The FGCU softball team will wrap up their season with a final three game series at home against Lipscomb.
FGCU (24-27, 6-8 A-Sun) on a three series road trips against Kennesaw, USF and Stetson.
During their series with KSU (32-11, 8-6 A-Sun), FGCU lost 4-3 in extra innings in the first game and won the second game 3-0. During the third game of the series, FGCU was ahead 1-0 going into the fifth inning, but the game was underway a heavy rain delay. As a result, the third game was nullified.
Still struggling, FGCU tried at their next road series to USF (31-21, 8-6 AAC) for non-conference play, but to no avail, they were swept and lost 1-0 and 9-2 to the Bulls.
The final road trip came when they finished their last road trip against Stetson (26-18, 4-11 A-Sun) in success. In the first game, FGCU won 5-1, but lost 3-0 in the second game. In the rubber match, FGCU won the series 2-1 with a 13-3 (5 innings) win.
sophomore left-handed pitcher Riley Randolph got two of the three wins in the series pitching 12 innings giving up four runs (one earned) on 12 hits while walking four batters and striking out five batters.
Junior LuLu Newmark (3-10 in the series) brought the offense in the first game going 1-4 with a three run home run and going 2-3 with two singles, a walk, one RBI and three runs scored in the third game.
Junior Brianne Innamorato (3-10) was 1-3 in game two with a single and went on a tear in the third game going 2-3 with two singles, a walk, a three run home run, five RBIs and three runs scored.
FGCU will be playing their last conference series at home against Lipscomb.
Lipscomb (34-16, 7-8 A-Sun) had just finished and lost a three game series against Kennesaw State. They lost 9-1 (6 innings) in the first game, 2-0 in the second and 6-2 in the third.
Players to keep a eye out for from Lipscomb are junior infielder/pitcher Caitlin Plocheck, sophomore pitcher Mandy Jordan, senior pitcher McCarley Thomas and freshman infielder/outfielder Peyton Ward.
Plocheck is seemingly the powerhouse of the team. She is hitting .361 and lead the team in home runs (9) and RBIs (30).
Jordan is currently 22-8 with a 1.31 era. In 32 games, Jordan has thrown 26 complete games (seven shutouts) in 198 innings giving up 48 runs (37 earned) on 139 hits while walking 40 and striking out 232 batters.
Thomas, one of three seniors, is 11-7 with a 2.48 era and in 21 games, she has thrown 13 complete games (three shutouts) in 113 innings while giving up 52 runs (40 earned) on 95 hits while walking 47 and strking out 111 batters.
Ward is the speedster and leads the team in stolen bases (18).
Overall, FGCU is 8-14 overall against Lipscomb and the last time the two teams met was at Lipscomb and Lipscomb won the series 2-1 (9-2 FGCU, 0-9 Lipscomb and 1-6 Lipscomb).
As it stands for the moment, the standings in the A-Sun are as noted:
1. *Upstate (38-11, 11-4 conference)
2. *Kennesaw (35-16, 11-6 conference)
3. *UNF (29-22, 8-6 conference)
4. *Lipscomb (34-16, 7-8 conference)
5. *FGCU (24-27, 6-8 conference)
6. JU (27-22, 5-8 conference)
7. Stetson (26-18, 4-11 conference)
*Clinched a spot in the A-Sun Championship
Upstate, Kennesaw and UNF have already clinched a spot in the A-Sun tournament, which will be hosted at Lipscomb.
In the other final conference series, JU will face Stetson and UNF will face Upstate.
Already facing the possibility of elimination, Stetson has to win at least two of their final series games against JU or they will be eliminated.
Here are a few scenarios for FGCU to get between the three and four seeds:
1. They can attempt for the No. 3 seed if they sweep Lipscomb and Upstate sweeps UNF.
2. They can attempt for the No. 4 seed if they sweep or win two of three games against Lipscomb.
FGCU and Lipscomb will play Thursday at 5 pm and 7 pm to open the series and Friday at 1 pm to close the series.
This will also mark as the last games of the season for both FGCU and Lipscomb as well as for the seniors of both teams.
About Me
A-SUN Tennis Conference Tournament: Day Three- Happy and Sad Endings
As the A-SUN Conference tennis tournament comes to a close, two teams from the men's and women's tennis teams face each other one more time. On the women's side, No.1 FGCU took on No. 2 UNF while on the men's side, No. 4 FGCU took on No. 6 Lipscomb.
Winners of the matches will win the conference title and automatically be entered in the national tournament in Athens, Georgia and both matchups were on ESPN3.
Both FGCU and UNF faced each other in the season with FGCU coming out on top 4-3 marking the first time in program history that FGCU has beaten UNF in 13 attempts. The last time both teams faced each other in the finals, UNF came out on top 4-2.
The matchup was originally suppose to start at 10 A.M., but then switched to 9 A.M. before finalizing it at 1 P.M due to lite rain.
It started with doubles as the freshman duo of A-SUN All-Freshman Team members Bridget Forster and Sara Kelly beat Michelle Valdez and Kinga Gartner 6-1.
The team of sophomore A-SUN First Team All-Conference and A-SUN All-Academic Team member Julia Ascua and junior A-SUN Scholar-Athlete of the Year and A-SUN All-Academic Team member Julianna Curtis beat A-SUN Second Team All-Conference member Luise Intert and Quetzali Vazquez 6-3 to secure the doubles point.
Heading into singles, Forster started off with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Gartner. Senior A-SUN First Team All-Conference member Breana Stampfli followed with a 6-1, 4-6, 6-0 win over A-SUN First Team All-Conference member Rafaela Gomez putting FGCU up 3-0, but then FGCU was struggling.
Vazquez beat sophomore A-SUN Second Team All-Conference and All-Academic Team member Laura Falceto Font 6-1, 7-6 (7-1) for the first point for UNF.
UNF's Irina Karangozishvili would secure the second point after beating Ascua 4-6, 6-1, 6-1.
It was now down to two matches for both teams.
Intert went ahead 6-2 in the first set over Kelly, but Kelly would win the second set 6-3. Kelly was ahead 4-2 in the third set, hoping to secure the win for FGCU, but during the matches, she was suffering through severe cramps and could not continue. As a result of that, Intert won the match via retire.
It all came down to one final match between A-SUN First Team All-Conference member, Michelle Valdez, and A-SUN First Team All-Conference member, A-SUN Second Team All-Conference member in doubles and A-SUN Freshman of the Year Maja Ornberg.
In a heartbreaking end, Valdez won 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 over Ornberg and UNF claimed the automatic bid to the national tournament once again.
At the end, four members in the championship match made it to the A-SUN All-Tournament Team. Representing FGCU was Stampfli and representing UNF was Vazquez, Inert and Valdez. Valdez was also named the MVP of the tournament.
A-SUN All-Academic Team member Nathalie Habegger of NJIT and A-SUN All-Freshman Team member Sofia Ferding of Stetson also made the A-SUN All-Tournament Team, however, they were not in attendance due to being eliminated in the semifinals of the tournament. It was really heartbreaking for FGCU, even for me, but I give UNF credit and wish them luck in the tournament.
The men played later at 3:30 P.M. No. 4 FGCU was set to play No. 6 Lipscomb. Both teams began at 11:45 P.M. due to rain on Saturday and didn't finish until 3:30 A.M. on Sunday. As a result of the finish, both teams were granted a 12-hour recovery time. No. 4 seed FGCU beat No. 1 seed UNF 4-3 in the semifinals to advance to the championship while No. 6 seed Lipscomb beat No. 2 seeded Stetson 4-1. This also marked Lipscomb's first-ever A-SUN Men's Tennis Championship Finals run in program history.
Starting with doubles, the team of sophomore Mateo Ruiz and sophomore A-SUN Second Team All-Conference member Javier Fernandez played George Wong and Jorge Ortegon. Ruiz and Fernandez won the first doubles match 6-2. The team of sophomore A-SUN Second Team All-Conference member Ezequiel Cerrini and senior Andres Alfonzo played and beat the team of A-SUN First Team All-Conference member Rob Mitchell and Daniel Cardenas 6-1 to secure the doubles point.
Junior Oliver Landert and A-SUN Freshman Player of the Year and A-SUN All-Freshman Team member Felipe Ramirez played A-SUN First Team All-Conference member Alejandro Manzanares and A-SUN All-Freshman Team member Victor Chaw and were ahead 4-2, but they did not finish the match due to courts two and three for FGCU winning their doubles
Singles play started five minutes later. Fernandez started with a 6-1, 6-0 win over Wong. Ruiz would then fall 1-6, 0-6 to Manzanares before Cerrini followed with a 6-4, 6-0 win over Cardenas to bring the lead to 3-1 for FGCU.
Chaw would secure Lipscomb's second point with a 6-4, 7-5 win over Landert and reduce FGCU's lead by one, but it wasn't enough in the end as Ramirez secured the final match point with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 win over Mitchell. The match between Alfonzo and Ortegon did not finish, even though Alfonzo was ahead 6-1, 5-7, 4-3.
"I knew today was going to be a really tough match," said head coach CJ Weber. "Lipscomb has a really tough team. I told their coach at the end that the A-SUN has arrived. We've been talking about getting this conference better and Lipscomb being a six-seed proves how good the conference is now. Fortunately, we used some of our experience at the bottom to get the W. Hats off to Lipscomb though, they fought so hard and they gave us everything. Fortunately, we got the doubles point."
FGCU made a few historic moments in the A-SUN:
1. FGCU is the first team since 2008 to capture the A-SUN Men's Tennis Championship with three victories in three days.
2. The championship title marks the second in program history since 2015.
3. FGCU was the lowest seeded team at No. 4 to win the A-SUN Championship since 2006.
Afterwards, six members in the championship match made it to the A-SUN All-Tournament Team.
Mitchell, Chaw and Manzanares represented Lipscomb and Fernandez, Ramirez and Alfonzo represented FGCU. Alfonzo was also named MVP of the A-SUN All-Tournament Team.
The NCAA Division I Tennis Championships, as noted this year, will take place in Athens, Georgia at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex and will last from May 18–29.mSo representing the A-SUN for the women is UNF and for the men is FGCU.
It is not set in stone on who is playing whom, but there will be a selection show to determine who FGCU will play in the national tournament.
Winners of the matches will win the conference title and automatically be entered in the national tournament in Athens, Georgia and both matchups were on ESPN3.
Both FGCU and UNF faced each other in the season with FGCU coming out on top 4-3 marking the first time in program history that FGCU has beaten UNF in 13 attempts. The last time both teams faced each other in the finals, UNF came out on top 4-2.
The matchup was originally suppose to start at 10 A.M., but then switched to 9 A.M. before finalizing it at 1 P.M due to lite rain.
It started with doubles as the freshman duo of A-SUN All-Freshman Team members Bridget Forster and Sara Kelly beat Michelle Valdez and Kinga Gartner 6-1.
The team of sophomore A-SUN First Team All-Conference and A-SUN All-Academic Team member Julia Ascua and junior A-SUN Scholar-Athlete of the Year and A-SUN All-Academic Team member Julianna Curtis beat A-SUN Second Team All-Conference member Luise Intert and Quetzali Vazquez 6-3 to secure the doubles point.
Heading into singles, Forster started off with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Gartner. Senior A-SUN First Team All-Conference member Breana Stampfli followed with a 6-1, 4-6, 6-0 win over A-SUN First Team All-Conference member Rafaela Gomez putting FGCU up 3-0, but then FGCU was struggling.
Vazquez beat sophomore A-SUN Second Team All-Conference and All-Academic Team member Laura Falceto Font 6-1, 7-6 (7-1) for the first point for UNF.
UNF's Irina Karangozishvili would secure the second point after beating Ascua 4-6, 6-1, 6-1.
It was now down to two matches for both teams.
Intert went ahead 6-2 in the first set over Kelly, but Kelly would win the second set 6-3. Kelly was ahead 4-2 in the third set, hoping to secure the win for FGCU, but during the matches, she was suffering through severe cramps and could not continue. As a result of that, Intert won the match via retire.
It all came down to one final match between A-SUN First Team All-Conference member, Michelle Valdez, and A-SUN First Team All-Conference member, A-SUN Second Team All-Conference member in doubles and A-SUN Freshman of the Year Maja Ornberg.
In a heartbreaking end, Valdez won 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 over Ornberg and UNF claimed the automatic bid to the national tournament once again.
At the end, four members in the championship match made it to the A-SUN All-Tournament Team. Representing FGCU was Stampfli and representing UNF was Vazquez, Inert and Valdez. Valdez was also named the MVP of the tournament.
A-SUN All-Academic Team member Nathalie Habegger of NJIT and A-SUN All-Freshman Team member Sofia Ferding of Stetson also made the A-SUN All-Tournament Team, however, they were not in attendance due to being eliminated in the semifinals of the tournament. It was really heartbreaking for FGCU, even for me, but I give UNF credit and wish them luck in the tournament.
The men played later at 3:30 P.M. No. 4 FGCU was set to play No. 6 Lipscomb. Both teams began at 11:45 P.M. due to rain on Saturday and didn't finish until 3:30 A.M. on Sunday. As a result of the finish, both teams were granted a 12-hour recovery time. No. 4 seed FGCU beat No. 1 seed UNF 4-3 in the semifinals to advance to the championship while No. 6 seed Lipscomb beat No. 2 seeded Stetson 4-1. This also marked Lipscomb's first-ever A-SUN Men's Tennis Championship Finals run in program history.
Starting with doubles, the team of sophomore Mateo Ruiz and sophomore A-SUN Second Team All-Conference member Javier Fernandez played George Wong and Jorge Ortegon. Ruiz and Fernandez won the first doubles match 6-2. The team of sophomore A-SUN Second Team All-Conference member Ezequiel Cerrini and senior Andres Alfonzo played and beat the team of A-SUN First Team All-Conference member Rob Mitchell and Daniel Cardenas 6-1 to secure the doubles point.
Junior Oliver Landert and A-SUN Freshman Player of the Year and A-SUN All-Freshman Team member Felipe Ramirez played A-SUN First Team All-Conference member Alejandro Manzanares and A-SUN All-Freshman Team member Victor Chaw and were ahead 4-2, but they did not finish the match due to courts two and three for FGCU winning their doubles
Singles play started five minutes later. Fernandez started with a 6-1, 6-0 win over Wong. Ruiz would then fall 1-6, 0-6 to Manzanares before Cerrini followed with a 6-4, 6-0 win over Cardenas to bring the lead to 3-1 for FGCU.
Chaw would secure Lipscomb's second point with a 6-4, 7-5 win over Landert and reduce FGCU's lead by one, but it wasn't enough in the end as Ramirez secured the final match point with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 win over Mitchell. The match between Alfonzo and Ortegon did not finish, even though Alfonzo was ahead 6-1, 5-7, 4-3.
"I knew today was going to be a really tough match," said head coach CJ Weber. "Lipscomb has a really tough team. I told their coach at the end that the A-SUN has arrived. We've been talking about getting this conference better and Lipscomb being a six-seed proves how good the conference is now. Fortunately, we used some of our experience at the bottom to get the W. Hats off to Lipscomb though, they fought so hard and they gave us everything. Fortunately, we got the doubles point."
FGCU made a few historic moments in the A-SUN:
1. FGCU is the first team since 2008 to capture the A-SUN Men's Tennis Championship with three victories in three days.
2. The championship title marks the second in program history since 2015.
3. FGCU was the lowest seeded team at No. 4 to win the A-SUN Championship since 2006.
Afterwards, six members in the championship match made it to the A-SUN All-Tournament Team.
Mitchell, Chaw and Manzanares represented Lipscomb and Fernandez, Ramirez and Alfonzo represented FGCU. Alfonzo was also named MVP of the A-SUN All-Tournament Team.
The NCAA Division I Tennis Championships, as noted this year, will take place in Athens, Georgia at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex and will last from May 18–29.mSo representing the A-SUN for the women is UNF and for the men is FGCU.
It is not set in stone on who is playing whom, but there will be a selection show to determine who FGCU will play in the national tournament.
A-SUN Conference Tennis Tournament: Day Two
The days of both men's and women's tennis came to a close. There were four teams for both the men and women and it now comes down to two teams for both.
At noon, the women played first. No. 2 UNF played No. 3 NJIT and No. 1 FGCU played No. 4 Stetson.
In doubles, FGCU beat Stetson after wins by the duos by sophomore Juli Ascua and junior Julianna Curtis, who won 6-1 on court one and the freshman duo of Sara Kelly and Bridget Forster, who won 6-0 on court three. The team of senior Breana Stampfli and freshman Maja Ornberg, despite being down 1-5, did not finish their match.
Singles came later on, but there were some changes to the lineup for FGCU. Ornberg, who was originally scheduled to play No. 1 singles was unable to play singles due to sickness, so transitions were made to the lineup: Stampfli transitioned from No. 2 singles to No. 1 singles, Ascua went from No. 3 to No. 2 singles, Forster remained at No. 6 singles, sophomore Laura Falceto Font transitioned from No. 5 to No. 3 Singles, Kelly transitioned from No. 3 to No. 4 singles and Curtis entered at No. 5 singles.
Forster started off with 6-2, 6-0 straight set win over Alexe Viaud. After Kelly fell from a 6-2 pair decision to Sofia Ferding, Curtis came into play and won 6-0, 7-5 against Danielle Peele. Ascua secured the final point with a 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 win over Maja Salibasic and FGCU advanced to the finals. Stampfli and Falceto did not finish their matches due to the win.
"The girls came out focused and got the job done today," said FGCU head coach Courtney Vernon. "We're very thankful to be in our third conference championship. The big thing for us tomorrow is to come out with a lot of energy and hopefully have a lot of fans out here to support us. The crowd was great today, and the girls love playing in front of them. UNF is a solid team and is going to fight hard, but the girls are pumped and ready for tomorrow. They're hungry and want to write a different story."
It was found out that the FGCU will face UNF after they won 4-0 against NJIT, so it is a rematch between the two teams from last year.
On the men's side, they were originally scheduled to start at 5 P.M., but after finding out via Twitter that heavy rain hit and caused a weather delay, so the matchups were set for 10 P.M.
As I arrived back to the tennis courts after a four-hour nap, which I really needed, the matches did not start yet as all of the courts were still wet from the five-hour rain delay that occurred and brooms, mops, leaf blowers and fans were in use for drying the courts. Because the event staff had to dry the courts, which took over an hour and a half to do so, the matches officially started at 11:45 P.M.
No. 4 FGCU was set to face No. 1 UNF while No. 2 Stetson faced No. 6 Lipscomb.
After the courts were dried up, tennis went underway.
Sophomores Javier Fernandez and Mateo Ruiz finished first with a 6-2 win over sophomores Jonathan Deautriell and Sahil Deshmukh.
After junior Oliver Landert and freshman Felipe Ramirez fell 6-4 to senior Jack Findel-Hawkins and junior Jefta Kecic, it was up to one other doubles matchup between the two teams. Senior Andres Alfonzo and sophomore Ezequiel Cerrini beat junior Lasse Muscheites and sophomore Sahil Deshmukh 7-6 with a 7-4 tiebreaker.
Singles started afterwards. Courts 1-3 were completely dry, but courts 4-6 were still being dried during the singles matches on courts 1-3.
While courts 4-6 were being dried, Ruiz started off with 6-0, 6-2 win over Kecic to make it 2-0 for FGCU, but then the lead was cut to one after Findel-Hawkins beat Ramirez 6-1, 4-6, 6-3. UNF would then tie the matchup 2-2 after Landert lost 4-6, 6-4, 3-6 to senior Yannick Zuern. Cerrini would then fall to Muscheites 6-7, 3-6, making the score 3-2 in favor of UNF.
It was up to two players to tie and win for FGCU: Alfonzo and Fernandez. Fernandez was scheduled to play on court six, but due to the conditions of court six, he was moved to court two after Ruiz's game and was already up one set.
Meanwhile, Alfonzo battled in the third set. After Dropping the first set, Alfonzo battled hard and won the second set, forcing a third set against Deshmukh. Down 3-0 in the third set, Alfonzo didn't give up the fight as he miraculously came back with six straight game points to win his match 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 and tie the score at 3-3.
It all came down to Fernandez and Deautriell. Fernandez won the first set 6-2 and one final push, he finished the match with another 6-2 set and FGCU advanced to the final round of the conference tournament.
FGCU finished their matchup at 3:30 A.M. and thank goodness it was over. In all the tennis matches I've been to at FGCU, I never suspected that it would end at 3:30 A.M., and that was way past my bedtime.
"Words cannot describe what the guys did," said head coach CJ Weber. "It's been a really long season and we've dealt with so much adversity. The way we played today, is this team's potential and this is what we have been fighting for all year long. We have not been able to do it all season until today and it was just a commitment from every single one of the guys; I could not ask for anything more. UNF played an amazing match; I gained even more respect for them today. They competed like crazy and today was our absolute best and we barely won. Hats off to them on a great year and we look forward to many more tight matches with them in the future."
After FGCU's matchup, I found out that Lipscomb beat Stetson 4-2, so it will be No.4 FGCU taking on No. 6 Lipscomb in the finals. The matches will be shown on ESPN3 at 1 P.M. and to me will be described as the battle of Cinderellas in the A-SUN.
At noon, the women played first. No. 2 UNF played No. 3 NJIT and No. 1 FGCU played No. 4 Stetson.
In doubles, FGCU beat Stetson after wins by the duos by sophomore Juli Ascua and junior Julianna Curtis, who won 6-1 on court one and the freshman duo of Sara Kelly and Bridget Forster, who won 6-0 on court three. The team of senior Breana Stampfli and freshman Maja Ornberg, despite being down 1-5, did not finish their match.
Singles came later on, but there were some changes to the lineup for FGCU. Ornberg, who was originally scheduled to play No. 1 singles was unable to play singles due to sickness, so transitions were made to the lineup: Stampfli transitioned from No. 2 singles to No. 1 singles, Ascua went from No. 3 to No. 2 singles, Forster remained at No. 6 singles, sophomore Laura Falceto Font transitioned from No. 5 to No. 3 Singles, Kelly transitioned from No. 3 to No. 4 singles and Curtis entered at No. 5 singles.
Forster started off with 6-2, 6-0 straight set win over Alexe Viaud. After Kelly fell from a 6-2 pair decision to Sofia Ferding, Curtis came into play and won 6-0, 7-5 against Danielle Peele. Ascua secured the final point with a 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 win over Maja Salibasic and FGCU advanced to the finals. Stampfli and Falceto did not finish their matches due to the win.
"The girls came out focused and got the job done today," said FGCU head coach Courtney Vernon. "We're very thankful to be in our third conference championship. The big thing for us tomorrow is to come out with a lot of energy and hopefully have a lot of fans out here to support us. The crowd was great today, and the girls love playing in front of them. UNF is a solid team and is going to fight hard, but the girls are pumped and ready for tomorrow. They're hungry and want to write a different story."
On the men's side, they were originally scheduled to start at 5 P.M., but after finding out via Twitter that heavy rain hit and caused a weather delay, so the matchups were set for 10 P.M.
As I arrived back to the tennis courts after a four-hour nap, which I really needed, the matches did not start yet as all of the courts were still wet from the five-hour rain delay that occurred and brooms, mops, leaf blowers and fans were in use for drying the courts. Because the event staff had to dry the courts, which took over an hour and a half to do so, the matches officially started at 11:45 P.M.
No. 4 FGCU was set to face No. 1 UNF while No. 2 Stetson faced No. 6 Lipscomb.
After the courts were dried up, tennis went underway.
Sophomores Javier Fernandez and Mateo Ruiz finished first with a 6-2 win over sophomores Jonathan Deautriell and Sahil Deshmukh.
After junior Oliver Landert and freshman Felipe Ramirez fell 6-4 to senior Jack Findel-Hawkins and junior Jefta Kecic, it was up to one other doubles matchup between the two teams. Senior Andres Alfonzo and sophomore Ezequiel Cerrini beat junior Lasse Muscheites and sophomore Sahil Deshmukh 7-6 with a 7-4 tiebreaker.
Singles started afterwards. Courts 1-3 were completely dry, but courts 4-6 were still being dried during the singles matches on courts 1-3.
While courts 4-6 were being dried, Ruiz started off with 6-0, 6-2 win over Kecic to make it 2-0 for FGCU, but then the lead was cut to one after Findel-Hawkins beat Ramirez 6-1, 4-6, 6-3. UNF would then tie the matchup 2-2 after Landert lost 4-6, 6-4, 3-6 to senior Yannick Zuern. Cerrini would then fall to Muscheites 6-7, 3-6, making the score 3-2 in favor of UNF.
It was up to two players to tie and win for FGCU: Alfonzo and Fernandez. Fernandez was scheduled to play on court six, but due to the conditions of court six, he was moved to court two after Ruiz's game and was already up one set.
Meanwhile, Alfonzo battled in the third set. After Dropping the first set, Alfonzo battled hard and won the second set, forcing a third set against Deshmukh. Down 3-0 in the third set, Alfonzo didn't give up the fight as he miraculously came back with six straight game points to win his match 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 and tie the score at 3-3.
It all came down to Fernandez and Deautriell. Fernandez won the first set 6-2 and one final push, he finished the match with another 6-2 set and FGCU advanced to the final round of the conference tournament.
FGCU finished their matchup at 3:30 A.M. and thank goodness it was over. In all the tennis matches I've been to at FGCU, I never suspected that it would end at 3:30 A.M., and that was way past my bedtime.
"Words cannot describe what the guys did," said head coach CJ Weber. "It's been a really long season and we've dealt with so much adversity. The way we played today, is this team's potential and this is what we have been fighting for all year long. We have not been able to do it all season until today and it was just a commitment from every single one of the guys; I could not ask for anything more. UNF played an amazing match; I gained even more respect for them today. They competed like crazy and today was our absolute best and we barely won. Hats off to them on a great year and we look forward to many more tight matches with them in the future."
After FGCU's matchup, I found out that Lipscomb beat Stetson 4-2, so it will be No.4 FGCU taking on No. 6 Lipscomb in the finals. The matches will be shown on ESPN3 at 1 P.M. and to me will be described as the battle of Cinderellas in the A-SUN.
My Life as a Dirty Bird
For my first year at FGCU, I was really nervous coming because I felt like a freshman all over again. When I heard of the Dirty Birds fan group, I was really interested. So I heard about an event called "Eagle Revolution" and decided to go.
Before going, I wanted to try and meet a few of the athletes and first one I met was Filip Cvjeticanin, the last active member of the original Dunk City. At first I was a little nervous to speak to him and was afraid I was going to say something stupid, but when I approached him, I introduced myself and he turned out to be really friendly and we had a good conversation.
The best part was I lived close by the Alico Arena. When I got there, I got my Dirty Bird gear and got a lot of good stuff. At the end of the event, I spoke to some of the other athletes, including women's basketball player Whitney Knight and had a little humor with her. When she asked her how the women's basketball team rotates and she told me they play a guard rotation and I asked her "How tall are you?" and she said 6'3" and plays guard. I literally pulled a Steve Harvey moment where I compared her height to mine. I said to Knight "You are not a guard, you're a forward... What is wrong with this picture? How are you a guard and 6-3? This is nuts."we had a good laugh about it afterwards
The first athletic event I went to was the women's soccer game vs Ole Miss in which we tied 0-0. For my first athletic event, it was really amazing. The first win came from the women's soccer team again as they played Dayton and won 1-0, and that's when I met Tabby Tindell, the player who scored the only goal. During an autograph session, I told her that she was now my favorite player and she loved it. One of the best memories as a Dirty Bird in the fall was the women's soccer team wining the A-Sun Conference Tournament finals to go to the NCAA National Women's Soccer tournament.
When volleyball season started, I was excited to see the team play and even got to wave the Dirty Bird flag in a 3-0 victory over New Orleans for the home and season opener. I even got some pics with the volleyball players like Leigh Pudwill, Ella Kazarian,Vanessa Benke and Amanda Carroll.
During my time as a Dirty Bird, I knew there were going to be some personally, intense obstacles I would come face-to-face with. My first one was with FAU. Maja Ristic, a volleyball player I knew from my junior college was coming to play FGCU in volleyball and I was really worried about it; I was stuck.
There was one option I had to make and that was talk to Billie Timmons, a coach I know that Maja played for. I explained the situation and asked her what should I do about it. She understood what I was going through. She said to "Well it is tough call. Especially when you both have two alma matters... I think ultimately I would represent my current school, and cheer but wouldn't go out of my way to do it in a disrespectful way towards Maja or FAU." She said I can cheer for Maja, but keep low on it. In the end, FAU beat FGCU 3-1 and although we lost, seeing Maja at the game, and getting a pic with her afterwards, is well worth it. That was just the beginning of my personal fixes.
Later going into conference, UNF volleyball was playing, and Tessa Alyman, another player I knew from junior college, played for University of North Florida (UNF). When she came down to play FGCU, she saw me and we said hello, but in a quiet manner. At the end of the final match point, I mouthed to her saying "I love you" as a way saying that I still cared about her, even if we went to rival schools.
There were two situations where we were playing USF in women's tennis and baseball and once again, I knew someone who played for SCF and played for USF. Chloe Murphy played for women's tennis team, but FGCU played over there and the baseball team played us, but Ryan Valdes was inactive due to injury, so I dodged two bullets on that.
When basketball season was still going on, the FGCU men's basketball team played Eckerd College, and NCAA D2 team, and Brian Cobb, a former SCF basketball player I know, played for them and gave us a run for our money, but we still won. I remember going to my first FGCU men's basketball game I attended against Youngstown State in a victory. That was at the true prime of me from being a rookie to earning veteran status.
My first women's basketball game was against Harvard in a victorious manner as well, and I got to witness Knight play along with other players like Taylor Grandijan, Kaneisha Atwater and then player Stephanie Haas.
When the spring semester hit, softball season went underway. Seeing that back at SCF, I say one two syllable word: "UH-OH". I tested it out at the first game, but it wasn't working very well. When we had the University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC) come play, they played the theme from "Space Jam" and it gave me an idea of a new cheer. I gave the experiment a shot and after the first run we scored, we won the game. Since that game, I still say to that "FGCU LETS GET HYPE WHOOP THERE IT IS!!!" Literally, after the games, they did the cheer with me. During the opening of conference, the softball did a video via Instagram of my cheer and dedicated it to me.
Around the time of baseball season, one of the players, Richie Garcia, had a catchy walkup song called "Bailar" by Deorro ft Elvis Crespo. When it got to a certain part of the verse in the song, I started clapping to the rhythm and Dirty Birds and other spectators started clapping along with me.
I love being a Dirty Bird and show my constant support for all the athletes and if I didn't meet veterans like Jacob Barrett, Ben Jaap and Chance Fernandez, I would be an outcast with nothing to do and no one to cheer for.
I'm grateful to be a a part of a great fan base for all the sports and make posters for athletes on their birthday and showing the whole team because I love to make them feel good just as much as they win to make us feel good. It's a great thing to be a Dirty Bird.
Before going, I wanted to try and meet a few of the athletes and first one I met was Filip Cvjeticanin, the last active member of the original Dunk City. At first I was a little nervous to speak to him and was afraid I was going to say something stupid, but when I approached him, I introduced myself and he turned out to be really friendly and we had a good conversation.
The best part was I lived close by the Alico Arena. When I got there, I got my Dirty Bird gear and got a lot of good stuff. At the end of the event, I spoke to some of the other athletes, including women's basketball player Whitney Knight and had a little humor with her. When she asked her how the women's basketball team rotates and she told me they play a guard rotation and I asked her "How tall are you?" and she said 6'3" and plays guard. I literally pulled a Steve Harvey moment where I compared her height to mine. I said to Knight "You are not a guard, you're a forward... What is wrong with this picture? How are you a guard and 6-3? This is nuts."we had a good laugh about it afterwards
The first athletic event I went to was the women's soccer game vs Ole Miss in which we tied 0-0. For my first athletic event, it was really amazing. The first win came from the women's soccer team again as they played Dayton and won 1-0, and that's when I met Tabby Tindell, the player who scored the only goal. During an autograph session, I told her that she was now my favorite player and she loved it. One of the best memories as a Dirty Bird in the fall was the women's soccer team wining the A-Sun Conference Tournament finals to go to the NCAA National Women's Soccer tournament.
When volleyball season started, I was excited to see the team play and even got to wave the Dirty Bird flag in a 3-0 victory over New Orleans for the home and season opener. I even got some pics with the volleyball players like Leigh Pudwill, Ella Kazarian,Vanessa Benke and Amanda Carroll.
During my time as a Dirty Bird, I knew there were going to be some personally, intense obstacles I would come face-to-face with. My first one was with FAU. Maja Ristic, a volleyball player I knew from my junior college was coming to play FGCU in volleyball and I was really worried about it; I was stuck.
There was one option I had to make and that was talk to Billie Timmons, a coach I know that Maja played for. I explained the situation and asked her what should I do about it. She understood what I was going through. She said to "Well it is tough call. Especially when you both have two alma matters... I think ultimately I would represent my current school, and cheer but wouldn't go out of my way to do it in a disrespectful way towards Maja or FAU." She said I can cheer for Maja, but keep low on it. In the end, FAU beat FGCU 3-1 and although we lost, seeing Maja at the game, and getting a pic with her afterwards, is well worth it. That was just the beginning of my personal fixes.
Later going into conference, UNF volleyball was playing, and Tessa Alyman, another player I knew from junior college, played for University of North Florida (UNF). When she came down to play FGCU, she saw me and we said hello, but in a quiet manner. At the end of the final match point, I mouthed to her saying "I love you" as a way saying that I still cared about her, even if we went to rival schools.
There were two situations where we were playing USF in women's tennis and baseball and once again, I knew someone who played for SCF and played for USF. Chloe Murphy played for women's tennis team, but FGCU played over there and the baseball team played us, but Ryan Valdes was inactive due to injury, so I dodged two bullets on that.
When basketball season was still going on, the FGCU men's basketball team played Eckerd College, and NCAA D2 team, and Brian Cobb, a former SCF basketball player I know, played for them and gave us a run for our money, but we still won. I remember going to my first FGCU men's basketball game I attended against Youngstown State in a victory. That was at the true prime of me from being a rookie to earning veteran status.
My first women's basketball game was against Harvard in a victorious manner as well, and I got to witness Knight play along with other players like Taylor Grandijan, Kaneisha Atwater and then player Stephanie Haas.
When the spring semester hit, softball season went underway. Seeing that back at SCF, I say one two syllable word: "UH-OH". I tested it out at the first game, but it wasn't working very well. When we had the University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC) come play, they played the theme from "Space Jam" and it gave me an idea of a new cheer. I gave the experiment a shot and after the first run we scored, we won the game. Since that game, I still say to that "FGCU LETS GET HYPE WHOOP THERE IT IS!!!" Literally, after the games, they did the cheer with me. During the opening of conference, the softball did a video via Instagram of my cheer and dedicated it to me.
Around the time of baseball season, one of the players, Richie Garcia, had a catchy walkup song called "Bailar" by Deorro ft Elvis Crespo. When it got to a certain part of the verse in the song, I started clapping to the rhythm and Dirty Birds and other spectators started clapping along with me.
I love being a Dirty Bird and show my constant support for all the athletes and if I didn't meet veterans like Jacob Barrett, Ben Jaap and Chance Fernandez, I would be an outcast with nothing to do and no one to cheer for.
I'm grateful to be a a part of a great fan base for all the sports and make posters for athletes on their birthday and showing the whole team because I love to make them feel good just as much as they win to make us feel good. It's a great thing to be a Dirty Bird.
A-SUN Tennis Conference Tournament: Day One
With the seeds set and secured, six teams will be playing in the A-SUN Conference Women's Tennis Tournament:
On the men's side, the journey has already begun as well.
Just like the women, the men's seeds were set and secure in the tournament:
No. 1 seed UNF
No. 2 seed Stetson
No. 3 seed Kennesaw
No. 4 seed FGCU
No. 5 seed Upstate
No. 6 seed Lipscomb
UNF and Stetson also had a first round bye for being the top two seeds, and seeds 3-6 started. FGCU played Upstate while Kennesaw played Lipscomb.
In doubles, FGCU and Upstate were neck and neck. On court one, the team of junior Oliver Landert and A-SUN Freshman of the Year and A-SUN All-Freshman team member Felipe Ramirez took on freshman Fernando Bernardes and junior Ignacio Garrido. Landert and Ramirez won 6-1.
On court two, senior Andy Alfonzo and A-SUN All-Conference Second Team member Ezequiel Cerrini took on junior Felix Ewers and sophomore Lenhard Haupt, but fell 4-6.
It all came down to court three with the team of Mateo Ruiz and A-SUN Second Team All-Conference member Javier Fernandez took on sophomore Ankush Arora and freshman Francisco Neto. Fernandez and Ruiz struggled early in the set, but soon came to life and finished with a 7-5 victory. On the final point, Fernandez and Ruiz fought with a 40-love lead before securing the match point
Going into singles, with FGCU leading 1-0, Ewers took down Ramirez 6-0, 6-1 to tie the matchup, but the Eagles fought back after Ramirez's loss. Cerrini took down Bernardes with a 6-1, 6-2 win. Fernandez was quick to follow with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Neto.
With the score 3-1 in favor of the Eagles, it came down to three matches: Ruiz vs Haupt, Landert vs Arora and Alfonzo vs Garrido. Ruiz dropped the first set to Haupt 4-6, but then won the second set 7-6 in a tiebreaker. Landert battled Arora and won the first set, but dropped the second set.
At the same time, Landert and Alfonzo went for match point and secured the win for FGCU to advance. Landert won 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 and Alfonzo won 7-5, 6-3 against Garrido. Ruiz did not finish his matchup since FGCU won.
"I'm really proud of Oliver," said head coach CJ Weber. "He's had a lot of close matches but he's been playing great tennis. I don't know if he needed this because his tennis has been fine but it has to feel good for him to get a win for the team and to clinch the match. The last several years we've gone back and forth with UNF and it's an awesome rivalry and we always look forward to it. I want us to pack the house tomorrow."
In the end, FGCU won 4-1 and will face UNF in the semifinals.
Attendance wise, it was a really big crowd. A lot of people were there. More than I could imagine. In fact, a lot of the FGCU men's soccer players including junior A-SUN Player of the Year Albert Ruiz, former cross country runner Stephanie Cajas and members of the FGCU women's tennis team.
After FGCU's victory, Kennesaw played Lipscomb and it was close matchup. Lipscomb won 4-3 after junior Alejandro Manzanares of Lipscomb beat sophomore Fermin Calvo Barcelo of KSU 4-6, 6-4, 7-5. Lipscomb will play Stetson in semifinals and FGCU will once again face UNF at 5 p.m.
The FGCU women's team will play Stetson and UNF will play NJIT at noon.
Below are numerous photos from the matchups for men's and women's tournament:
No. 1 seed FGCU
No. 2 seed UNF
No. 3 seed NJIT
No. 4 seed Stetson
No. 5 seed Lipscomb
No. 6 Kennesaw
Since FGCU and UNF are the top two seeds, they have been secured with a bye round, so they did not have to compete in the quarterfinals. They will await the winners of the QF matchups
Seeds No. 3-6 will play in the QF to advance to the semifinals.
I was able to take a brief look at the four teams that were playing this morning before class.
No.3 NJIT was playing No. 6 Kennesaw while No.4 Stetson played No.5 Lipscomb.
There was actually a decent crowd at the FGCU Tennis Complex. Even members of the Lipscomb men's tennis team were there to support the Lady Bison.
The Highlanders beat the Owls 4-3 while the Hatters beat the Bison 4-2.
What was interesting before I left for class was during the doubles matches between Lipscomb and Stetson, Lipscomb forfeited one of their matches, leaving the No. 1 and No. 2 doubles to secure the point before losing. So the semifinals have been set. No, 1 FGCU will face No. 4 Stetson and No. 2 UNF will face No. 3 NJIT tomorrow at noon. The winners of both semis will play in the championship at 10 a.m. on ESPN 3 and will secure an automatic bid in the NCAA National Tournament in Athens, Georgia.
On the men's side, the journey has already begun as well.
Just like the women, the men's seeds were set and secure in the tournament:
No. 1 seed UNF
No. 2 seed Stetson
No. 3 seed Kennesaw
No. 4 seed FGCU
No. 5 seed Upstate
No. 6 seed Lipscomb
UNF and Stetson also had a first round bye for being the top two seeds, and seeds 3-6 started. FGCU played Upstate while Kennesaw played Lipscomb.
In doubles, FGCU and Upstate were neck and neck. On court one, the team of junior Oliver Landert and A-SUN Freshman of the Year and A-SUN All-Freshman team member Felipe Ramirez took on freshman Fernando Bernardes and junior Ignacio Garrido. Landert and Ramirez won 6-1.
On court two, senior Andy Alfonzo and A-SUN All-Conference Second Team member Ezequiel Cerrini took on junior Felix Ewers and sophomore Lenhard Haupt, but fell 4-6.
It all came down to court three with the team of Mateo Ruiz and A-SUN Second Team All-Conference member Javier Fernandez took on sophomore Ankush Arora and freshman Francisco Neto. Fernandez and Ruiz struggled early in the set, but soon came to life and finished with a 7-5 victory. On the final point, Fernandez and Ruiz fought with a 40-love lead before securing the match point
Going into singles, with FGCU leading 1-0, Ewers took down Ramirez 6-0, 6-1 to tie the matchup, but the Eagles fought back after Ramirez's loss. Cerrini took down Bernardes with a 6-1, 6-2 win. Fernandez was quick to follow with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Neto.
With the score 3-1 in favor of the Eagles, it came down to three matches: Ruiz vs Haupt, Landert vs Arora and Alfonzo vs Garrido. Ruiz dropped the first set to Haupt 4-6, but then won the second set 7-6 in a tiebreaker. Landert battled Arora and won the first set, but dropped the second set.
At the same time, Landert and Alfonzo went for match point and secured the win for FGCU to advance. Landert won 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 and Alfonzo won 7-5, 6-3 against Garrido. Ruiz did not finish his matchup since FGCU won.
"I'm really proud of Oliver," said head coach CJ Weber. "He's had a lot of close matches but he's been playing great tennis. I don't know if he needed this because his tennis has been fine but it has to feel good for him to get a win for the team and to clinch the match. The last several years we've gone back and forth with UNF and it's an awesome rivalry and we always look forward to it. I want us to pack the house tomorrow."
In the end, FGCU won 4-1 and will face UNF in the semifinals.
Attendance wise, it was a really big crowd. A lot of people were there. More than I could imagine. In fact, a lot of the FGCU men's soccer players including junior A-SUN Player of the Year Albert Ruiz, former cross country runner Stephanie Cajas and members of the FGCU women's tennis team.
After FGCU's victory, Kennesaw played Lipscomb and it was close matchup. Lipscomb won 4-3 after junior Alejandro Manzanares of Lipscomb beat sophomore Fermin Calvo Barcelo of KSU 4-6, 6-4, 7-5. Lipscomb will play Stetson in semifinals and FGCU will once again face UNF at 5 p.m.
The FGCU women's team will play Stetson and UNF will play NJIT at noon.
Below are numerous photos from the matchups for men's and women's tournament:
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