Liberty University announced on May 1 that its women’s tennis team will compete in the NCAA Women’s Tennis Championship for the first time. The Lady Flames, holding a record of 16-9, are set to play against Washington (19-5) on Saturday at 11 a.m. in Charlottesville, Virginia. The match will take place at the Boar’s Head Sports Club and is part of a regional hosted by Virginia.
This marks a significant milestone for Liberty, as it comes after the team secured its first-ever conference title two weeks prior by winning the Conference USA championship with a 4-0 victory over Delaware. Liberty had to win four matches in four consecutive days to claim this title.
Head Coach Dash Connell was recognized as the 2026 Conference USA Head Coach of the Year during his second season leading the program. Several players received postseason honors, including Milana Tsulygina who was named CUSA Freshman of the Year. “Maria Turchetto advanced the Lady Flames with a gritty 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (5) triumph,” according to Liberty’s statement about their semifinal win over FIU.
The upcoming match against Washington will be their first meeting ever. The winner will advance to face either No. 7 seed Virginia or Saint Francis later that same day at 2 p.m., both teams Liberty has not played before.
Washington enters with a No. 22 ITA National Ranking and is seeded fifth in this regional bracket after exiting their conference tournament following a quarterfinal loss to UCLA.
As fans prepare for Saturday’s event, organizers have noted that parking adjacent to courts is unavailable and streaming coverage can be accessed via PlaySight on outdoor courts.
