in ground balls and committed nine fewer turnovers (27-18) than the Lady Flames.

McCaffrey won a game-high six draw controls while tying Hyatt for the game-high in ground balls (5). Liberty senior defender Victoria Tickle tied for a game-best with three caused turnovers.

Liberty's next contest will be its 2017 Big South Opener at Presbyterian (1-7, 0-0 Big South), next Saturday at 1 p.m. Game time is scheduled for noon at Old Bailey Stadium in Clinton, S.C.

Liberty, VCU Set for Saturday Afternoon Lacrosse Game

The Liberty women's lacrosse team will travel to Richmond, Va., to play at in-state foe VCU, Saturday afternoon. Game time is slated for 1 p.m. at Cary Street Field.

The Lady Flames (1-8) enter Saturday's contest looking for their second win of 2017, while the Rams (3-4) will be looking to get to .500 on the season.

Liberty senior defender Victoria Tickle leads the squad with 28 ground balls and is 35th in the country in ground balls per game (3.11).

The two programs met for the first time on Feb. 24, 2016, in Lynchburg. The Lady Flames defeated the Rams, 19-9. Abby Britton led the squad with four goals in that game.

How to Follow the Lady Flames
Live stats for the contest are also available on the lacrosse schedule/results panel. Also, be sure to follow @LUGameday on Twitter for live in-game updates.

Back Half of Road Trip
The Lady Flames are in the second half of a six-game road trip. Following Saturday's game Liberty will travel to Presbyterian for its Big South opener, next Saturday at 1 p.m. The Lady Flames will wrap up their road trip with a Big South game at Longwood on April 5.

Liberty's next home game will be on April 8, when the Lady Flames take on Big South opponent Campbell at noon at the Liberty Lacrosse Field.

Widrick Moves Up
Liberty sophomore goalkeeper Katherine Widrick needed three saves on Wednesday night at William & Mary to move into third place all-time in program history in saves. Widrick made 12 stops to get to 134 career saves in the contest and now sits alone in third place.

Widrick has logged 329:07 in goal and made 42 saves. Her 12.76 goals-against average is fourth in the Big South.

Lady Flames News and Notes

• As a team, Liberty is No. 19 in the country in ground balls per game (21.11) and No. 15 in the country in caused turnovers per game (11.33).
• Brianna McCaffrey leads Liberty in goals (13), draw controls (30) and shots (40). She is also No. 51 in the nation in free position percentage (.545).
• Sophomore attacker Kayla Foster leads the team with 19 pts (9 g, 10 a). Foster had 51 points (22 g, 29 a) as a freshman in 2016 on her way to being named the Big South Freshman of the Year.
• Through nine games, Liberty is slightly trailing its opponents in ground balls (192-190). Liberty senior defender Tickle leads the squad with 28 ground balls and is 35th in the country in ground balls per game (3.11).
• Liberty's freshmen have accounted for 23 of the 61 goals scored by the Lady Flames. Hannah Quast paces Liberty freshmen with nine goals.
• Liberty is first in the Big South in woman-down goals per game (.22) and third in woman-up goals per game (.67).
• Freshman Grace Fletcher is the team's most accurate shooter with a .909 shots on goal percentage.
• Liberty's opponents have outshot the Lady Flames, 276-174.
• The Lady Flames are losing the battle for draw controls, 122-90, through nine games.

Scouting VCU
With three wins so far this spring, the Rams have already equaled their win total from 2016, when they went 3-14. VCU has defeated Campbell, Gardner-Webb and Central Michigan, so far.

Their offense is paced by sophomore attacker Molly Barcikowski (19 g, 6 a, 25 pts) and redshirt sophomore midfielder Sky Hyatt (14 g, 3 a, 17 pts). Hyatt is 13th in NCAA DI in caused turnovers per game (2.43) and 55th in ground balls per game (2.86). Goalkeeping duties will likely be done by sophomore Ria Peralta (3-4, 12.94 GAA, 67 SV). Peralta is No. 23 in the country in saves per game, No. 41 in total saves (67) and No. 41 in save percentage (.450).

The Rams are coached by Jen O'Brien, who is the first coach in program history. VCU began NCAA Division I competition during the 2015-16 academic year.

Strong Doubles Session Not Enough for Flames in Loss at No. 17 Georgia Tech

Despite a victorious doubles session for the Liberty Flames men's tennis team against No. 17 Georgia Tech, the Flames fell, 6-1, to the Yellow Jackets, Sunday evening at Ken Byers Tennis Complex.

Liberty drops to 7-10 overall with the setback, while No. 17 Georgia Tech boosts its record to 11-3 on the year.

The Flames' top two doubles tandems won their matches, and their No. 3 led a match that went unfinished. Liberty's No. 1 team of Alex Poynter and Diego Castano defeated Georgia Tech's Christopher Eubanks and Daniel Yun, 6-3, for their team-best 10th doubles triumph of the 2016-17 season.

Castano and Poynter scored a doubles victory over No. 17 Georgia Tech, Sunday evening.

Flames sophomore Eddie Gutierrez and freshman Vince Salas also picked up a victory, defeating Michael Kay and Chris Yun, 6-4, on court two. The win gave Liberty a 1-0 lead, heading into singles action.

Liberty's No. 3 pairing of Chase Burton and Max Borcuti led Elijah Melendez and Phillip Gresk, 4-3, prior to Gutierrez and Salas' double-point clinching win.

The Yellow Jackets proved their mettle in singles competition, starting with Eubanks, who is ranked No. 9 in the country, in his No. 1 match with Salas (6-2, 6-2). Eubanks' victory evened the match at 1-1, while Cole Fiegel's two-set win over Castano (6-1, 6-2) provided the home side a lead (2-1) they would never relinquish.

On court six, Chris Yun delivered a 6-3, 6-0 victory over the Flames' Ryker Heller, pushing the home team's lead to 3-1. In the No. 5 match between Daniel Yun and Borcuti, Yun needed a pair of sets (6-3, 6-1) to top Borcuti and clinch the overall match. Daniel Yun's win gave Georgia Tech a 4-1 cushion.

The final two matches of the day on courts two and three also went to the Yellow Jackets. On court three, Gutierrez provided a stern challenge for Carlos Benito, but it wasn't enough to take down the Georgia Tech senior. Benito's 7-5, 6-2 victory pushed the home lead up to 5-1.

Burton also proved to be a formidable opponent to the Yellow Jackets' No. 102 Andrew Li. Burton fell in a first-set tiebreaker to Li and narrowly in the second set, losing 7-6 (2), 6-4.

After seven straight matches away from Lynchburg, the Flames (7-10, 0-3 Big South) will return to their home courts seeking their first Big South win. Liberty will take on the Presbyterian Blue Hose (10-9, 2-0 Big South) on Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Cook Tennis Center.

Gardner Webb's Singles Play Leads to Victory Over Liberty

Singles play proved to be the difference in Saturday's Big South match between Liberty and Gardner-Webb, as the Bulldogs took four of the six singles bouts for a 4-3 victory at the GWU Tennis Courts.

The Flames fall to 7-9 overall and 0-3 in Big South competition, while the Bulldogs improve to 8-10 overall and 3-1 in the Big South.

The doubles session went to Liberty, who took two of three matches. The Flames' No. 1 unit of Diego Castano and Alex Poynter won, 6-2, over Paul Hogan and Johan Fors to get the visitors half of the way to earning the doubles point. Their No. 3 unit, Chase Burton and Max Borcuti, took down Gardner-Webb's Adam Schmidt and Ross Gilbert, 6-3, providing Liberty a 1-0 lead.

The third match was won by the Bulldogs' Maximillian Scholl and Breno Plentz in a tiebreaker (7-6 (3)) over the Flames' Vince Salas and Eddie Gutierrez, on court two.

Needing to split the singles session to earn their first conference win of 2017, the Flames dropped four of their six individual matches with their Bulldog counterparts.

In the No. 1 match, Scholl won in straight sets (6-1, 6-3) over Salas, evening the score at 1-1. Fors followed it up with a two-set triumph over Poynter on court six to put the home side ahead 2-1, a lead they would not relinquish.

The remaining four matches all took three sets to settle, starting with the No. 3 bout between Castano and Plentz. The two players split the first two sets before Plentz captured the third set and the match, 6-1, 2-6, 6-3. Gardner-Webb's lead grew to 3-1 with Plentz's win.

Liberty's Burton helped the Flames stave off defeat in his match with Hogan. The freshman won the first and third sets of his match to defeat Hogan, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 in the No. 2 slot. Burton's ninth singles win of the spring trimmed the Bulldog lead to 3-2.

Burton won a three-set match on court two, Saturday against Gardner-Webb.

But it was GWU's Gilbert, a freshman, who sealed the match for the home side with a victory (6-4, 1-6, 6-2) over Borcuti on court five.

The final match (Gutierrez vs. Schmidt) to wrap up went to Gutierrez in a lengthy three-set battle, 6-3, 2-6, 7-5. Gutierrez's ninth singles win of the spring ties for the most on the team with Burton.
The Flames will be back in action on Sunday, taking on No. 17 Georgia Tech (10-2, 3-0 ACC) at 5:30 p.m. at the Ken Byers Tennis Complex in Atlanta, Ga.

Men's Tennis Season Update with Diego Castano

Prior to the Liberty men's tennis team's weekend road trip, LFSN reporter Brian Whitesell had a chance to catch up with Flames junior captain Diego Castano.

Castano discussed the team's recent successes as well as what has been working for him on the court. Liberty has won three of its last four matches.

Castano and the Flames (7-8, 0-2 Big South) will return to Big South Conference action on Saturday against Gardner-Webb (7-10, 2-1 Big South) at noon at the GWU Tennis Courts in Boiling Springs, N.C. Following Saturday's match, the Flames will take on No. 17 Georgia Tech (10-2, 3-0 ACC) at 5:30 p.m., Sunday at the Ken Byers Tennis Complex in Atlanta, Ga.

Liberty Falls on the Road at ECU

The Liberty men's tennis squad fell, 6-1, to host East Carolina, Wednesday at the River Birch Tennis Complex.

East Carolina moves to 14-3 with their fifth straight win, while Liberty falls to 7-8 and sees its three-match winning streak snapped.

The Flames saw their three-match winning streak halted at East Carolina, Wednesday.

The Pirates won the doubles point from the Flames, snapping Liberty's run of three doubles point victories. ECU's top duo, Freddie McGeehan and James Ling, won, 6-2 over Alex Poynter and Diego Castano to start the afternoon.

In the No. 2 match, the Pirates' Vlad Anghel and Fredric Lehfeldt were even, 5-5, with the Flames' Vince Salas and Eddie Gutierrez before winning the last two games to prevail, 7-5. Anghel and Lehfeldt's victory gave ECU a 1-0 lead heading into singles.

East Carolina grew its lead to 2-0 with a 6-2, 6-2 victory from Kasey Countee against Max Borcuti in the No. 5 match. The Pirates drew within a point of victory, as Giorgi knocked off Liberty's Chase Burton on court two, 6-1, 6-1, to make the score 3-0.

ECU's fourth and match-winning point came from Anghel, its No. 3 player. Anghel took down Gutierrez in straight sets (6-2, 6-4).

The Flames' lone point came from the No. 4 position. Liberty's Castano led Lehfeldt, 2-0 in the third set before the ECU senior was forced to retire the match and concede the point to Castano.

On court one, McGeehan bested Salas (6-3, 6-4), while the Pirates' Will Bissett settled the final score at 6-1 with his 6-4, 6-3 defeat of Poynter in the No. 6 slot.

On Saturday, Liberty will return to Big South Conference competition against Gardner-Webb (7-10, 2-1 Big South) at noon at the GWU Tennis Courts in Boiling Springs, N.C. Following Saturday's match, the Flames will take on No. 17 Georgia Tech (10-2, 3-0 ACC) at 5:30 p.m., Sunday at the Ken Byers Tennis Complex in Atlanta, Ga.

Liberty Women's Tennis to Compete Against Gardner-Webb and Winthrop

Liberty women's tennis will head south to take on Big South Conference foes Gardner-Webb and Winthrop, Friday and Saturday afternoon.

The Lady Flames (7-9, 4-0 Big South) won two of its three matches, last week, and look to remain unbeaten in league play. Liberty is currently a game out of first place in the Big South standings behind Winthrop (6-0 Big South) and a half-game behind Charleston Southern (5-0 Big South).

Liberty will face Gardner-Webb (10-4, 4-2 Big South) on Friday afternoon at 2 p.m. at the GWU Tennis Courts in Boiling Springs, N.C. Saturday's matchup in Rock Hill, S.C., between Liberty and Winthrop (15-4, 6-0 Big South) will begin at 1 p.m. at Memorial Courts.

The Lady Flames will play a pair of Big South matches at Gardner-Webb and Winthrop, Friday and Saturday.

Series History
The Lady Flames are 10-4 all-time against the Gardner-Webb Bulldogs. The two schools last met on March 18, 2016, which was Senior Day for Liberty. Liberty swept Gardner-Webb, 7-0, on that day.

The Eagles have taken all but one of the 22 all-time meetings from Liberty. The Lady Flames picked up their first win in the series on March 19, 2016, in Lynchburg. On that day, Liberty edged No. 53 Winthrop, 4-3.

Liberty and Winthrop shared the Big South regular season title in 2016. The Lady Flames earned the top seed in the 2016 Big South Women's Tennis Championship and faced the No. 2 Eagles in the title match. Winthrop edged Liberty, 4-3, for its 13th conference title in the past 15 years.

Big South Midway Point
The Lady Flames are 4-0, halfway through their Big South slate. After this weekend's matches at Gardner-Webb and Winthrop, Liberty's final two conference matches will be at Campbell (April 11) and at home against Charleston Southern (April 14).

The 2017 Big South Women's Tennis Championship will be held from April 20-23 at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Here's a look at the Big South Conference standings:

Team	Overall	Conference
Winthrop	15-4	6-0
Charleston Southern	11-1	5-0
Liberty	7-9	4-0
Gardner-Webb	10-4	4-2
UNC Asheville	9-8	3-4
Campbell	8-9	3-4
Presbyterian	11-7	1-4
Radford	6-10	0-6
Longwood	3-12	0-6

Inside the Numbers
Liberty senior Mariely Hassey leads the Lady Flames with 16 singles wins during the 2016-17 season, including an 11-3 mark in the spring. Hassey picked up her 65th career singles win, last Sunday on Senior Day against Presbyterian. The win moved the senior into solo third place all-time in program history in singles victory.

Junior Evangeline Crist is right behind her with 63 career singles victories, including a 13-9 mark during her junior season. Crist is 9-5 in dual matches this spring, while sophomore Anna Dollar (9-5) and senior Emily Groeneveld (7-6) boast strong singles resumes.

Liberty's top two doubles units this year have been Crist and Dollar (12-9 record) and Hassey and Groeneveld (10-9 overall, 7-5 this spring). Crist is No. 5 in program history in career doubles victories (69) and fifth in singles wins (63).

Three Lady Flames are unbeaten in Big South singles play: freshman Eugenia Camacho (4-0), Hassey (4-0) and Dollar (4-0). Dollar is also second in the Big South in No. 3 singles winning percentage (5-1, .833), this spring, while Hassey is second in the conference in No. 5 singles winning percentage (5-1, .833).

Scouting Gardner-Webb
The Bulldogs (10-4, 4-2 Big South) have improved greatly from a year ago. In 2016, Gardner-Webb finished 8-14 overall and 3-6 in Big South play.

The Bulldogs' nine-player roster features two seniors, two juniors, two sophomores and three freshmen. Freshman Daniela Naupari (11-3 at No. 3) senior Catherine White (11-3 at No. 5) and junior Sarah Rieckmann (9-4 overall, 9-3 at No. 2) have been the team's most successful singles players, this spring. Rieckmann and White own the best doubles record on the squad at 8-4.

Gardner-Webb is coached by 11th-year head coach Jim Corn.

Scouting Winthrop
The Eagles (15-4, 6-0 Big South) have a young squad that features four freshmen, four sophomores and a redshirt senior.

Sophomore Lauren Proctor is Winthrop's top singles player with a 17-2 mark in the No. 1 slot. Freshman Alisa Soloveva boasts a 14-5 mark in the No. 2 position for the Eagles. In doubles, Soloveva and redshirt senior Caitlin Cridland are 14-5 as the No. 2 unit, while Proctor and sophomore Megan Kauffman hold a 13-6 record as the No. 1 doubles tandem.

Winthrop is coached by Cid Carvalho. Carvalho has been the Winthrop head coach for the past 30 years and has led the Eagles to 14 NCAA Tournament appearances in the last 17 years.

Hassey, Groeneveld Spark Liberty's 6-1 Senior Day Win Over Presbyterian

Behind strong performances in doubles and singles from Mariely Hassey and Emily Groeneveld on Senior Day, the Liberty women's tennis team defeated visiting Presbyterian, 6-1, at the Cook Tennis Center on Sunday afternoon.

With the win, Liberty (7-9) remains unbeaten in Big South play at 4-0, while Presbyterian (11-6) falls to 1-3 in conference play.

Hassey and Groeneveld won at No. 2 doubles and each prevailed in their individual singles matches. Prior to Sunday's contest, the Liberty women's tennis team honored the two seniors for their career accomplishments and contributions to the program.

"I'm so proud of the way our seniors have stepped up this year! They made the decision to finish strong and are in a good frame of mind," stated Liberty Head Women's Tennis Coach Jeff Maren. "Their results reflect their mindset and goals."

Liberty won the doubles point by taking the No. 2 and No. 3 matches. In the No. 3 match, the Lady Flames' Rebekah Anderson and Eugenia Camacho, playing together for the first time this season, controlled their match with Beth Taylor and Brittany Nuttall throughout, winning 6-1.

The senior duo of Hassey and Groeneveld built a 3-1 lead in their match against PC's Caroline Ferrari and Mary Kathryn Dickson on the way to a 6-2 victory. The seniors' doubles triumph was their 10th as a unit, this year, and put the Lady Flames ahead, 1-0, in the match.

The final doubles match on court one went to the Blue Hose's Nicole Croxton and Tracy Johnson over the Lady Flames' Anna Dollar and Evangeline Crist, 6-2.

Hassey won in straight sets over Nuttall (6-1, 6-2) to put the hosts ahead, 2-0. The senior's win was the 65th singles victory of her four-year Liberty career, which moved her into third place in program history for singles wins.

Junior Evangeline Crist won her third straight singles match, defeating PC's Ferrari, 6-3, 6-1 on court two to give Liberty a 3-0 advantage.

Groeneveld officially put away the match for the Lady Flames in the No. 4 slot, earning a 6-2, 6-3 triumph over Croxton on court four. The victory, which put Liberty ahead, 4-0, was the 40th singles victory in a Liberty uniform for Groeneveld.

"It was really awesome to have the support of friends and family. It was a really emotional day because it made me look back on all of the time that I've spent at Liberty, and I feel grateful to be a part of this family," Groeneveld said.

Dollar picked up her second win of the weekend with a straight-sets victory (6-4, 6-2) over Beth Taylor out of the No. 3 spot in the lineup. Dollar's victory extended the home lead to 5-0.
The final two matches of the afternoon needed three sets to determine winners. On court six, Lady Flames' freshman Eugenia Camacho dominated her opening set against Thompson, 6-1. However, Thompson took the second set, 6-3, to force a deciding third.

In that third set, Camacho and Thompson were knotted, 3-3, before Camacho captured three of the final four games for a 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 victory.

The No. 1 match between Anderson and Johnson was determined in a third-set 10-point tiebreaker, after the first two sets were split. In the tiebreaker, Anderson fell behind, 7-4, before eventually evening it at 9-9. Johnson won the final two points to give the Blue Hose their lone point of the day (6-4, 4-6, 1-0 [11-9]).

"The girls did a good job of playing within themselves today, reducing errors and focusing point-by-point. We have a little momentum now and will use it during our practice and matches next week," Maren said.

Liberty (7-9, 4-0 Big South) will play a pair of Big South road contests this upcoming Friday and Saturday. On Friday, the Lady Flames will face Gardner-Webb (10-4, 4-2 Big South) at 2 p.m., followed by a Saturday showdown at Big South leader Winthrop (15-4, 6-0 Big South) at 1 p.m.

Women's Tennis Sunday Senior Day Match Bumped Up to Noon Start

Sunday's Liberty women's tennis match against Presbyterian, originally slated for a 1 p.m. start, will now begin at noon at the Cook Tennis Center due to weather concerns.

Sunday's Liberty women's tennis match vs. Presbyterian will now begin at noon at the Cook Tennis Center due to weather concerns.

The Lady Flames' (6-9, 3-0 Big South) Sunday match vs. Presbyterian (11-5, 1-2 Big South) marks Senior Day for the program. Prior to the start of the match, the team will recognize seniors Emily Groeneveld and Mariely Hassey with a pre-match ceremony.

Should inclement weather arrive earlier than expected, the match could be moved to Crosswhite Athletic Club (118 Davis Cup Rd.) in Lynchburg.

Follow @LUGameday on Twitter for updates on the match's status as well as possible relocation or delay of the match.

Liberty's Strong Singles Play Leads to 4-3 Win over ECU, Friday

A strong singles session from the Liberty women's tennis team lifted the hosts to a 4-3 victory over visiting East Carolina, Friday afternoon at the Cook Tennis Center.

After dropping the doubles point, the Lady Flames claimed singles matches in the No. 2-5 spots in the lineup to earn the victory.

The win brings Liberty's record to 6-9 and snaps a five-match losing streak, while ECU falls to 5-7 with the setback.

"We have been struggling a bit closing matches out and beating a quality opponent. This gives us confidence going into conference and puts us closer to our end goal of winning the Big South," said Liberty senior Mariely Hassey. "It was really nice seeing the mental strength across all the courts. I was proud to see all the girls fight and show that mental strength."

The doubles point went to the Pirates. Their No. 2 duo of Maria Gomez and Nastja Rettich led throughout their match against Anna Dollar and Aleksandra Panchenko, winning, 6-2.

On court one, the Lady Flames' Rebekah Anderson and Evangeline Crist appeared to be in control of their match against Celia Ruiz and Lisa Hofbauer with a 3-1 lead. At the same time, Liberty's No. 3 team of Hassey and Emily Groeneveld led in their match.

However, Ruiz and Hofbauer closed strong, taking the final five games from Anderson and Crist for a 6-3 victory to put the Pirates ahead, 1-0. Hassey and Groeneveld, who led Michelle Castro and Annija Veinsteina, 5-2, in their match, were forced to settle for an unfinished match.

In singles play, Hassey gave the home side a strong start, dropping only two games in a straight-sets victory over Rettich (6-0, 6-2) on court five to tie the match at 1-1. With the win, she improved to 10-3 in singles competition this spring and 15-8 on the year.

The Pirates regained the overall lead in the match with a win in the No. 1 singles spot. Ruiz required two sets to get past Anderson, 6-1, 6-2, giving ECU a 2-1 edge.

Groeneveld evened the match at 2-2 with a 6-4, 6-1 triumph over Sarah Sarjoo on court five. The victory was the senior's 10th singles win, this year.

The Lady Flames took the lead for the first time on the afternoon with a win in the No. 3 match from Dollar over Veinsteina. The Liberty sophomore won set one, 6-4, before prevailing in a tiebreaker in the second set to win, 6-4, 7-6 (3). Dollar's win put Liberty ahead, 3-2.

The winning point came from Crist in the No. 2 slot, who battled back from a first-set loss to take down Hofbauer, 3-6, 6-2, 6-1. The junior's victory brought the overall score to 4-2 in favor of the Lady Flames.

Crist secured the match for the Liberty over ECU with a three-set win in the No. 2 match.

The Pirates' Michelle Castro put the third point on the board for the visitors, winning a three-set battle with Liberty freshman Eugenia Camacho (3-6, 6-4, 6-2) to settle the score at 4-3.

"The windy conditions were tough for both team today, but I thought our girls played with grit and determination to get the job done," said Liberty Head Women's Tennis Coach Jeff Maren. "We started slow in doubles, but picked it up in singles against a good ECU team."

Liberty will return to Big South Conference play against Presbyterian (10-6, 0-2 Big South) on Sunday at 1 p.m.

Sunday's match vs. Presbyterian is Senior Day for the Liberty women's tennis program. Prior to the start of the match, the Lady Flames will recognize seniors Emily Groeneveld and Mariely Hassey for their accomplishments and contributions to the program.

Liberty Lacrosse Drops Road Game at William & Mary

The Liberty lacrosse team could not contain William & Mary on Wednesday evening in a 19-2 loss at Martin Family Stadium at Albert-Daly Field.

The Tribe (3-7) broke a 2-2 tie and scored the game's final 17 goals to earn the victory over the Lady Flames (1-8). Midfielder Lindsey Jenks paced William & Mary with a game-high six goals, while Liberty's goals were scored by sophomore Kayla Foster and freshman Jenna Joyal. Lady Flames' sophomore goalkeeper Katherine Widrick made a season-high 12 saves in net.

The Lady Flames fell to the Tribe, Wednesday evening at Martin Family Stadium at Albert-Daly Field. (Photo credit: Bob Keroack)

Widrick (0-3) was credited with the loss, while Tribe netminder Alex Lista (2-6) made two saves in the first half and picked up the win.

The Tribe raced out to an early 2-0 lead on goals from Annalise Lower (2 g) and Danielle Palmucci (2 g, 3 a) in the game's first 5:40.

The Lady Flames answered with two goals of their own to draw even at 2-2. Foster scored her ninth of the season off a feed from Paige Britton with 21:48 to play in the first frame. Just 19 seconds later, Joyal collected a loose ball inside the eight-meter arc and fired a low shot into the back of the net.

William & Mary reeled off 10 unanswered tallies to close the half with a 12-2 lead, capped off by a buzzer-beater from Jenks. During the 10-goal spurt, the Tribe received goals from: Jenks (3), McKinley Wade (3), Palmucci (1), Lower (1), Meredith Hughes (1) and Abby Corkum (1).

The Tribe controlled play for most of the second half and outscored Liberty, 7-0, in the frame. Courtney Shaughnessy's unassisted goal with 1:29 to play settled the final score at 19-2.

Liberty was plagued by turnovers all night, as the Lady Flames committed 29, compared to 15 from the Tribe. Liberty struggled to get the ball up the field, converting just 11-of-23 clear attempts. William & Mary went 16-of-17 in clears.

Widrick and Liberty senior defender Victoria Tickle both collected a game-high four ground balls for Liberty, while senior defender Ashlyn Altieri had a game-high three caused turnovers.

Liberty will be back in action on Saturday at VCU (3-4). Game time is set for 1 p.m. at Cary Street Field in Richmond, Va.

No. 33 Terrapins Pick Up 5-2 Victory Over Lady Flames

The No. 33 Maryland Terrapins topped the Liberty Lady Flames women's tennis team, 5-2, on Wednesday afternoon at the Cook Tennis Center.

With the loss, Liberty falls to 5-9 overall, losing five straight while Maryland improves to 11-1, winning five consecutive matches.

"Once again, we are knocking on the door against ranked teams but are not quite punching our way through. However, we are becoming battle-hardened because of these wars, and I have no doubt that our games are growing as a result," stated Liberty head coach Jeff Maren.

The Terrapins opened the afternoon by taking the doubles point from the Lady Flames. Maryland's No. 2 pairing of Alexandra Stanova and Kristina Hovsepyan scored a 6-3 win over Liberty's Mariely Hassey and Emily Groeneveld. Stanova and Hovsepyan took four of the first six games en route to victory.

The Terrapins secured the doubles point on court one. Their top pairing of Ekaterina Tour and Alexandra Stanova took the final four games from Rebekah Anderson and Evangeline Crist to win, 6-2, and give the visitors a 1-0 lead. The final doubles match between the Lady Flames' Anna Dollar and Aleksandra Panchenko and the Terrapins' Cassandre Thebault and Arnelle Sullivan went unfinished (5-5) after Liberty's pairing led, 5-3.

In singles, Stanova put Maryland ahead, 2-0 with a two-set triumph over Anderson (6-0, 6-1) in the No. 1 match.

Hassey provided Liberty its first point of the day in the No. 6 position to bring the home side within one (2-1) with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Caroline Williams. The senior's 63rd career win in a Liberty uniform moves her into third place all-time in program history in singles wins.

Hassey collected a straight-sets (6-2, 6-2) victory, Wednesday afternoon against No. 33 Maryland.

After a slow start, Tour took control of her match with Panchenko, emerging victorious (6-4, 6-2) in the No. 2 match to put Maryland ahead, 3-1.

On court four, Groeneveld and Thebault traded sets before Thebault pulled out a three-set victory, 6-4, 2-6, 6-1. The Maryland's senior's victory clinched the match for the Terrapins, extending the lead to 4-1.

In the No. 4 match between Dollar and Yemelyaneka, Dollar took the first set in a tiebreaker, 7-6, but Yemelyaneka came back to win in three sets (6-7, 6-4, 6-1). The Terrapin freshman's victory pushed the Liberty lead to 5-1.

On court three, Crist needed three sets to upend Sullivan, 6-7, 7-6, 1-0 (10-3). The Liberty junior's victory settled the score at 5-2.

"I am so proud of how Evangeline and Mariely are leading the way for us. Their mental strength has been impressive," Maren said. "They simply refuse to lose."

The Lady Flames will be back in action on Friday against East Carolina (5-6) at 2 p.m. at the Cook Tennis Center.

On Sunday, Liberty will return to Big South Conference play for a Senior Day showdown with Presbyterian (10-6, 0-2 Big South) at 1 p.m.

Sunday's match vs. Presbyterian will be Senior Day for the Liberty women's tennis program. Prior to the match, the Lady Flames will recognize seniors Emily Groeneveld and Mariely Hassey for their accomplishments and contributions to the program.

Liberty Falls on the Road at ECU

The Liberty men's tennis squad fell, 6-1, to host East Carolina, Wednesday at the River Birch Tennis Complex.

East Carolina moves to 14-3 with their fifth straight win, while Liberty falls to 7-8 and sees its three-match winning streak snapped.

The Pirates won the doubles point from the Flames, snapping Liberty's run of three doubles point victories. ECU's top duo, Freddie McGeehan and James Ling, won, 6-2 over Alex Poynter and Diego Castano to start the afternoon.

In the No. 2 match, the Pirates' Vlad Anghel and Fredric Lehfeldt were even, 5-5, with the Flames' Vince Salas and Eddie Gutierrez before winning the last two games to prevail, 7-5. Anghel and Lehfeldt's victory gave ECU a 1-0 lead heading into singles.

East Carolina grew its lead to 2-0 with a 6-2, 6-2 victory from Kasey Countee against Max Borcuti in the No. 5 match. The Pirates drew within a point of victory, as Giorgi knocked off Liberty's Chase Burton on court two, 6-1, 6-1, to make the score 3-0.

ECU's fourth and match-winning point came from Anghel, its No. 3 player. Anghel took down Gutierrez in straight sets (6-2, 6-4).

The Flames' lone point came from the No. 4 position. Liberty's Castano led Lehfeldt, 2-0 in the third set before the ECU senior was forced to retire the match and concede the point to Castano.
On court one, McGeehan bested Salas (6-3, 6-4), while the Pirates' Will Bissett settled the final score at 6-1 with his 6-4, 6-3 defeat of Poynter in the No. 6 slot.

The Flames saw their three-match winning streak halted at East Carolina, Wednesday.

On Saturday, Liberty will return to Big South Conference competition against Gardner-Webb (7-10, 2-1 Big South) at noon at the GWU Tennis Courts in Boiling Springs, N.C. Following Saturday's match, the Flames will take on No. 17 Georgia Tech (10-2, 3-0 ACC) at 5:30 p.m., Sunday at the Ken Byers Tennis Complex in Athens, Ga.

Salas Selected as Big South Freshman of the Week

Liberty men's tennis player Vince Salas has been tabbed the Big South Conference Men's Tennis Freshman of the Week by the league office.

Salas went a perfect 3-0 in doubles play and 2-1 in singles play, last week at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla. The Flames reeled off three straight wins last week over Farleigh Dickinson, Fairfield and Saint Joseph's to close out their spring break stay in the Sunshine State.

Salas has been named the Big South Conference Men's Tennis Freshman of the Week for the first time in his Liberty career.

In doubles competition, Salas and doubles partner Eddie Gutierrez won all three of their No. 2 doubles matches. The duo knocked off Diogo Garnel and Pedro Carvalho of Fairleigh Dickinson, 6-3, on Monday. On Wednesday, Salas and Gutierrez earned a pair of dominating 6-0 victories against the Fairfield Stags' Jeffrey Rodgers and Tyler Shibles and Saint Joseph's Hawks' Kyle Chalmers and Dan Tan.

Salas defeated opponents from Farleigh Dickinson and Saint Joseph's in singles play. He bested FDU's Danilo Vukotic, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) last Monday. Salas' win sealed a 4-3 win for the Flames over the Knights.

On Wednesday evening against Tim Stierle of Saint Joseph's, he bounced back from a first-set setback to prevail in three sets (3-6, 6-4, 1-0 (12-10)).

The Angeles, Philippines, native owns the Flames' best overall mark (16-10, .615) in singles, this year. He is currently 8-6 in singles dual competition, this spring. Salas and junior captain Diego Castano hold the best doubles record for Liberty in the spring at 4-3.

Salas and the Flames (2-1) are in action today at East Carolina (13-3) and play road matches at Gardner-Webb (7-10, 2-1 Big South) and No. 17 Georgia Tech (10-2), Saturday and Sunday.

Barr Named NFHCA Division I National Scholar Athlete

Liberty field hockey senior Serena Barr was named the Zag Field Hockey/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division I National Scholar Athlete, as announced by the NFHCA on Wednesday.

Barr is the only NCAA Division I field hockey student-athlete in the country to receive the award, given to the first, second or third team All-American who maintains the highest cumulative GPA through the first semester of the 2016-17 academic year.

The Lurgan, Northern Ireland, native became the second All-American in program history, as she was selected to the 2016 Longstreth/NFHCA Division I All-America second team. Barr joined her sister, Natalie, who was voted to the All-America third team in 2015.

Barr, a public health major, holds a cumulative GPA of 4.0.

Barr is the award's third all-time winner and joins Old Dominion's Kelsey Smither (2014) and Duke's Lauren Blazing as the only field hockey players to receive it.

Barr was also named to the Zag Sport/NFHCA Division I National Academic Squad and Scholars of Distinction lists in all four seasons she competed for the Liberty Lady Flames field hockey team.

Liberty Lacrosse First Half of the Season Memories and Reflections

Liberty Lacrosse Blog: Wednesday, March 22, 2017, 12:54 p.m.

It is crazy to think the lacrosse season is about half over. It feels just like yesterday that we were up in Indiana and Butler and Notre Dame. Right now, I am on the bus working on some stuff prior to our game at William & Mary. We had lunch at Chili’s, and I was able to sit with Kat, Emily, and Nikki. We talked about anything and everything, from cats and dogs to weddings to siblings.

I wasn’t able to go on the team’s last road trip to George Mason and Robert Morris, which I was super bummed about. But I’m happy to be going on this one today and hoping to get a win.

The rest of this post will be a reflection of where we’ve come up to this point. I didn’t blog about the last three days of the Indiana trip, but I’ll say I did get to witness lacrosse games for the first time ever in person. We lost to No. 8 Notre Dame but bounced back for a win at Butler on Sunday. On that trip, we had dinner one night at Bailey Meador’s parents’ house in Indianapolis. Sunday was a super long day of travel, and I had been getting sick for the few days leading up to that. I was exhausted, and some of the girls had gotten sick too.

Which brings me to the flight from Atlanta to Roanoke, more specifically the landing in Roanoke. It was crazy windy, and our plane wobbled as it got lower and lower. It was definitely a turbulent and bumpy landing, as evidenced by the pilots choosing to flip on the emergency lights prior to landing. That brings me to the funniest/grossest thing-a guy on our flight legitimately threw up. Yes, tossed his cookies. Yacked.

We had four straight home games vs. Richmond, Virginia Tech, Navy and Old Dominion, where I got my first taste of doing the live stats at a game. Todd and I made a good team for each of the games, and I enjoyed the home game experience and having a home crowd. After the games, I worked on my story/stats in the team room and then went on to the tailgate. The tailgates for lacrosse certainly did not disappoint!

Mixed somewhere in there, I believe before the ODU game, was a dinner at Kristie Beitz’s house. Kristie outdid herself with excellent appetizers, a main course and delicious cookies. I was able to play a little bit of the card game Five Crowns before we started the group game, Plot. Nikki, Bri, Hannah and I were the subjects of the game and were instructed to try to guess a story the rest of the group made up. Apparently the story they made up featured elements we guessed such as: Aubrie getting killed, Fidel Castro, Cuba, Sunshine, Florida, etc.

At the end of the game, Courtney Brown (the narrator) told us that we sure made up a great story. I knew coming into this game, there had to be some type of “joke’s on us” element. I just didn’t know what. Sure enough, the joke was indeed on us.

Coming up, we have a day trip to VCU on Saturday which I’ll be going on. Next weekend, we head down to Presbyterian for our Big South opener next Saturday. I’m looking forward to the new adventures with this team. 

Men's Tennis Ready for Three Road Contests, This Week

The Liberty Flames men's tennis team will play three more matches away from Lynchburg this week, traveling to East Carolina, Gardner-Webb and No. 17 Georgia Tech.

The Flames (7-7, 0-2 Big South), who come into the week on a three-match winning streak, will play a non-conference match at East Carolina (13-3, 2-0 AAC) on Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. at the River Birch Tennis Complex in Greenville, N.C.

On Saturday, Liberty will return to Big South Conference competition against Gardner-Webb (7-9, 2-1 Big South) at noon at the GWU Tennis Courts in Boiling Springs, N.C. Following Saturday's match, the Flames will take on No. 17 Georgia Tech (10-2, 3-0 ACC) at 5:30 p.m., Sunday at the Ken Byers Tennis Complex in Athens, Ga.

The Flames will take on East Carolina (Wednesday), Gardner-Webb (Saturday) and No. 17 Georgia Tech (Sunday), this week.

Series HistoryLiberty is 1-6 all-time against ECU. The Flames' lone series win came in the two teams' last meeting on March 20, 2016 in Lynchburg. Liberty bested ECU, 4-2, on that day.

Against Gardner-Webb, the Flames are 8-9 in the all-time series. The Flames and Bulldogs met twice last year, once in the regular season and once in the 2016 Big South Conference Men's Tennis Championship.  Gardner-Webb bested Liberty, 4-3, on April 1, 2016, but the Flames won, 4-0, over the Bulldogs in the Big South Championship quarterfinals on April 14, 2016.

Liberty and Georgia Tech will be meeting for the first time, Sunday.

Flames Facts
Liberty reeled off three wins last week at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla., to conclude its spring break trip. The Flames knocked off Farleigh Dickinson, Fairfield and Saint Joseph's to bring their record back to .500 (7-7).

Freshman Vince Salas owns the Flames' best overall mark (16-10) in singles, this year. The Angeles, Philippines, native is 8-6 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, while Salas and sophomore captain Eddie Gutierrez teamed up for three convincing doubles victories, last week.

Gutierrez went 3-0 in both singles and doubles, last week. He now stands at 8-6 in singles in the spring, including a combined 7-1 record from the No. 2 and No. 3 spots in the lineup.

Fellow freshman Chase Burton, a two-time Big South Freshman of the Week, has 13 singles victories for the season, including a 4-2 mark playing out of the No. 1 slot and 2-0 record in the No. 3 position. Junior captain Diego Castano has reeled off three consecutive singles victories to get to 7-7 in dual competition.

Scouting East Carolina
The Pirates will enter Wednesday's contest with a four-match winning streak, including wins over Palm Beach Atlantic, Davis & Elkins, Mount Olive and UNCG. ECU's nine-man roster is made up of two freshmen, four sophomores, two juniors and a senior.

East Carolina boasts a 67-20 combined record in singles play, this spring. Sophomore Vlad Anghel (12-3), senior Frederic Lehfeldt (11-2) and sophomore Ronny Giorgi (11-3) have the three best singles records on the squad. ECU's doubles pairings are 31-11 overall, led by Anghel and Lehfeldt (11-1).

The Pirates are coached by Shawn Heinchon, who was been in charge of the program since July of 2005.

Scouting Gardner-Webb
The Bulldogs, who were picked to finish fifth in the Big South Conference men's tennis preseason poll, have won two of three contests so far in league play. After losing their Big South opener to Presbyterian, they have since defeated UNC Asheville and Radford.

Gardner-Webb's 10-player 2016-17 roster features four freshmen, three sophomores and three juniors. The Bulldogs' most accomplished player is 2016 Big South All-Conference first team singles and doubles player Maximilian Scholl, a sophomore from Stuttgart, Germany.

Mike Griffith is in his 16th year as head coach of the Bulldogs.

Scouting Georgia Tech
The No. 17 Yellow Jackets will first take on No. 1 Wake Forest at noon on Sunday in a battle of top-25 teams. They will enter Sunday's matches with Wake Forest and Liberty with eight consecutive victories, most recently over Florida State (March 5) and Miami (March 12).

Georgia Tech's roster is comprised of a pair of freshmen, pair of sophomores, four juniors and two seniors. Senior Cole Fiegel is a perfect 9-0 in singles play out of the No. 4-6 positions, while senior Carlos Benito (8-1) and junior Christopher Eubanks (7-1) boast strong records as well for a Yellow Jackets squad that is 49-16 in singles, this spring. In doubles, Fiegel and sophomore Andrew Li (7-1) have the best record among Georgia Tech duos in the spring.

Head coach Kenny Thorne has guided the Yellow Jackets to the NCAA Championship 12 times in his first 18 years at the helm.

Women's Tennis Prepared for Trio of Home Matches, This Week

The Liberty women's tennis team will welcome a trio of opponents to Lynchburg this week for matches at the Cook Tennis Center.

The Lady Flames (5-8, 3-0 Big South) will play a pair of non-conference matchups vs. No. 33 Maryland (10-1, 2-0 Big Ten) on Wednesday at 2 p.m. and against East Carolina (5-6, 0-0 AAC), Friday at 2 p.m. On Sunday, Liberty will return to Big South Conference play for a Senior Day showdown with Presbyterian (10-6, 0-2 Big South) at 1 p.m.

Sunday's match vs. Presbyterian will be Senior Day for the Liberty women's tennis program. Prior to the match, the Lady Flames will recognize seniors Emily Groeneveld and Mariely Hassey for their accomplishments and contributions to the program.

Groeneveld (left) and Hassey (right) will be honored on Sunday for Senior Day, prior to the Big South match between Liberty and Presbyterian.

Liberty is currently a half-game out of first place in the Big South standings behind Charleston Southern (4-0 Big South) and Winthrop (4-0 Big South).

Series History
Wednesday's match with Maryland will mark the first-ever meeting between the two schools. While the two schools have not met for a dual match, Liberty's doubles pairing of Evangeline Crist and Anna Dollar scored a memorable upset win over Maryland's Ekaterina Tour and Arnelle Sullivan at the ITA Atlantic Regional at Old Dominion in the fall. Crist and Dollar, who were seeded No. 9 coming in, knocked off Maryland's No. 3 pairing to become the first pair in Liberty women's tennis history to reach the semifinals at the ITA Atlantic Regional.

The Lady Flames and East Carolina Pirates have met five previous times, with ECU owning a 4-1 series advantage. Liberty won the last meeting between the programs, 4-0, on April 5, 2014.

Liberty has an 8-1 all-time series advantage over the Presbyterian Blue Hose. The Lady Flames swept the most recent contest, 7-0, against Presbyterian on March 25, 2016.

How to Follow the Lady Flames
The Liberty Flames Sports Network (LFSN) will be providing a live broadcast of the match against Maryland. To watch the match, find the link for the live video on the Liberty women's tennis schedule & results panel on LibertyFlames.com.

Live stats for all three matches this week will also be available by clicking on the appropriate links on the Liberty women's tennis schedule & results panel on LibertyFlames.com. Also, be sure to follow @LUGameday on Twitter for live in-match updates for each match.

Inside the Numbers
Hassey leads the Lady Flames with 13 singles wins during the 2016-17 season, including an 8-3 mark in the spring. She has 62 career singles wins in a Liberty uniform, tied for fourth-most in program history.

Crist is right behind her with 60 career singles victories, including a 10-9 mark during her junior season. Crist is 6-5 in dual matches this spring, while Dollar (7-4) and senior Emily Groeneveld (5-5) have been solid in singles play, this spring.

Liberty's top two doubles units this year have been Crist and Dollar (12-8 record) and sophomores Rebekah Anderson and Aleksandra Panchenko (10-10 record). Crist is No. 4 in program history in career doubles victories (70) and tied for sixth in singles wins (60).

Scouting Maryland 
The Terrapins are 3-1 against ranked opponents this spring, with victories over No. 47 Iowa, No. 48 Marshall and No. 50 VCU. Their lone setback of the season came against No. 49 William & Mary, March 3.

Maryland's nine-player roster consists of four seniors, one junior, two sophomores and two freshmen. The Terrapins boast strong doubles units that won five doubles championships in the fall, including a doubles title by seniors Alexandra Stanova and Kristina Hovsepyan at the ITA Atlantic Regional. Maryland has won the doubles point in 10 straight matches, this spring.

The Terrapins are led by fifth-year head coach Daria Panova, who has guided the team to 10 victories already this spring, equaling their win total from a season ago.

Scouting East Carolina
The Pirates have lost three of their last five matches entering Friday's bout with Liberty. Their most recent loss was a 5-2 defeat at the hands of No. 3 North Carolina on March 11.

ECU's 10-player roster features three seniors, three juniors, two sophomores and two freshmen. Sophomore Celia Ruiz was the most recent Pirate player to be recognized, as she won American Athlete Conference Player of the Week on March 14. Ruiz, who just entered the ITA women's singles top-125 ranking on Tuesday at No. 124, bested No. 24 Jessie Aney (6-2, 7-5) of North Carolina on March 11 for the first win over a nationally-ranked opponent of her career.

The Pirates are led by Director of Tennis/Head Women's Coach Tom Morris. Morris, in his 19th year, is the winningest coach in ECU women's tennis history and formerly led both the men's and women's programs at the school.

Scouting Presbyterian 
The Blue Hose, who were picked to finish eighth in the Big South, square off with fellow Big South member Longwood on Friday before playing the Lady Flames on Sunday.

With a 10-6 record so far this spring, Presbyterian has nearly equaled its win total (11) from 2016. PC's eight-player roster is comprised of one senior, two juniors, two sophomores and three freshmen. Sophomore Tracy Johnson (11-3) boasts the team's best singles record, playing out of the No. 1 and No. 2 positions. In doubles, Johnson and fellow sophomore Nicole Croxton are PC's winningest pairing (9-4 record).

Sixth-year head coach Catherine Dunagan heads the PC program. Dunagan guided the team to its first-ever winning season in the Division I era in 2015 and currently has the Blue Hose above .500 (10-6, .625), this season.