FGCU WTEN vs Stetson: A-SUN Conference Quarterfinals Preview

The fourth-seeded FGCU women's tennis team's (9-9) quest for its first A-SUN Championship will begin Thursday morning in a 9 a.m. battle versus fifth-seeded Stetson at the Mandy Stoll Tennis Center.

This will mark the fourth-straight meeting that FGCU faces Stetson in its first match to begin the A-SUN Tournament. Last season, the top-seeded Eagles were upset in the semifinals by the fourth-seeded Hatters, 4-3.

Last Time Out:
Following a three and a half hour weather delay, the Green and Blue downed Kennesaw State, 4-0, to end the regular season on Senior Night. After securing the doubles point, FGCU carried its momentum into singles play with a dominant outing.

Senior Julia Ascúa (9-7) claimed the first victory for FGCU downing her counterpart with a pair of 6-1 sets on court No. 3. Sophomore Sara Kelly (9-7) made it a 3-0 match on court No. 2 taking both her sets in 6-0 decisions. Junior Bridget Forster (5-1) then officially gave the Eagles the match on court No. 5 with a 6-3, 6-0 triumph.

A-SUN Awards and Accolades:
Prior to the tournament, the A-SUN Awards and accolades were presented Wednesday evening.

Ascúa was dubbed as the conference's Scholar-Athlete of the Year, in the process, she earned a spot on the All-Academic team for a third-straight season. She is the third Eagle in program history to receive such honor as Julianna Curtis (2017) and Elizabeth Means (2016) nabbed the award in back-to-back years for FGCU. Senior Ascúa snagged FGCU's third Scholar-Athlete of the Year award within the last four years. She takes home the honor owning an astonishing 3.93 GPA while pursuing a bachelor's in accounting. On the court this season for the Eagles, the Santa Fe native has played primarily out of the No. 3 slot, going 9-7 overall with a 3-2 mark in conference play. She's also added nine doubles victories on the premiere court with her teammate Ornberg.

Junior Maja Ornberg was a unanimous selection to the A-SUN First Team for a third-straight year while also being named to the All-Academic team for the first time in her career. FGCU's No. 1 player all season long, junior Ornberg collected First Team honors after going 11-6 overall this season with a 5-1 mark in A-SUN play. She capped off the regular season going 7-3 in her last 10 matches while teaming up with Ascúa for nine doubles victories overall, two in the conference. Last season, the junior was named the A-SUN Player of the Year, the first in program history.

Kelly rounded out the list of honorees for FGCU earning a spot on the Second Team. A Naples, Fla., product, sophomore Kelly was dubbed an A-SUN Second Team member. During the regular season, Kelly played all but one match on court No. 2, posting an overall 9-6 mark, going 5-2 in A-SUN competition. On the doubles side, she added 11 wins between courts Nos. two and three as four came in conference play.

"These ladies have been working hard all year," head coach Courtney Vernon said. "I'm glad that all their efforts have been acknowledged in this way."

Scouting the Hatters:
Stetson ended the regular season 12-8 overall, falling to Lipscomb, 5-2. Sophomore A-SUN Second Team member Danel Ashirova has been their No. 1 player in 2019, posting and overall 11-9 record, going 2-5 in A-SUN play. Meanwhile, another sophomore in Vicky Geurinckx is 7-3 in her last 10 matches, playing primarily out of the No. 4 slot where she is 12-6 overall (4-3 in the A-SUN).

In doubles play, the Hatters are led by Ashirova and junior Lucie Renault. The tandem boast an overall 12-6 record (11-6 on court No. 1) while posting a 4-2 mark in conference action.

Bracket Track:
With a victory Thursday morning, FGCU would head into the semifinals with a matchup against top-seeded Liberty at 9 a.m. Friday morning. When both teams met in Fort Myers, Fla., on Mar. 17 during the regular season, the Eagles stormed back from a 3-1 deficit to defeat the Flames in a 4-3 final.

Matchup History:
Despite trailing the all-time series 8-10 to Stetson, FGCU has captured six of the last eight matches. Most recently, the Eagles fell on the road to the Hatters in a 4-3 match on Mar. 30.

How to Keep Up:
Livestats will be available for all the matches.

Livestats Link: http://sidearmstats.com/stetson/tennis/xlive.htm