LYNCHBURG, Va. – The Penn State men's tennis team (10-2) fell to the Liberty Flames (4-5) in a 6-1 contest at the Liberty Indoor Tennis Center in Lynchburg, Va. on Friday evening.
DOUBLES
The Liberty Flames grabbed the doubles point with wins on courts one and two.
On No. 1, Malik Bhatnagar and Charl Morgan fell to Josh Wilson and Christaan Worst in a 6-3 decision, before Sam Bossem and Loren Byers were handed their first doubles loss of the season by Deji Thomas-Smith and Luis Felipe Miguel, 6-4.
Miko Eala and Stefan Simeunovic went 5-4, unfinsihed across from Beau Pelletier and Rafael Marques Da Silva on court three.
SINGLES
Liberty earned their first singles point in a 6-2, 6-1 decision on No. 6 where Ismail Saadi fell to Luis Felipe Miguel. Byers followed that up with the Nittany Lions sole point of the match and his eighth dual singles victory over Marques Da Silva, 7-6(3), 6-3.
The Flames went on to earn wins on courts one, three, four, and five to close out the match over Penn State.
RESULTS
Liberty 6, Penn State 1
Doubles Results
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Josh Wilson/Christaan Worst (LU) def. Malik Bhatnagar/Charl Morgan (PSU) 6-3
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Deji Thomas-Smith/Luis Felipe Miguel (LU) def. Sam Bossem/Loren Byers (PSU) 6-4
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Miko Eala/Stefan Simeunovic (PSU) vs. Beau Pelletier/Rafael Marques Da Silva (LU) 5-4, unfinished
Order of finish: 1, 2
Singles Results
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Josh Wilson (LU) def. Charl Morgan (PSU) 7-6(5), 6-4
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Loren Byers (PSU) def. Rafael Marques Da Silva (LU) 7-6(3), 6-3
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Deji Thomas-Smith (LU) def. Miko Eala (PSU) 6-4, 3-6, 2-6
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Christaan Worst (LU) def. Sam Bossem (PSU) 7-5, 6-3
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Beau Pelletier (LU) def. Malik Bhatnagar (PSU) 6-4, 7-6(4)
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Luis Felipe Miguel (LU) def. Ismail Saadi (PSU) 6-2, 6-1
Order of finish: 6, 2, 1, 4, 5, 3
""Tough day against Liberty. There were adjustments we needed to make due to the slow court," said associate head coach Paul Tobin. "Our guys had to stay in the points longer requiring more patience and stamina. We were in many matches, but it just came down to home court advantage. We need to develop on slower courts once we start our outdoor season in a few weeks."
UP NEXT
The Nittany Lions will take on the No. 64 South Florida Bulls in Lynchburg, Va. at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 25.
Check GoPSUSports.com for coverage of the Penn State men's tennis team during the season. Follow the team on Twitter @pennstateMTEN, Instagram @pennstatemtennis and on Facebook at facebook.com/pennstatemenstennis.