LYNCHBURG, Va. - No. 70 North Florida men's tennis (14-7, 5-2 ASUN) dropped the front end of its two-match road stint, falling to No. 72 Liberty, 7-0, Thursday, April 14. Tiebreakers were crucial as the Flames won five of six tiebreakers in singles play, tipping the scales in favor of the hosts (9-10, 5-2 ASUN).
The loss snapped a four-match winning streak and puts the Ospreys in a tie for third place in the ASUN standings with one match remaining.
How it Happened
The doubles match went as advertised, with Liberty pulling ahead late to narrowly edge the Ospreys, 6-4, at the top pair and deciding court.
Liberty got a quick win at the second singles slot before
Jonas Hartenstein nearly pulled off an unbelievable comeback at the top position in set number two. Hartenstein ended up dropping set two, 6-7 (6-8) as Liberty grabbed a huge team point.
The Flames' Christiaan Worst slipped past
Dominik Barton in the second session despite Barton's lead, allowing Liberty to clinch it at the fourth position.
Liberty added to its total thanks to winning three of the next four tiebreakers.
#72 Liberty 7, #70 UNF 0
Thursday, April 14 | Liberty Tennis Complex | Lynchburg, Va.
Singles Competition
1. Josh Wilson (LIBERTYM) def.
Jonas Hartenstein (UNF) 6-2, 7-6 (8-6)
2. Nicaise Muamba (LIBERTYM) def.
Nilo Duarte (UNF) 6-3, 6-4
3. R. Marques Da Silva (LIBERTYM) def.
Matt Carroll (UNF) 6-4, 6-7 (9-11), 1-0 (10-7)
4. Christiaan Worst (LIBERTYM) def. #68
Dominik Barton (UNF) 6-2, 7-6 (9-7)
5. Thando Longwe-Smit (LIBERTYM) def.
PJ Kotan (UNF) 4-6, 7-6 (8-6), 1-0 (10-5)
6. Zion Heaven (LIBERTYM) def.
Bruno Vietri (UNF) 7-5, 7-6 (8-6)
Doubles Competition
1. Nicaise Muamba/R. Marques Da Silva (LIBERTYM) def.
Jorge Nunez/
Jonas Hartenstein (UNF) 6-4
2.
Rodrigo Crespo/
Nilo Duarte (UNF) def. Omar El Kadi/Thando Longwe-Smit (LIBERTYM) 6-3
3. Josh Wilson/Christiaan Worst (LIBERTYM) def.
Dominik Barton/
Matt Carroll (UNF) 6-4
Match Notes
North Florida 14-7, 5-2 ASUN; National ranking #70
Liberty 9-10, 5-2 ASUN; National ranking #72
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (2,1,4,6,5,3)
Official: R Sanders/S Lunsford T-3:02
Other Notes
- UNF is 1-2 all-time against Liberty.
- UNF is still eligible to earn as high as a two seed in the ASUN Championship postseason. The Ospreys cannot be lower than a four seed.
- The top two seeds earn a bye.
- UNF is two games back of ASUN leading Kennesaw State.
Up Next
UNF completes the regular season at Bellarmine Saturday, April 16.
