Battle-Tested Lady Flames Take Down 49ers, 6-1

Liberty women's tennis found success at Charlotte on Wednesday, as the Lady Flames defeated the host 49ers, 6-1, at the Halton-Wagner Tennis Complex in Charlotte, N.C.

The Lady Flames won the doubles point and claimed five of six singles bouts for their fourth win in their last six matches.

Liberty improves to 9-11 with the non-conference victory, while Charlotte falls to 10-9 overall. The Lady Flames are now 3-1 in the all-time series with the 49ers.

Groeneveld won her sixth straight singles match, Monday at Charlot

"We looked battle-tested today. I'm proud of the way our girls fought throughout the match," stated Liberty Head Women's Tennis Coach Jeff Maren.

Liberty's No. 2 doubles pairing of Anna Dollar and Evangeline Crist scored a 6-2 victory over Tai Martin and Immie Cowper. Lady Flames seniors Emily Groeneveld and Mariely Hassey followed suit on court three, defeating Pierina Imparato and Megan Smith, 6-2, to secure the doubles point for the visitors.

In singles play, Hassey continued her remarkable play with a 6-3, 6-2 triumph over Smith on court six, giving Liberty a 2-0 edge. The victory was her 17th of 2016-17 and 66th of her career. Hassey's win moves her into a tie for second place all-time in program history for career victories (66) with Brittany Yang (2011-15).

Crist also delivered a two-set victory (6-2, 6-4), defeating her opponent Alexandra Lee in the No. 3 singles match. Crist's 65th career singles win staked the visiting Liberty Lady Flames to a commanding 3-0 lead.

Charlotte collected its first point of the afternoon, as Victoria Pahlett bested Aleksandra Panchenko, who was forced to retire her match on court one in the third set.

The remaining three matches at the Halton-Wagner Tennis Complex would each need three sets to settle. After losing the first set, 6-3, to Macy Vonderschmidt, Dollar dominated the final two sets for a 3-6, 6-0, 6-2 victory. The Liberty sophomore's victory in the No. 4 slot secured the match and a 4-1 advantage for the Lady Flames.

The final two matches to conclude play (No. 2 and No. 5 singles) both needed a third-set tiebreaker to decide. On court two, Anderson prevailed, 6-4, 4-6, 1-0 (11-9) in a lengthy battle with Martin. Groeneveld won the tiebreaker from Imparato for a 7-6 (7-3), 4-6, 1-0 (10-7) victory. The Liberty senior's sixth straight singles win settled the final outcome at 6-1 in favor of the Lady Flames.

Liberty (9-11, 5-1 Big South) will return to Big South competition, tomorrow at Campbell (8-10, 3-4 Big South). First serve is scheduled for 2 p.m. at the James R. Nisbet Tennis Center in Buies Creek, N.C.