The FGCU women's tennis team (11-9) clawed back from a 3-0 hole to top Liberty (15-7) 4-3 in the semifinal match Friday afternoon at the Mandy Stoll Tennis Center.
With the win, the Eagles advance to their fourth A-SUN Championship final (2015-17) where they will meet a familiar foe in second-seeded UNF. FGCU has matched up with the Ospreys in all three previous finals appearances.
"Today was a huge battle against Liberty," said head coach Courtney Vernon. "[Liberty] competes very hard and it was fun watching the ladies never give up. They had so much courage today and we're looking forward to tomorrow's championship match."
In doubles competition, Liberty got the upper hand claiming court No. 3 in a 6-0 decision, before taking the top court 6-2 en route to the 1-0 advantage transitioning into singles.
The Flames made it a 3-0 margin with wins on courts Nos. 2 and 3, both in straight sets. The FGCU comeback began on court No. 6 where junior Bridget Forster (6-1) gave FGCU's first point of the afternoon. After dropping her first set 4-6, the Boca Raton native reeled off a 7-6 second-set win and topped it off taking the final set 6-3. Senior Patricia Villar kept the momentum going as she also battled it out in three sets. Villar claimed the first set 6-1 but would fall in the second, 3-6. Trailing 2-3 at one point in the third, she eventually pulled away from her counterpart for a 7-6 third set.
Junior Sofia Perez raised eyebrows all around the Mandy Stoll Tennis Center as she tied the match 3-3. Falling 7-5 in her first set, the Costa Rican bounced back with a 6-4 second set victory. The Eagles were one point away from being sent home as Perez stared at a 2-5 deficit. Unfazed, she stormed back to make 5-5, eventually capturing the third set in a 7-6 thriller.
This shifted everyone's attention to the premiere court where junior Maja Ornberg put on the finishing touches to the comeback. She took her first set 6-1, but Liberty produced the same score in the second set to send it to a third. Ahead 6-5 and facing serve, Ornberg produced six return shots, her last being a drop shot that was served back into the net for the FGCU victory.
When both teams met in Fort Myers, Fla., on Mar. 17 during the regular season, the Eagles rallied back from a 3-1 deficit to defeat the Flames in a 4-3 final.
Since the Division I era (2007-08), FGCU has now mounted four comeback wins when trailing 3-0 – Stetson 2012, FAU & UNF 2018, and Liberty 2019. This is the first time the Green and Blue have completed such feat in postseason play.
Singles competition
1. Maja Ornberg (FGCU) def. Ashley Bongart (LIBERTY) 6-4, 1-6, 7-5
2. Kalani Soli (LIBERTY) def. Sara Kelly (FGCU) 6-0, 6-1
3. Lara Soares (LIBERTY) def. Julia Ascúa (FGCU) 7-6, 6-4
4. Sofia Perez (FGCU) def. Maria Medina (LIBERTY) 5-7, 6-4, 7-5
5. Patricia Villar (FGCU) def. Alexandra Almborg (LIBERTY) 6-1, 3-6, 7-6
6. Bridget Forster (FGCU) def. Anna Dollar (LIBERTY) 4-6, 7-6, 6-3
Doubles competition
1. Lara Soares/Maria Medina (LIBERTY) def. Maja Ornberg/Julia Ascúa (FGCU) 6-2
2. Grace Hashiguchi/Kalani Soli (LIBERTY) vs. Patricia Villar/Sara Kelly (FGCU) 4-1, unfinished
3. Anna Dollar/Ashley Bongart (LIBERTY) def. Bridget Forster/Sofia Perez (FGCU), 6-0
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1); Singles (2,3,6,5,4,1)
Up Next:
FGCU will square off against rival UNF (16-7) in the championship final at noon Saturday afternoon. The final will be broadcasted on ESPN +.
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