Score: No. 39 VCU 4, No. 45 Liberty 1
Location: Richmond, Va.
Records: VCU 10-9 (1-0 Atlantic 10) Liberty 15-6
The Short Story: VCU couldn't grab the doubles point but were dominant in singles play, winning four singles to take the match for its third straight win over the Flames.
Opening Serve
- Liberty won the doubles point on courts two and three
- Sophomore Romain Gales snapped a losing streak in singles and got the Rams on the board with his victory on court four
- Senior Matisse Bobichon staved off a Flames rally in the second set and won a tiebreaker to make it 2-1 Rams on court two
- Mathis Bondaz then put VCU on the verge of the clinch on court one
- Quickly after, Oscar Pinto Sansano won his fourth straight in singles and clinched the match with his win on court three
Singles results
1. #60 Mathis Bondaz (VCU) def. #102 R Marques Da Silva (LIBERTY) 6-3, 6-4
2. #92 Matisse Bobichon (VCU) def. Luis Felipe Miguel (LIBERTY) 6-1, 7-6 (7-5)
3. Oscar Pinto Sansano (VCU) def. Deji Thomas-Smith (LIBERTY) 7-5, 6-3
4. Romain Gales (VCU) def. Thando Longwe-Smit (LIBERTY) 6-4, 6-3
5. Hamza El Amine (VCU) vs. R Santiago Arraez (LIBERTY) 6-4, 4-4, unfinished
6. German Samofalov (VCU) vs. Chase Robinson (LIBERTY) 4-6, 3-5, unfinished
Doubles results
1. #54 Oscar Pinto Sansano/German Samofalov (VCU) vs. Deji Thomas-Smith/Luis Felipe Miguel (LIBERTY) 4-4, unfinished
2. R Marques Da Silva/Thando Longwe-Smit (LIBERTY) def. Romain Gales/Hamza El Amine (VCU) 6-3
3. R Hadzimehmedovic/Matija Samardzic (LIBERTY) def. Matisse Bobichon/Gray Voelzke (VCU) 6-2
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (4,2,1,3)
Notable:Â
- VCU played its eighth match in a row against opponents in the ITA National Top 75 Team Rankings
- The Rams won all their singles in just two sets. It is the third time this season VCU has held an opponent to just one point overall
- Earlier this week, freshman Hamza El Amine was named the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week for the second straight time
Up next: VCU return to Thalhimer tomorrow, Saturday April 6th for an morning Atlantic 10 match against Saint Joseph's at 11Â a.m.