For the first time this season, the FGCU men's tennis team was able to get into the win column after it picked up a 6-1 victory over the Florida A&M Rattlers on Saturday night at the FGCU Tennis Complex.
"I thought today was overall a good match," head coach CJ Weber said. "It was a little unique with FAMU only having five guys. Sometimes, that can be a distraction because it's outside the norm. The guys, however, did a good job of using that to our advantage. They got them down early and used that momentum to close things out quickly. I thought the guys overall did a good job of taking care of business."
In doubles play, FAMU (0-5) was unable to field a No. 3 doubles team, meaning that FGCU had to win just one match in order to clinch the early point. The duo of senior Marcelo Tebet and junior Juan Montes achieved said feat for the Green and Blue by earning a 6-3 triumph on court two. Seniors Felipe Ramirez and Feliksas Sakalauskas were leading their opponents 4-3 at the time the point was secured.
Montes continued his winning streak in singles play, where he quickly grabbed a 6-0, 6-1 win over Robert Hayden. Since the Rattlers were also unable to play at the No. 6 singles spot, Montes' win put FGCU up 3-0.
Within minutes of the first singles win, sophomore Carter Bradford officially clinched the match for the Eagles with a straight-set victory at the fifth flight. The triumph marked Bradford's first in singles play as a member of the Green and Blue.
Tebet had a close match on the top court, as FAMU's Jean-Baptiste Mbong pushed the second frame to a tiebreaker. Ultimately, the senior defeated Mbong 7-2 to push FGCU out to a 5-0 edge.
While Bradford, Montes and Tebet finished off their competitors in two sets, the rest of the Eagles battled into three. After dropping his second frame, Sakalauskas bounced back and grabbed a 10-2 win in the third set to secure court two.
The match between freshman Guglielmo Stefanacci and the Rattlers' Eliott Ekindi also went into a third set, where Ekindi earned a 10-3 triumph to prevent the Rattlers from being shut out entirely.
With the win, the Eagles are now 65-65 all-time against opponents that hail from the Sunshine State.
Results
Singles competition
1. TEBET, Marcelo (FGCU) def. MBONG,jJean-Baptiste (FAMUM) 6-4, 7-6 (7-2)
2. SAKALAUSKAS,Feliksas (FGCU) def. CERVINKA,Petr (FAMUM) 6-2, 6-7 (3-7), 10-2
3. MONTES, Juan (FGCU) def. HAYDEN,Robert (FAMUM) 6-0, 6-1
4. EKINDI,Eliott (FAMUM) def. STEFANACCI,Guglielmo (FGCU) 0-6, 7-6 (7-3), 10-3
5. BRADFORD, Carter (FGCU) def. STURGIS,Rodeny (FAMUM) 6-2, 6-2
Order of finish: (3, 5, 2, 1, 4)
Doubles competition
1. RAMIREZ, Felipe/SAKALAUSKAS,Feliksas (FGCU) def. CERVINKA,Petr/EKINDI,Eliott (FAMUM) 4-3
2. TEBET, Marcelo/MONTES, Juan (FGCU) def. MBONG,jJean-Baptiste/HAYDEN,Robert (FAMUM) 6-3
Order of finish: (2)
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Showing posts with label FGCU Men's Tennis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label FGCU Men's Tennis. Show all posts
FGCU MTEN vs Florida: NCAA 1st Round Recap
At the end of a hard-fought battle in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the FGCU men's tennis team (14-9) came out on the losing side of a 4-0 match against No. 3 Florida (22-3) at the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex on Friday afternoon.
"I felt Florida played a great match today and they showed why they are the third-best team in the country," head coach CJ Weber said. "The doubles point was really important for us and we just couldn't quite get it. We fought hard, but couldn't get in position to get UF back on their heels at all. I was proud of the way we played overall, nonetheless. I love this team. They are great tennis players and even better young men. They have done a great job of representing themselves and FGCU in everything they do. I will miss all the good moments with them, both on and off the court."
After numerous weather delays, the match began at about 3:30 p.m., which was about three and a half hours later than its scheduled start time of noon.
Despite the delay, the Eagles came out aggressively and jumped out to early 2-0 leads on both the first and third courts. The Gators claimed their first victory of the afternoon with a 6-3 match at the second flight of doubles play. The duo of seniors Felipe Escobar and Mateo Ruiz held on to its lead through the first few points but eventually was defeated 6-4 by its Florida competitors.
At the time the Gators claimed their 1-0 lead, the match featuring FGCU juniors Feliksas Sakalauskas and Felipe Ramirez was tied up at 4-4.
Florida garnered some momentum after claiming the doubles point and won the first set on all six courts.
SEC Freshman of the year Sam Riffice, ranked No. 54 in the national standings, tacked on to the home team's edge with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Ramirez (Armenia, Colombia/Florida Virtual School) at the second court.
Escobar held on to No. 113 Johannes Ingildsen for the first few points on court three, but the Gator came out on top of a 6-4, 6-0 triumph that extended Florida's lead to 3-0.
Senior Javier Fernandez, who entered the NCAA Tournament on an 11-match winning streak, was defeated 6-1, 6-4 by No. 90 Duarte Vale at the sixth flight. Vale, coincidentally, also entered the match on an 11-match winning streak and grabbed the final point of the day for Florida with his win.
Tebet posted the smallest margin of defeat for the Green and Blue, dropping the first set by a score of 7-6 on court four. Sakalauskas was down 5-3 in the second set of the fourth flight and Montes was duking it out with No. 9 Oliver Crawford at the time the match was clinched.
FGCU is now 0-3 in the NCAA Tournament, having dropped two of those matches to the Gators. It was the Eagles' third postseason appearance since 2015.
2015 – L 4-0 at No. 16 UCLA
2017 – L 4-0 at No. 15 Florida
2019 – L 4-0 at No. 3 Florida
Results
Singles competition
1. #9 Oliver Crawford (UF) vs. MONTES, Juan (FGCU) 6-2, 5-1, unfinished
2. #54 Sam Riffice (UF) def. RAMIREZ, Felipe (FGCU) 6-1, 6-4
3. #113 Johannes Ingildsen (UF) def. ESCOBAR, Felipe (FGCU) 6-4, 6-0
4. Alfredo Perez (UF) vs. TEBET, Marcelo (FGCU) 7-6 (7-4), 5-0, unfinished
5. #59 Andres Andrade (UF) vs. SAKALAUSKAS,Feliksas (FGCU) 6-4, 5-3, unfinished
6. #90 Duarte Vale (UF) def. FERNANDEZ, Javier (FGCU) 6-1, 6-4
Order of finish: 2, 3, 6
Doubles competition
1. Johannes Ingildsen/McClain Kessler (UF) def. ESCOBAR, Felipe/RUIZ, Mateo (FGCU) 6-4
2. Sam Riffice/Alfredo Perez (UF) def. TEBET, Marcelo/MONTES, Juan (FGCU) 6-3
3. Andres Andrade/Duarte Vale (UF) vs. SAKALAUSKAS,Feliksas/RAMIREZ, Felipe (FGCU) 4-4, unfinished
Order of finish: 2, 1
"I felt Florida played a great match today and they showed why they are the third-best team in the country," head coach CJ Weber said. "The doubles point was really important for us and we just couldn't quite get it. We fought hard, but couldn't get in position to get UF back on their heels at all. I was proud of the way we played overall, nonetheless. I love this team. They are great tennis players and even better young men. They have done a great job of representing themselves and FGCU in everything they do. I will miss all the good moments with them, both on and off the court."
After numerous weather delays, the match began at about 3:30 p.m., which was about three and a half hours later than its scheduled start time of noon.
Despite the delay, the Eagles came out aggressively and jumped out to early 2-0 leads on both the first and third courts. The Gators claimed their first victory of the afternoon with a 6-3 match at the second flight of doubles play. The duo of seniors Felipe Escobar and Mateo Ruiz held on to its lead through the first few points but eventually was defeated 6-4 by its Florida competitors.
At the time the Gators claimed their 1-0 lead, the match featuring FGCU juniors Feliksas Sakalauskas and Felipe Ramirez was tied up at 4-4.
Florida garnered some momentum after claiming the doubles point and won the first set on all six courts.
SEC Freshman of the year Sam Riffice, ranked No. 54 in the national standings, tacked on to the home team's edge with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Ramirez (Armenia, Colombia/Florida Virtual School) at the second court.
Escobar held on to No. 113 Johannes Ingildsen for the first few points on court three, but the Gator came out on top of a 6-4, 6-0 triumph that extended Florida's lead to 3-0.
Senior Javier Fernandez, who entered the NCAA Tournament on an 11-match winning streak, was defeated 6-1, 6-4 by No. 90 Duarte Vale at the sixth flight. Vale, coincidentally, also entered the match on an 11-match winning streak and grabbed the final point of the day for Florida with his win.
Tebet posted the smallest margin of defeat for the Green and Blue, dropping the first set by a score of 7-6 on court four. Sakalauskas was down 5-3 in the second set of the fourth flight and Montes was duking it out with No. 9 Oliver Crawford at the time the match was clinched.
FGCU is now 0-3 in the NCAA Tournament, having dropped two of those matches to the Gators. It was the Eagles' third postseason appearance since 2015.
2015 – L 4-0 at No. 16 UCLA
2017 – L 4-0 at No. 15 Florida
2019 – L 4-0 at No. 3 Florida
Results
Singles competition
1. #9 Oliver Crawford (UF) vs. MONTES, Juan (FGCU) 6-2, 5-1, unfinished
2. #54 Sam Riffice (UF) def. RAMIREZ, Felipe (FGCU) 6-1, 6-4
3. #113 Johannes Ingildsen (UF) def. ESCOBAR, Felipe (FGCU) 6-4, 6-0
4. Alfredo Perez (UF) vs. TEBET, Marcelo (FGCU) 7-6 (7-4), 5-0, unfinished
5. #59 Andres Andrade (UF) vs. SAKALAUSKAS,Feliksas (FGCU) 6-4, 5-3, unfinished
6. #90 Duarte Vale (UF) def. FERNANDEZ, Javier (FGCU) 6-1, 6-4
Order of finish: 2, 3, 6
Doubles competition
1. Johannes Ingildsen/McClain Kessler (UF) def. ESCOBAR, Felipe/RUIZ, Mateo (FGCU) 6-4
2. Sam Riffice/Alfredo Perez (UF) def. TEBET, Marcelo/MONTES, Juan (FGCU) 6-3
3. Andres Andrade/Duarte Vale (UF) vs. SAKALAUSKAS,Feliksas/RAMIREZ, Felipe (FGCU) 4-4, unfinished
Order of finish: 2, 1
FGCU MTEN Selection Show Opponent Revealed
The FGCU men's tennis team (14-8) will now be set for their next milestone: the 2019 NCAA Men's Tennis Tournament. The Eagles had a closed party for the selection show to determine who they will play in the first round.
How They Got There:
The Eagles began the first three matches at a rocky start beginning with a 5-2 loss against USF before splitting the next two matches in Phoenix, Arizona with a 6-1 loss to Grand Canyon before winning their first match against Sacramento State (5-2) before returning home for the next four matches.
The Eagles would lose their home opener to FAU (4-3) before opening A-SUN play early with a 5-2 win over UNF and splitting the next two non-conference matchups with a 6-1 win over Bethune-Cookman and a 4-3 loss to Charlotte.
After the loss to Charlotte, the Eagles entered a three-match losing streak with a loss to Penn State (7-0) in the USTA National Campus Collegiate Series in Orlando before returning home to lose 4-3 to Virginia Commonwealth.
For the next four non-conference matches, the Eagles went up and down with wins over George Washington (5-2) and UNC Wilmington (4-3) and losses to UNC Asheville and Georgia State before resuming A-SUN play with a 7-0 shutout against NJIT.
After closing non-conference play with a 4-3 win over Brown, the Eagles resumed conference play on the road with wins over Stetson (6-1), A-SUN newcomer North Alabama (7-0) and Lipscomb (5-2).
Wrapping up A-SUN play for the regular season, FGCU was in a tie for first place with the second A-SUN newcomer in Liberty and in style were able to get in sole possession of first place, the #1 seed in the A-SUN Conference Tournament and a share of the A-SUN Regular Season Championship before officially winning it after defeating Kennesaw State 4-1.
Heading into the conference tournament, the Eagles would seal the deal with 4-0 win over Kennesaw (the #4 seed) in the semifinals before defeating UNF (#3 seed) by a score of 4-2 thus claiming an automatic bid for the 2019 NCAA Men's Tennis Tournament.
The Green and Blue entered the postseason as the top seed after claiming their third regular season title. Junior Marcelo Tebet earned a 7-5 win in the third set on court No. 4 to hand the team its 4-3 victory over No. 3 UNF in the final. Tebet was named tournament MVP and was joined on the all-tournament team by sophomore Juan Montes.
Second Chance:
This will be the second NCAA Tournament appearance for four current Eagles. Seniors Ezequiel Cerrini, Javier Fernandez and Mateo Ruiz, along with junior Felipe Ramirez were members of the 2017 squad that took on the No. 15 Gators in Gainesville during the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Fernandez is credited with the only set win in FGCU's history in the NCAA Tournament. He defeated Florida's Johannes Ingildsen – a current junior – by a score of 6-4 in the first set of the fifth flight.
The Reveal:
The opponent revealed for the Eagles turned out to be the #3 team in the nation, the Florida Gators (21-3).
"We know that it's going to be a tough match," head coach CJ Weber said. "Regardless of who you play in the NCAA Tournament, it's really tough. I'm not focused on that, though. We haven't been focused on our opponents at all this whole season, so this week we will focus on ourselves and our attitudes. We want to be in a position to compete at the highest level that we can, regardless of who's standing on the other side of the net. We're definitely excited to be at the tournament and we're going to give it our all."
Scouting The Gators:
The Florida men's tennis team will be competing in their 29th consecutive NCAA Tournament, which is the third-longest active streak in the country, trailing UCLA (43) and Georgia (36).
The Gators have an all-time record of 51-28 in 36 total appearances, including a 22-4 mark in the first round.
The furthest the team has made is the semi-finals, having achieved this feat twice (2000, 2005).
They're currently ranked at No. 4 in the ITA team standings, behind Ohio State (1), Texas (2) and defending national champion Wake Forest (3).
Johannes Ingildsen currently leads the Gators with an overall mark of 28-11. The junior posted a 9-3 record in SEC singles play, primarily at the fourth spot in the lineup.
The duo of senior McClain Kessler and sophomore Duarte Vale owns a 13-9 record in doubles play, which includes a split mark of 8-8 at the top spot in the lineup. Vale, who primarily competes in the second half of the singles lineup, is currently on an 11-match winning streak and has not lost a match since February 10.
Series History:
This will be the second dual between the two teams, having faced off once before in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament. The Eagles have participated in fall tournaments in Gainesville in both the 2010 and 2012 seasons, but have never competed against the Gators in the regular season.
How They Got There:
The Eagles began the first three matches at a rocky start beginning with a 5-2 loss against USF before splitting the next two matches in Phoenix, Arizona with a 6-1 loss to Grand Canyon before winning their first match against Sacramento State (5-2) before returning home for the next four matches.
The Eagles would lose their home opener to FAU (4-3) before opening A-SUN play early with a 5-2 win over UNF and splitting the next two non-conference matchups with a 6-1 win over Bethune-Cookman and a 4-3 loss to Charlotte.
After the loss to Charlotte, the Eagles entered a three-match losing streak with a loss to Penn State (7-0) in the USTA National Campus Collegiate Series in Orlando before returning home to lose 4-3 to Virginia Commonwealth.
For the next four non-conference matches, the Eagles went up and down with wins over George Washington (5-2) and UNC Wilmington (4-3) and losses to UNC Asheville and Georgia State before resuming A-SUN play with a 7-0 shutout against NJIT.
After closing non-conference play with a 4-3 win over Brown, the Eagles resumed conference play on the road with wins over Stetson (6-1), A-SUN newcomer North Alabama (7-0) and Lipscomb (5-2).
Wrapping up A-SUN play for the regular season, FGCU was in a tie for first place with the second A-SUN newcomer in Liberty and in style were able to get in sole possession of first place, the #1 seed in the A-SUN Conference Tournament and a share of the A-SUN Regular Season Championship before officially winning it after defeating Kennesaw State 4-1.
Heading into the conference tournament, the Eagles would seal the deal with 4-0 win over Kennesaw (the #4 seed) in the semifinals before defeating UNF (#3 seed) by a score of 4-2 thus claiming an automatic bid for the 2019 NCAA Men's Tennis Tournament.
The Green and Blue entered the postseason as the top seed after claiming their third regular season title. Junior Marcelo Tebet earned a 7-5 win in the third set on court No. 4 to hand the team its 4-3 victory over No. 3 UNF in the final. Tebet was named tournament MVP and was joined on the all-tournament team by sophomore Juan Montes.
Second Chance:
This will be the second NCAA Tournament appearance for four current Eagles. Seniors Ezequiel Cerrini, Javier Fernandez and Mateo Ruiz, along with junior Felipe Ramirez were members of the 2017 squad that took on the No. 15 Gators in Gainesville during the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Fernandez is credited with the only set win in FGCU's history in the NCAA Tournament. He defeated Florida's Johannes Ingildsen – a current junior – by a score of 6-4 in the first set of the fifth flight.
The Reveal:
The opponent revealed for the Eagles turned out to be the #3 team in the nation, the Florida Gators (21-3).
"We know that it's going to be a tough match," head coach CJ Weber said. "Regardless of who you play in the NCAA Tournament, it's really tough. I'm not focused on that, though. We haven't been focused on our opponents at all this whole season, so this week we will focus on ourselves and our attitudes. We want to be in a position to compete at the highest level that we can, regardless of who's standing on the other side of the net. We're definitely excited to be at the tournament and we're going to give it our all."
Scouting The Gators:
The Florida men's tennis team will be competing in their 29th consecutive NCAA Tournament, which is the third-longest active streak in the country, trailing UCLA (43) and Georgia (36).
The Gators have an all-time record of 51-28 in 36 total appearances, including a 22-4 mark in the first round.
The furthest the team has made is the semi-finals, having achieved this feat twice (2000, 2005).
They're currently ranked at No. 4 in the ITA team standings, behind Ohio State (1), Texas (2) and defending national champion Wake Forest (3).
Johannes Ingildsen currently leads the Gators with an overall mark of 28-11. The junior posted a 9-3 record in SEC singles play, primarily at the fourth spot in the lineup.
The duo of senior McClain Kessler and sophomore Duarte Vale owns a 13-9 record in doubles play, which includes a split mark of 8-8 at the top spot in the lineup. Vale, who primarily competes in the second half of the singles lineup, is currently on an 11-match winning streak and has not lost a match since February 10.
Series History:
This will be the second dual between the two teams, having faced off once before in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament. The Eagles have participated in fall tournaments in Gainesville in both the 2010 and 2012 seasons, but have never competed against the Gators in the regular season.
FGCU in Nationals:
FGCU will be making its third NCAA Tournament appearance in eight years of NCAA Division-I postseason eligibility. The Eagles are 0-2 all-time with appearances in 2015 and 2017.
With a win, the Eagles, who are the fourth seed, would advance to face the winner of second-seeded Florida State and third-seeded UCF at 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 4. The victor in that game would move on to the Super Regional May 10-11.
How to Keep Up:
Livestats will be available and will air livestream individually on all six courts. Fans can also keep up with both teams on Twitter:
FGCU: @FGCU_MTEN
UF: @GatorsMTN
Livestats Link: https://sidearmstats.com/florida/mten/
Livestream Link: https://floridagators.com/sports/2018/3/9/tennis-men-live-video-stats.aspx
FGCU MTEN vs UNF: A-SUN Conference Tournament Championship Recap
The journey continues on for tennis as the FGCU men's tennis team (14-8) pulled away with a 4-2 win in the finals of the A-SUN Conference Championship Tournament. With the win, not only are the Eagles 7-10 against the Ospreys and were named A-SUN Conference Champions, but they have also punched their ticket to the 2019 NCAA Men's Tennis National Championship for the third time in program history.
"This was an unbelievable match that fit in so perfect with an unbelievable season," head coach CJ Weber said. "UNF played really well today. If we weren't ready even just a little bit, they would be celebrating right now. These guys fought so hard from start to finish and nevre got discouraged, despite being down the majority of the match. We had to work extremely hard for the match to turn; but once it turned, we took hold and strangled the match from there. We had a death grip on that thing. It was another great team effort, and very well deserved for this bunch. I'm so happy and so proud of them."
Beginning with the doubles, the senior duo of Felipe Escobar and Mateo Ruiz (11-5) began with a 6-4 win at #1 doubles over sophomore Nilo Duarte and senior Sahil Deshmukh, but the Ospreys would respond back by taking #2 doubles as junior Marcelo Tebet and sophomore Juan Montes (8-2) fell 6-4 to sophomore Jorge Nunez and junior Federico Nani before the junior duo of Feliksas Sakalauskas and Felipe Ramirez (10-4) fell 6-4 to freshman Dominik Barton and senior Tilli Von Winning at #3 doubles, thus UNF claiming the doubles point.
Heading into single, Montes (8-10) would be the first to fall from a 6-4 pair decision to Deshmukh at #1 singles, but the Eagles would get on the board as Ramirez (10-8) fought with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Barton at #2 singles.
The Eagles would then tie the score at 2-2 as senior Javier Fernandez (14-4) put in his 94th career win over Nani by a score of 6-4, 6-3 at #6 singles. The Eagles would then take the lead as Escobar (9-9) defeated Von Winning 3-6, 6-1, 6-1 at #3 singles.
It all came down to two matches: Tebet vs Duarte and Sakalauskas vs Nunez. Both matches were entering into their third sets. Tebet (12-5) would be the one to clinch the final point against Duarte as he won 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 while Sakalauskas (13-7) went unfinished despite being down 1-6, 7-5, 3-5.
The A-SUN All-Tournament was announced shortly after. For UNF, it was Deshmukh while for FGCU, it was Montes and Tebet. Tebet was also named A-SUN All-Tournament MVP.
Up Next:
The Eagles will await who they will play in the first round from the NCAA Selection Show, which will air at 6 p.m. Monday, April 29 and will broadcast live on NCAA.com. Details about a watch party for the Green and Blue will follow.
The opening two rounds will be held at host sites May 3-5, with super regional competition slated for the following weekend (May 10-11). The 2019 NCAA Championship will be contested May 16-19 at the USTA National Campus' Collegiate Center in Orlando.
Twitter Link of final match point: https://twitter.com/ASUNTennis/status/1120012204156379136
"This was an unbelievable match that fit in so perfect with an unbelievable season," head coach CJ Weber said. "UNF played really well today. If we weren't ready even just a little bit, they would be celebrating right now. These guys fought so hard from start to finish and nevre got discouraged, despite being down the majority of the match. We had to work extremely hard for the match to turn; but once it turned, we took hold and strangled the match from there. We had a death grip on that thing. It was another great team effort, and very well deserved for this bunch. I'm so happy and so proud of them."
Beginning with the doubles, the senior duo of Felipe Escobar and Mateo Ruiz (11-5) began with a 6-4 win at #1 doubles over sophomore Nilo Duarte and senior Sahil Deshmukh, but the Ospreys would respond back by taking #2 doubles as junior Marcelo Tebet and sophomore Juan Montes (8-2) fell 6-4 to sophomore Jorge Nunez and junior Federico Nani before the junior duo of Feliksas Sakalauskas and Felipe Ramirez (10-4) fell 6-4 to freshman Dominik Barton and senior Tilli Von Winning at #3 doubles, thus UNF claiming the doubles point.
Heading into single, Montes (8-10) would be the first to fall from a 6-4 pair decision to Deshmukh at #1 singles, but the Eagles would get on the board as Ramirez (10-8) fought with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Barton at #2 singles.
The Eagles would then tie the score at 2-2 as senior Javier Fernandez (14-4) put in his 94th career win over Nani by a score of 6-4, 6-3 at #6 singles. The Eagles would then take the lead as Escobar (9-9) defeated Von Winning 3-6, 6-1, 6-1 at #3 singles.
It all came down to two matches: Tebet vs Duarte and Sakalauskas vs Nunez. Both matches were entering into their third sets. Tebet (12-5) would be the one to clinch the final point against Duarte as he won 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 while Sakalauskas (13-7) went unfinished despite being down 1-6, 7-5, 3-5.
The A-SUN All-Tournament was announced shortly after. For UNF, it was Deshmukh while for FGCU, it was Montes and Tebet. Tebet was also named A-SUN All-Tournament MVP.
Up Next:
The Eagles will await who they will play in the first round from the NCAA Selection Show, which will air at 6 p.m. Monday, April 29 and will broadcast live on NCAA.com. Details about a watch party for the Green and Blue will follow.
The opening two rounds will be held at host sites May 3-5, with super regional competition slated for the following weekend (May 10-11). The 2019 NCAA Championship will be contested May 16-19 at the USTA National Campus' Collegiate Center in Orlando.
Twitter Link of final match point: https://twitter.com/ASUNTennis/status/1120012204156379136
FGCU MTEN vs Kennesaw: A-SUN Conference Tournament Semifinals Recap
The No. 1 FGCU men's tennis team (13-8) cruised to a 4-0 victory over No. 4 Kennesaw State (10-13) in the 2019 A-SUN Men's Tennis Championship Semifinals on Saturday morning at the Mandy Stoll Tennis Center. With the win, the Eagles are now 8-4 against the Owls.
"I'm really happy and proud of this group," head coach CJ Weber said. "We had tough conditions yesterday that we overcame. And we had a long rain delay that we also overcame. We're really looking forward to playing UNF in the final. It's going to be a great battle and a lot of fun."
For the eighth match in a row, the Green and Blue got off to a great start by claiming the doubles point. The duo of juniors Feliksas Sakalauskas and Felipe Ramirez (10-3) earned a 6-2 triumph at the third court to get things going for the Eagles. Seniors Felipe Escobar and Mateo Ruiz (10-5) secured the point for FGCU with a hard-fought 7-5 victory on court No. 1.
At the time the point was clinched, junior Marcelo Tebet and sophomore Juan Montes (8-1) were ahead of their KSU competitors 6-5.
The match was originally scheduled for Friday afternoon. While it did start at its scheduled time, incoming rain caused play to be suspended after the doubles point was claimed and a few games into singles play. The match was resumed Saturday morning at 9 a.m. right where it left off.
Senior Javier Fernandez (13-4) was the first to finish in singles play, claiming his 10th-straight win with a 6-3, 6-4 straight-set triumph. This was Fernandez's 93rd career win with the Eagles.
Ramirez (9-8) followed up with a 7-5, 6-2 win at the second flight to put the Eagles up 3-0.
Escobar (8-9) grabbed the final point of the day for the Green and Blue when he defeated his Owl competitor 7-5, 6-2 on court No. 3. The win punched the Eagles' ticket to the 2019 A-SUN Men's Tennis Championship Finals.
FGCU will face third-seeded UNF in tomorrow's championship. The Ospreys defeated No. 2 Liberty 4-3 in today's other semifinal.
This will be the third finals appearance for FGCU. The Eagles first appeared in the championship as the top seed in 2015 and claimed a 4-3 victory over No. 2 UNF. In 2017, the Green and Blue made it to the final as the fourth seed and defeated No. 6 Lipscomb 4-2.
The Ospreys have a 2-4 record in the A-SUN Championship, including a 0-3 mark as the second seed. Last year, No. 1 UNF defeated No. 2 Stetson 4-1 to earn the 2018 A-SUN Men's Tennis Championship title.
Results
Singles competition
1. MONTES, Juan (FGCU) vs. Fermin Calvo Barcelo (KSU) 6-7, 1-4, unfinished
2. RAMIREZ, Felipe (FGCU) def. Bryan Triana (KSU) 7-5, 6-2
3. ESCOBAR, Felipe (FGCU) def. Lucas deTorres Curth (KSU) 7-5, 6-2
4. TEBET, Marcelo (FGCU) vs. Sebastian Osorio (KSU) 3-6, 6-3, 1-4, unfinished
5. SAKALAUSKAS,Feliksas (FGCU) vs. Gaston Muhammad (KSU) 3-6, 6-3, 5-3, unfinished
6. FERNANDEZ, Javier (FGCU) def. Jose Galvez (KSU) 6-3, 6-4
Order of finish: 6, 2, 3
Doubles competition
1. ESCOBAR, Felipe/RUIZ, Mateo (FGCU) def. Fermin Calvo Barcelo/Drew Lahey (KSU) 7-5
2. TEBET, Marcelo/MONTES, Juan (FGCU) vs. Harvey Maughan/Lucas deTorres Curth (KSU) 6-5, unfinished
3. SAKALAUSKAS,Feliksas/RAMIREZ, Felipe (FGCU) def. Bryan Triana/Jose Galvez (KSU) 6-2
Order of finish: 3, 1
Up Next:
No. 1 FGCU will battle against No. 3 UNF for the 2019 A-SUN Men's Tennis Championship title. The match is set to begin at 10 a.m. on Sunday, April 21 at the Mandy Stoll Tennis Center and will be streamed on ESPN+. The winner earns the A-SUN's automatic bid to the NCAA Championship tournament.
"I'm really happy and proud of this group," head coach CJ Weber said. "We had tough conditions yesterday that we overcame. And we had a long rain delay that we also overcame. We're really looking forward to playing UNF in the final. It's going to be a great battle and a lot of fun."
For the eighth match in a row, the Green and Blue got off to a great start by claiming the doubles point. The duo of juniors Feliksas Sakalauskas and Felipe Ramirez (10-3) earned a 6-2 triumph at the third court to get things going for the Eagles. Seniors Felipe Escobar and Mateo Ruiz (10-5) secured the point for FGCU with a hard-fought 7-5 victory on court No. 1.
At the time the point was clinched, junior Marcelo Tebet and sophomore Juan Montes (8-1) were ahead of their KSU competitors 6-5.
The match was originally scheduled for Friday afternoon. While it did start at its scheduled time, incoming rain caused play to be suspended after the doubles point was claimed and a few games into singles play. The match was resumed Saturday morning at 9 a.m. right where it left off.
Senior Javier Fernandez (13-4) was the first to finish in singles play, claiming his 10th-straight win with a 6-3, 6-4 straight-set triumph. This was Fernandez's 93rd career win with the Eagles.
Ramirez (9-8) followed up with a 7-5, 6-2 win at the second flight to put the Eagles up 3-0.
Escobar (8-9) grabbed the final point of the day for the Green and Blue when he defeated his Owl competitor 7-5, 6-2 on court No. 3. The win punched the Eagles' ticket to the 2019 A-SUN Men's Tennis Championship Finals.
FGCU will face third-seeded UNF in tomorrow's championship. The Ospreys defeated No. 2 Liberty 4-3 in today's other semifinal.
This will be the third finals appearance for FGCU. The Eagles first appeared in the championship as the top seed in 2015 and claimed a 4-3 victory over No. 2 UNF. In 2017, the Green and Blue made it to the final as the fourth seed and defeated No. 6 Lipscomb 4-2.
The Ospreys have a 2-4 record in the A-SUN Championship, including a 0-3 mark as the second seed. Last year, No. 1 UNF defeated No. 2 Stetson 4-1 to earn the 2018 A-SUN Men's Tennis Championship title.
Results
Singles competition
1. MONTES, Juan (FGCU) vs. Fermin Calvo Barcelo (KSU) 6-7, 1-4, unfinished
2. RAMIREZ, Felipe (FGCU) def. Bryan Triana (KSU) 7-5, 6-2
3. ESCOBAR, Felipe (FGCU) def. Lucas deTorres Curth (KSU) 7-5, 6-2
4. TEBET, Marcelo (FGCU) vs. Sebastian Osorio (KSU) 3-6, 6-3, 1-4, unfinished
5. SAKALAUSKAS,Feliksas (FGCU) vs. Gaston Muhammad (KSU) 3-6, 6-3, 5-3, unfinished
6. FERNANDEZ, Javier (FGCU) def. Jose Galvez (KSU) 6-3, 6-4
Order of finish: 6, 2, 3
Doubles competition
1. ESCOBAR, Felipe/RUIZ, Mateo (FGCU) def. Fermin Calvo Barcelo/Drew Lahey (KSU) 7-5
2. TEBET, Marcelo/MONTES, Juan (FGCU) vs. Harvey Maughan/Lucas deTorres Curth (KSU) 6-5, unfinished
3. SAKALAUSKAS,Feliksas/RAMIREZ, Felipe (FGCU) def. Bryan Triana/Jose Galvez (KSU) 6-2
Order of finish: 3, 1
Up Next:
No. 1 FGCU will battle against No. 3 UNF for the 2019 A-SUN Men's Tennis Championship title. The match is set to begin at 10 a.m. on Sunday, April 21 at the Mandy Stoll Tennis Center and will be streamed on ESPN+. The winner earns the A-SUN's automatic bid to the NCAA Championship tournament.
FGCU MTEN: A-SUN Conference Tournament Preview
The A-SUN Conference Men's Tennis Tournament is officially set in stone and for the FGCU men's tennis team (12-8), they look to add a third conference tournament championship under their belt for the 2018-19 season.
"We are excited to move forward in this tournament," head coach CJ Weber said. "We will focus on the exact same things that we have all year. Regardless of who we play, we expect a really tough battle. I'm looking forward to watching this group compete again."
Last Time Out:
The Eagles are coming off closing their portion of the season with a 4-1 win over Kennesaw State. It was also the last regular season matches for seniors Felipe Escobar, Mateo Ruiz, Ezequiel Cerrini and Javier Fernandez as it was senior night.
As a result of the win, the Eagles won the A-SUN Regular Season Championship and have claimed the #1 seed in the conference tournament as well as a first round bye.
On doubles, junior Marcelo Tebet and Juan Montes lead the way with a 8-1 record at #2 doubles. They would defeat Fermin Calvo Barcelo and Drew Lahey 6-3.
Not too far behind are Escobar and Ruiz who are currently 9-5 in doubles play all at #1 doubles. The seniors defeated Harvey Maughan and Lucas deTorres Curth 6-3.
Meanwhile in singles play Tebet, junior Feliksas Sakalauskas and senior Javier Fernandez all have claimed double digit wins (12: Sakalauskas and Fernandez, 11: Tebet). Fernandez has 92 career wins under his belt.
Conference Standings and Seeding:
#1 FGCU (12-8, 7-0 A-SUN)
#2 Liberty (12-10, 6-1 A-SUN)
#3 UNF (12-10, 5-2 A-SUN)
#4 Kennesaw State (10-12, 4-3 A-SUN)
#5 Stetson (11-11, 3-4 A-SUN)
#6 Lipscomb (7-13, 2-5 A-SUN)
Because of their conference record North Alabama (3-16, 1-6 A-SUN) and NJIT (4-15, 0-7 A-SUN) are ineligible to compete in the conference tournament as only six seeds can compete.
Award Winners:
Announced on April 15, Sakalauskas was named the last A-SUN Player of the week and the second Eagle for the weekly Accolade (Fernandez, 4/3/19).
"Feliksas has had an unbelievable year from the start of the fall through the conference season," said Weber. "For him to clinch the regular season title for us was really fitting, as well as capping off the A-SUN regular season undefeated. He's an incredibly hard worker and I'm very happy and proud of him. I know he's hungry for more."
Player of the Year:
The A-SUN Player of the Year turned out to be sophomore Nicaise Muamba from Liberty. Muamba finished the regular season with a 16-5 dual record (15-5 @ #1 singles).
Doubles Pair of the Year:
Lipscomb's juniors Victor Chaw & Pablo Caffarena claimed A-SUN Doubles Pair of the Year. Chaw and Caffarena went 12-3 in doubles play.
Coach of the Year:
I said that coach Weber was going to be named A-SUN Coach of the Year and it turned out that I was right on the money. The unanimous selection for Weber was his third in his career.
"I'm so proud of this overall group of guys," Weber said. "We have a very tight-knit chemistry on our team and we have worked very hard to get to this position. After a very challenging season, I know there were moments when the guys could have been tempted to give up, but they persevered and played their best tennis during conference season. We have more work to do and the task ahead will not be easy. We have to be ready, and we will be ready."
Freshman of the Year:
Liberty claimed unanimous A-SUN Freshman of the Year as Josh Wilson earned the title after finishing 16-6 in dual play (12-4 @ #2 singles).
A-SUN All-Conference First Team:
Sophomore Juan Montes was the lone Eagle on the A-SUN All-Conference First Team. Montes competed at the No. 1 singles spot for each conference match and spent a majority of the non-conference schedule there, as well. The sophomore notched a 3-3 record in conference play and battled into three sets in all of his losses. He and junior teammate Marcelo Tebet earned a 5-1 mark at the No. 2 spot in A-SUN doubles play. Overall, Montes finished the regular season with 20 wins. This is just the eighth time in program history that an Eagle has been named on the A-SUN All-Conference First Team.
"Juan has had a great first year as an Eagle. He had to sit for an entire year to wait for this to happen and he capitalized," Weber said. "He's played at No. 1 for most of the year, which is not easy to do in your first year of collegiate tennis. I'm very proud of him and he has a great career in front of him."
Other players that joined Montes on the first team were Muamba and Wilson (Liberty), Chaw (Lipscomb) and seniors Fermin Calvo Barcelo (Kennesaw) and Sahlil Deshmukh (UNF).
"I can't say enough about Fermin and his leadership this season," Kennesaw Director of Tennis Matt Emery said. "Being the defending the A-SUN Conference Player of the Year, he played with a target on his back all season and that is not an easy thing to do. He will leave an incredible legacy at Kennesaw State.
A-SUN All-Conference Second Team:
Senior Felipe Escobar and junior Felipe Ramirez were named on the A-SUN All-Conference Second Team.
Escobar's all-conference selection is the first of his career at FGCU. The senior finished the regular season with a 6-1 mark in conference singles play, primarily at the third spot in the lineup. Four of those victories were earned in straight-set matches. He and senior Mateo Ruiz were one of just two pairs to post an undefeated record at the No. 1 spot in conference doubles play, finishing 4-0. Escobar and Ruiz were one of 32 pairings selected to the ITA Regional Championship in the fall and went as far as the semifinal round. The duo also won the Bedford Cup at the USTA National Campus last September.
For Ramirez, the all-conference team nod is the third of his career. He was named A-SUN Freshman of the Year in 2017 and earned a spot on the first team. Last season, he landed on the second team. Ramirez posted a 4-1 mark in conference singles play at the second spot in the lineup. He won in straight-set matches three times and was leading 7-6 (9-7), 4-3 in his final match of the regular season against Kennesaw State when the Eagles clinched. He and junior Feliksas Sakalauskas went 5-1 at the third spot in conference doubles play.
"Pipe and Feli are great representatives for the second team," Weber said. "They each only had one loss in conference play and that's very nice to have out of players who compete high in the lineup. Both of them are great competitors and leaders for this team."
All-Freshman Team:
Although no one from FGCU made the A-SUN All-Freshman Team, the members that did make it were Wilson (Liberty), Barton (UNF), Gaston Muhammad (Kennesaw), Oscar Meslin (North Alabama), Christian Mills (Stetson) and Clement Hamel (Stetson).
"Gaston has improved as much in one season as any player I have coached," Emery said. "He is one of the elite athletes in the country and I have no doubt he will keep getting better. The sky is the limit for him."
All-Academic Team:
The players that made the A-SUN All-Academic Team were Caffarena (Lipscomb), Deshmukh (UNF), junior Chase Burton (Liberty) and seniors Lucas de Torres Curth (Kennesaw), Zac Castagna (NJIT) and Jason Pimenta (North Alabama). Burton was also name A-SUN Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
"No one deserves this award more than Lucas," Emory stated. "He represents the qualities of a true student-athlete. He is one of those guys who will be very successful in whatever field he chooses to go into simply because of his work ethic. His leadership both on and off the court as well as in the classroom will be missed."
The Eagles will face #4 seed Kennesaw State in the semifinals. Kennesaw (11-12) defeated #5 seed and host Stetson (11-12) by a score of 4-2.
Scouting Kennesaw:
After their win last weekend, the Eagles improved to a 7-4 all-time record against Kennesaw State.
Calvo Barcelo, the reigning A-SUN Player of the Year, was this year's only two-time First Team All-Conference selection and finished with a 3-2 conference record at the top singles spot in the lineup.
Muhammad was named to the league's All-Freshmen Team after finishing 1-2 in A-SUN singles play.
The highest the Owls have ever finished in the conference standings was third back in 2017. The team has only made it to the semifinals twice (2016, 2018).
The other side of the bracket:
No. 2 Liberty will face the winner of No. 3 UNF vs. No. 4 Lipscomb at 5 p.m. Friday night. Whichever team emerges from that meeting will face off against the team that wins the Eagles' semifinal match. The championship is set for 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 20 and will be streamed on ESPN+.
"We are excited to move forward in this tournament," head coach CJ Weber said. "We will focus on the exact same things that we have all year. Regardless of who we play, we expect a really tough battle. I'm looking forward to watching this group compete again."
Last Time Out:
The Eagles are coming off closing their portion of the season with a 4-1 win over Kennesaw State. It was also the last regular season matches for seniors Felipe Escobar, Mateo Ruiz, Ezequiel Cerrini and Javier Fernandez as it was senior night.
As a result of the win, the Eagles won the A-SUN Regular Season Championship and have claimed the #1 seed in the conference tournament as well as a first round bye.
On doubles, junior Marcelo Tebet and Juan Montes lead the way with a 8-1 record at #2 doubles. They would defeat Fermin Calvo Barcelo and Drew Lahey 6-3.
Not too far behind are Escobar and Ruiz who are currently 9-5 in doubles play all at #1 doubles. The seniors defeated Harvey Maughan and Lucas deTorres Curth 6-3.
Meanwhile in singles play Tebet, junior Feliksas Sakalauskas and senior Javier Fernandez all have claimed double digit wins (12: Sakalauskas and Fernandez, 11: Tebet). Fernandez has 92 career wins under his belt.
Conference Standings and Seeding:
#1 FGCU (12-8, 7-0 A-SUN)
#2 Liberty (12-10, 6-1 A-SUN)
#3 UNF (12-10, 5-2 A-SUN)
#4 Kennesaw State (10-12, 4-3 A-SUN)
#5 Stetson (11-11, 3-4 A-SUN)
#6 Lipscomb (7-13, 2-5 A-SUN)
Because of their conference record North Alabama (3-16, 1-6 A-SUN) and NJIT (4-15, 0-7 A-SUN) are ineligible to compete in the conference tournament as only six seeds can compete.
Award Winners:
Announced on April 15, Sakalauskas was named the last A-SUN Player of the week and the second Eagle for the weekly Accolade (Fernandez, 4/3/19).
"Feliksas has had an unbelievable year from the start of the fall through the conference season," said Weber. "For him to clinch the regular season title for us was really fitting, as well as capping off the A-SUN regular season undefeated. He's an incredibly hard worker and I'm very happy and proud of him. I know he's hungry for more."
Player of the Year:
The A-SUN Player of the Year turned out to be sophomore Nicaise Muamba from Liberty. Muamba finished the regular season with a 16-5 dual record (15-5 @ #1 singles).
Doubles Pair of the Year:
Lipscomb's juniors Victor Chaw & Pablo Caffarena claimed A-SUN Doubles Pair of the Year. Chaw and Caffarena went 12-3 in doubles play.
Coach of the Year:
I said that coach Weber was going to be named A-SUN Coach of the Year and it turned out that I was right on the money. The unanimous selection for Weber was his third in his career.
"I'm so proud of this overall group of guys," Weber said. "We have a very tight-knit chemistry on our team and we have worked very hard to get to this position. After a very challenging season, I know there were moments when the guys could have been tempted to give up, but they persevered and played their best tennis during conference season. We have more work to do and the task ahead will not be easy. We have to be ready, and we will be ready."
Liberty claimed unanimous A-SUN Freshman of the Year as Josh Wilson earned the title after finishing 16-6 in dual play (12-4 @ #2 singles).
A-SUN All-Conference First Team:
Sophomore Juan Montes was the lone Eagle on the A-SUN All-Conference First Team. Montes competed at the No. 1 singles spot for each conference match and spent a majority of the non-conference schedule there, as well. The sophomore notched a 3-3 record in conference play and battled into three sets in all of his losses. He and junior teammate Marcelo Tebet earned a 5-1 mark at the No. 2 spot in A-SUN doubles play. Overall, Montes finished the regular season with 20 wins. This is just the eighth time in program history that an Eagle has been named on the A-SUN All-Conference First Team.
"Juan has had a great first year as an Eagle. He had to sit for an entire year to wait for this to happen and he capitalized," Weber said. "He's played at No. 1 for most of the year, which is not easy to do in your first year of collegiate tennis. I'm very proud of him and he has a great career in front of him."
Other players that joined Montes on the first team were Muamba and Wilson (Liberty), Chaw (Lipscomb) and seniors Fermin Calvo Barcelo (Kennesaw) and Sahlil Deshmukh (UNF).
"I can't say enough about Fermin and his leadership this season," Kennesaw Director of Tennis Matt Emery said. "Being the defending the A-SUN Conference Player of the Year, he played with a target on his back all season and that is not an easy thing to do. He will leave an incredible legacy at Kennesaw State.
A-SUN All-Conference Second Team:
Senior Felipe Escobar and junior Felipe Ramirez were named on the A-SUN All-Conference Second Team.
Escobar's all-conference selection is the first of his career at FGCU. The senior finished the regular season with a 6-1 mark in conference singles play, primarily at the third spot in the lineup. Four of those victories were earned in straight-set matches. He and senior Mateo Ruiz were one of just two pairs to post an undefeated record at the No. 1 spot in conference doubles play, finishing 4-0. Escobar and Ruiz were one of 32 pairings selected to the ITA Regional Championship in the fall and went as far as the semifinal round. The duo also won the Bedford Cup at the USTA National Campus last September.
For Ramirez, the all-conference team nod is the third of his career. He was named A-SUN Freshman of the Year in 2017 and earned a spot on the first team. Last season, he landed on the second team. Ramirez posted a 4-1 mark in conference singles play at the second spot in the lineup. He won in straight-set matches three times and was leading 7-6 (9-7), 4-3 in his final match of the regular season against Kennesaw State when the Eagles clinched. He and junior Feliksas Sakalauskas went 5-1 at the third spot in conference doubles play.
"Pipe and Feli are great representatives for the second team," Weber said. "They each only had one loss in conference play and that's very nice to have out of players who compete high in the lineup. Both of them are great competitors and leaders for this team."
Caffarena (Lipscomb), freshman Dominik Barton (UNF), senior Till Von Winning (UNF) and sophomore Antoine Sanchez (Stetson) were also named on the second team.
All-Freshman Team:
Although no one from FGCU made the A-SUN All-Freshman Team, the members that did make it were Wilson (Liberty), Barton (UNF), Gaston Muhammad (Kennesaw), Oscar Meslin (North Alabama), Christian Mills (Stetson) and Clement Hamel (Stetson).
"Gaston has improved as much in one season as any player I have coached," Emery said. "He is one of the elite athletes in the country and I have no doubt he will keep getting better. The sky is the limit for him."
All-Academic Team:
The players that made the A-SUN All-Academic Team were Caffarena (Lipscomb), Deshmukh (UNF), junior Chase Burton (Liberty) and seniors Lucas de Torres Curth (Kennesaw), Zac Castagna (NJIT) and Jason Pimenta (North Alabama). Burton was also name A-SUN Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
"No one deserves this award more than Lucas," Emory stated. "He represents the qualities of a true student-athlete. He is one of those guys who will be very successful in whatever field he chooses to go into simply because of his work ethic. His leadership both on and off the court as well as in the classroom will be missed."
The Eagles will face #4 seed Kennesaw State in the semifinals. Kennesaw (11-12) defeated #5 seed and host Stetson (11-12) by a score of 4-2.
Scouting Kennesaw:
After their win last weekend, the Eagles improved to a 7-4 all-time record against Kennesaw State.
Calvo Barcelo, the reigning A-SUN Player of the Year, was this year's only two-time First Team All-Conference selection and finished with a 3-2 conference record at the top singles spot in the lineup.
Muhammad was named to the league's All-Freshmen Team after finishing 1-2 in A-SUN singles play.
The highest the Owls have ever finished in the conference standings was third back in 2017. The team has only made it to the semifinals twice (2016, 2018).
The other side of the bracket:
No. 2 Liberty will face the winner of No. 3 UNF vs. No. 4 Lipscomb at 5 p.m. Friday night. Whichever team emerges from that meeting will face off against the team that wins the Eagles' semifinal match. The championship is set for 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 20 and will be streamed on ESPN+.
FGCU MTEN vs Kennesaw Recap
The FGCU men's tennis team (12-8, 7-0 A-SUN) earned a 4-1 victory over Kennesaw State (10-12, 4-3 A-SUN) on Senior Day Saturday night at the FGCU Tennis Complex to close out the regular season. With the win, the Eagles now stand alone as the only undefeated team in the conference and are officially the 2019 A-SUN Men's Tennis Regular Season Champions.
"I just want to thank the four seniors and everything they have done for our team during their time here," head coach CJ Weber said. "I could not be more proud of them and thankful for all that they have done for us. I am hoping that we have a few more weeks of playing tennis with them."
Furthermore, the win happened to be his 92nd career win as head coach for FGCU.
The Eagles started off the match by continuing their dominance in doubles play by claiming the point for the seventh match in a row. The duo of seniors Felipe Escobar and Mateo Ruiz (9-5) celebrated their last match at the Nest with a 6-3 win on court one. Junior Marcelo Tebet and sophomore Juan Montes (8-1) secured the point with a 6-3 win at the second flight.
Juniors Feliksas Sakalauskas and Felipe Ramirez (9-3) were ahead of their competitors 5-4 at court No. 3 when the doubles point was earned.
In between doubles and singles play, head coach CJ Weber recognized members of the class of 2019 – Ezequiel Cerrini, Felipe Escobar, Javier Fernandez and Mateo Ruiz – for their accomplishments in their time as Eagles.
Ruiz (3-2) continued to excel on the courts as he raced to a 6-0, 6-1 victory at the sixth flight to start off singles play. Kennesaw responded with its first point of the night when Lucas de Torres Curth defeated Escobar (7-9) at the second court, making it a 2-1 match.
Senior Javier Fernandez (12-4) picked up his ninth-straight win when he won the third set on court No. 5, putting the Green and Blue on the edge of clinching the match. This was Fernandez's 92nd career win.
After dropping the first set, Sakalauskas (12-7) claimed the next two on court four to officially hand FGCU the win and, consequently, the outright regular season title.
At the time the match was clinched, Montes (8-9) and Ramirez (8-8) were still battling through singles play. Montes was staging a comeback at the first flight after dropping the third set and Ramirez was two points away from winning at court No. 2.
The title is the third regular season championship for the Green and Blue. The Eagles also went undefeated in league play in both 2015 and 2016.
Results
Singles competition
1. MONTES, Juan (FGCU) vs. Fermin Calvo Barcelo (KSU) 3-6, 6-6 (3-1), unfinished
2. RAMIREZ, Felipe (FGCU) vs. Lucas deTorres Curth (KSU) 7-6 (9-7), 4-3, unfinished
3. Bryan Triana (KSU) def. ESCOBAR, Felipe (FGCU) 6-4, 6-2
4. SAKALAUSKAS,Feliksas (FGCU) def. Sebastian Osorio (KSU) 2-6, 6-4, 6-2
5. FERNANDEZ, Javier (FGCU) def. Gaston Muhammad (KSU) 1-6, 6-2, 6-2
6. RUIZ, Mateo (FGCU) def. Jose Galvez (KSU) 6-0, 6-1
Order of finish: 6, 3, 5, 4
Doubles competition
1. ESCOBAR, Felipe/RUIZ, Mateo (FGCU) def. Harvey Maughan/Lucas deTorres Curth (KSU) 6-3
2. TEBET, Marcelo/MONTES, Juan (FGCU) def. Fermin Calvo Barcelo/Drew Lahey (KSU) 6-3
3. SAKALAUSKAS,Feliksas/RAMIREZ, Felipe (FGCU) def. Bryan Triana/Jose Galvez (KSU) 5-4
Order of finish: 1, 2
Up Next:
FGCU will compete in the 2019 A-SUN Men's Tennis Championship Thursday, April 18 – Saturday, April 20 at the Mandy Stoll Tennis Center in DeLand. The team will enter as the No. 1 seed and play the winner of No. 4 Kennesaw State vs. No. 5 Stetson. The Eagles will be looking for their third tournament crown (2015, 2017).
"I just want to thank the four seniors and everything they have done for our team during their time here," head coach CJ Weber said. "I could not be more proud of them and thankful for all that they have done for us. I am hoping that we have a few more weeks of playing tennis with them."
Furthermore, the win happened to be his 92nd career win as head coach for FGCU.
The Eagles started off the match by continuing their dominance in doubles play by claiming the point for the seventh match in a row. The duo of seniors Felipe Escobar and Mateo Ruiz (9-5) celebrated their last match at the Nest with a 6-3 win on court one. Junior Marcelo Tebet and sophomore Juan Montes (8-1) secured the point with a 6-3 win at the second flight.
Juniors Feliksas Sakalauskas and Felipe Ramirez (9-3) were ahead of their competitors 5-4 at court No. 3 when the doubles point was earned.
In between doubles and singles play, head coach CJ Weber recognized members of the class of 2019 – Ezequiel Cerrini, Felipe Escobar, Javier Fernandez and Mateo Ruiz – for their accomplishments in their time as Eagles.
Ruiz (3-2) continued to excel on the courts as he raced to a 6-0, 6-1 victory at the sixth flight to start off singles play. Kennesaw responded with its first point of the night when Lucas de Torres Curth defeated Escobar (7-9) at the second court, making it a 2-1 match.
Senior Javier Fernandez (12-4) picked up his ninth-straight win when he won the third set on court No. 5, putting the Green and Blue on the edge of clinching the match. This was Fernandez's 92nd career win.
After dropping the first set, Sakalauskas (12-7) claimed the next two on court four to officially hand FGCU the win and, consequently, the outright regular season title.
At the time the match was clinched, Montes (8-9) and Ramirez (8-8) were still battling through singles play. Montes was staging a comeback at the first flight after dropping the third set and Ramirez was two points away from winning at court No. 2.
The title is the third regular season championship for the Green and Blue. The Eagles also went undefeated in league play in both 2015 and 2016.
Results
Singles competition
1. MONTES, Juan (FGCU) vs. Fermin Calvo Barcelo (KSU) 3-6, 6-6 (3-1), unfinished
2. RAMIREZ, Felipe (FGCU) vs. Lucas deTorres Curth (KSU) 7-6 (9-7), 4-3, unfinished
3. Bryan Triana (KSU) def. ESCOBAR, Felipe (FGCU) 6-4, 6-2
4. SAKALAUSKAS,Feliksas (FGCU) def. Sebastian Osorio (KSU) 2-6, 6-4, 6-2
5. FERNANDEZ, Javier (FGCU) def. Gaston Muhammad (KSU) 1-6, 6-2, 6-2
6. RUIZ, Mateo (FGCU) def. Jose Galvez (KSU) 6-0, 6-1
Order of finish: 6, 3, 5, 4
Doubles competition
1. ESCOBAR, Felipe/RUIZ, Mateo (FGCU) def. Harvey Maughan/Lucas deTorres Curth (KSU) 6-3
2. TEBET, Marcelo/MONTES, Juan (FGCU) def. Fermin Calvo Barcelo/Drew Lahey (KSU) 6-3
3. SAKALAUSKAS,Feliksas/RAMIREZ, Felipe (FGCU) def. Bryan Triana/Jose Galvez (KSU) 5-4
Order of finish: 1, 2
Up Next:
FGCU will compete in the 2019 A-SUN Men's Tennis Championship Thursday, April 18 – Saturday, April 20 at the Mandy Stoll Tennis Center in DeLand. The team will enter as the No. 1 seed and play the winner of No. 4 Kennesaw State vs. No. 5 Stetson. The Eagles will be looking for their third tournament crown (2015, 2017).
FGCU MTEN/WTEN vs Kennesaw Preview
The FGCU men's (11-8, 6-0 A-SUN) and women's (8-9, 3-3 A-SUN tennis teams will compete at the FGCU Tennis Complex for the last time this season against Kennesaw State's men's (10-11, 4-2 A-SUN) and women's (2-16, 1-5 A-SUN) teams at 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 13. The four seniors for the men – Ezequiel Cerrini, Felipe Escobar, Javier Fernandez and Mateo Ruiz – and for the women – Julia Ascúa, Laura Falceto-Font and Patricia Villar – will be honored in between doubles and singles play. The women will also recognize junior Bridget Forster as it is her last season of competition.
"Senior Day is always a very special day at the FGCU Tennis Courts," head coach CJ Weber said. "I've been blessed once again to be able to coach four amazing young men that we will be celebrating tomorrow. On top of that, we get the opportunity to win the regular season championship outright. It'll most certainly be a great match and we're looking forward to putting on one last show to the Southwest Florida tennis community for the 2019 season."
Last Time Out:
The men defeated Liberty 6-1 at the FGCU Tennis Complex on Thursday night to claim no worse than a share of the 2019 A-SUN Regular Season Championship. The title is the third regular-season crown and fifth overall for the Green and Blue since 2015.With the win, FGCU has locked up the No. 1 seed in the 2019 A-SUN Championship.
The Green and Blue started things off by securing the doubles point for the sixth match in a row. Junior Marcelo Tebet and sophomore Juan Montes (7-1) earned a 6-4 win at the second flight. Juniors Feliksas Sakalauskas and Felipe Ramirez (9-3) followed up with a 6-4 victory at court three to earn the point.
Tebet (11-5) started off singles play with a 6-1, 6-1 triumph at the second court. Senior Javier Fernandez (11-4) won his eighth-straight match 6-1, 6-4 at the sixth flight. It was also his 91st career win with the Eagles.
Escobar (7-8) clinched the match for the home team with a straight-set 6-1, 6-4 win on court No. 3. Sakalauskas (11-7) followed up with a 6-4, 6-4 victory at the fifth flight and Ramirez (8-8) rounded out the scoring with a 10-8 tiebreaker win on court No. 2 to put the Eagles up 6-0.
Meanwhile for the women, they split two matches on the road against North Alabama and Lipscomb. FGCU defeated the Lions 6-1 (Apr. 3) before falling to the Bison, 5-2 (Apr. 6.). FGCU clinched the doubles point versus UNA with a pair of 6-0 and 6-4 decisions and captured all but one match in singles play as Ascúa clinched the match on court No. 3 (6-0, 7-5).
With Thursday's result of Stetson defeating North Alabama, the Eagles officially clinched a spot in the 2019 A-SUN Tournament with seeding still to be determined.
Against Lipscomb, the Eagles collected their points in singles play from sophomore Sara Kelly on court No. 2 (0-6, 7-6, 6-3) and Forster on court No. 6 (6-0, 6-4).
Scouting the Owls (Men):
This will be the 11th meeting in the series between the two teams, which the Eagles lead 6-4. The Green and Blue own a 3-1 record at the FGCU Tennis Complex and a 3-3 edge at the Owls' Betty Siegel Courts.
Kennesaw State has won the last two meetings, including a 4-3 victory in Fort Myers in 2017 and a 5-2 home win last season.The Owls are currently tied for third in the A-SUN standings with UNF. Kennesaw State has picked up wins against Lipscomb, North Alabama, Stetson and NJIT. Both UNF and Liberty defeated Kennesaw State by a score of 5-2.
Freshman Jose Gavez leads the team with a 4-0 mark in conference singles play. Junior Sebastian Osorio is 4-2 against A-SUN opponents but owns a team-best overall record of 11-6.
Scouting the Owls (Women):
In singles competition, freshman Kendall Nash leads the overall squad with six wins as she's collected three wins on court No. 4. Junior Aspen Jarrett plays primarily out of the No. 6 slot, going 3-5 with a pair of wins in conference action. Meanwhile in doubles play, junior Elle Baker and Jarrett have teamed up for a win on court No. 2.
FGCU leads the all-time series 10-2 as they last fell to KSU in 2011 on the road (5-2). The Eagles currently hold an eight-match win streak over the Owls.
A-SUN Conference Standings (Men)
1. FGCU (11-8, 6-0 A-SUN) *
2. Liberty (11-10, 5-1 A-SUN) *
T-3. UNF (11-10, 4-2 A-SUN) *
T-3. Kennesaw State (10-11, 4-2 A-SUN) *
T-5. Stetson (10-11, 2-4 A-SUN) *
T-5. Lipscomb (7-12, 2-4 A-SUN) *
7. North Alabama (3-15, 1-5 A-SUN)
8. NJIT (4-14, 0-6 A-SUN)
A-SUN Conference Standings (Women)
T-1. Liberty – (14-6, 5-1 A-SUN)
T-1. UNF – (14-7, 5-1 A-SUN)
3. Lipscomb – (15-5, 4-2 A-SUN)
T-4. Stetson – (12-7, 3-3 A-SUN)
T-4. FGCU – (8-9, 3-3 A-SUN)
6. NJIT – (13-7, 2-4 A-SUN)
T-7. UNA – (6-15, 1-5 A-SUN)
T-7. KSU –( 2-16, 1-5 A-SUN)
* - Clinched a spot in A-SUN Championship
"Senior Day is always a very special day at the FGCU Tennis Courts," head coach CJ Weber said. "I've been blessed once again to be able to coach four amazing young men that we will be celebrating tomorrow. On top of that, we get the opportunity to win the regular season championship outright. It'll most certainly be a great match and we're looking forward to putting on one last show to the Southwest Florida tennis community for the 2019 season."
Last Time Out:
The men defeated Liberty 6-1 at the FGCU Tennis Complex on Thursday night to claim no worse than a share of the 2019 A-SUN Regular Season Championship. The title is the third regular-season crown and fifth overall for the Green and Blue since 2015.With the win, FGCU has locked up the No. 1 seed in the 2019 A-SUN Championship.
The Green and Blue started things off by securing the doubles point for the sixth match in a row. Junior Marcelo Tebet and sophomore Juan Montes (7-1) earned a 6-4 win at the second flight. Juniors Feliksas Sakalauskas and Felipe Ramirez (9-3) followed up with a 6-4 victory at court three to earn the point.
Tebet (11-5) started off singles play with a 6-1, 6-1 triumph at the second court. Senior Javier Fernandez (11-4) won his eighth-straight match 6-1, 6-4 at the sixth flight. It was also his 91st career win with the Eagles.
Escobar (7-8) clinched the match for the home team with a straight-set 6-1, 6-4 win on court No. 3. Sakalauskas (11-7) followed up with a 6-4, 6-4 victory at the fifth flight and Ramirez (8-8) rounded out the scoring with a 10-8 tiebreaker win on court No. 2 to put the Eagles up 6-0.
Meanwhile for the women, they split two matches on the road against North Alabama and Lipscomb. FGCU defeated the Lions 6-1 (Apr. 3) before falling to the Bison, 5-2 (Apr. 6.). FGCU clinched the doubles point versus UNA with a pair of 6-0 and 6-4 decisions and captured all but one match in singles play as Ascúa clinched the match on court No. 3 (6-0, 7-5).
With Thursday's result of Stetson defeating North Alabama, the Eagles officially clinched a spot in the 2019 A-SUN Tournament with seeding still to be determined.
Against Lipscomb, the Eagles collected their points in singles play from sophomore Sara Kelly on court No. 2 (0-6, 7-6, 6-3) and Forster on court No. 6 (6-0, 6-4).
Scouting the Owls (Men):
This will be the 11th meeting in the series between the two teams, which the Eagles lead 6-4. The Green and Blue own a 3-1 record at the FGCU Tennis Complex and a 3-3 edge at the Owls' Betty Siegel Courts.
Kennesaw State has won the last two meetings, including a 4-3 victory in Fort Myers in 2017 and a 5-2 home win last season.The Owls are currently tied for third in the A-SUN standings with UNF. Kennesaw State has picked up wins against Lipscomb, North Alabama, Stetson and NJIT. Both UNF and Liberty defeated Kennesaw State by a score of 5-2.
Freshman Jose Gavez leads the team with a 4-0 mark in conference singles play. Junior Sebastian Osorio is 4-2 against A-SUN opponents but owns a team-best overall record of 11-6.
Scouting the Owls (Women):
In singles competition, freshman Kendall Nash leads the overall squad with six wins as she's collected three wins on court No. 4. Junior Aspen Jarrett plays primarily out of the No. 6 slot, going 3-5 with a pair of wins in conference action. Meanwhile in doubles play, junior Elle Baker and Jarrett have teamed up for a win on court No. 2.
FGCU leads the all-time series 10-2 as they last fell to KSU in 2011 on the road (5-2). The Eagles currently hold an eight-match win streak over the Owls.
A-SUN Conference Standings (Men)
1. FGCU (11-8, 6-0 A-SUN) *
2. Liberty (11-10, 5-1 A-SUN) *
T-3. UNF (11-10, 4-2 A-SUN) *
T-3. Kennesaw State (10-11, 4-2 A-SUN) *
T-5. Stetson (10-11, 2-4 A-SUN) *
T-5. Lipscomb (7-12, 2-4 A-SUN) *
7. North Alabama (3-15, 1-5 A-SUN)
8. NJIT (4-14, 0-6 A-SUN)
A-SUN Conference Standings (Women)
T-1. Liberty – (14-6, 5-1 A-SUN)
T-1. UNF – (14-7, 5-1 A-SUN)
3. Lipscomb – (15-5, 4-2 A-SUN)
T-4. Stetson – (12-7, 3-3 A-SUN)
T-4. FGCU – (8-9, 3-3 A-SUN)
6. NJIT – (13-7, 2-4 A-SUN)
T-7. UNA – (6-15, 1-5 A-SUN)
T-7. KSU –( 2-16, 1-5 A-SUN)
* - Clinched a spot in A-SUN Championship
FGCU MTEN vs Liberty Recap
The FGCU men's tennis team (11-8, 6-0 A-SUN) pulled away with another win in A-SUN play as they defeated Liberty (11-10, 5-1 A-SUN) 6-1. With the win, the Eagles are not only 2-0 against the Flames, but they have officially claimed a share of the A-SUN Regular Season Championship, earned the #1 seed and a first-round bye in the A-SUN Conference Tournament.
Furthermore, this was head coach CJ Weber's 91st win as head coach for the Eagles.
"I love this team and we're having a lot of fun right now," Weber said. "We won a big match today and it's fun to be able to celebrate that. I'm really proud of this team overall."
Beginning with doubles, the team of junior Marcelo Tebet and Juan Montes (7-1) to defeat the freshman duo of Ian Sturgill and Josh Wilson by a score of 6-4 at #2 doubles. The junior duo of Felipe Ramirez and Feliksas Sakalauskas (9-3) defeated freshman Steve Mundt and Vince Salas 6-4 at #3 doubles to claim the point for the Eagles.
Heading in singles actions, Tebet (11-5) kicked into quick high gear as he defeated Sturgill 6-1, 6-0 at #4 singles before senior Javier Fernandez (11-4) followed with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Salas at #6 singles. This was Fernandez's 91st career win with the Eagles.
With the score 3-0 in favor of FGCU, senior Felipe Escobar (7-8) defeated junior Chase Burton 6-1, 6-4 to clinch the winning point at #3 singles.
The Eagles would finish the three remaining matches as Sakalauskas (11-7) defeated senior Eddie Gutierrez with a 6-4 pair decision at #5 singles while Ramirez (8-8) defeated Wilson in three sets by a score of 6-3, 3-6, 10-8 at #2 singles.
Montes (8-9) would be the only Eagle to fall as he fell 6-4, 2-6, 11-13 to sophomore Nicaise Muamba at #1 singles.
This is the third regular season championship for the men's tennis team. The Eagles claimed the title in 2015 and 2016. Depending on how both FGCU and Liberty finish the week, the Eagles have a chance to outright claim the regular season title.
Up Next:
The Eagles will compete at the FGCU Tennis Complex for the final time this season with a match against Kennesaw State at 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 13. The team will honor its four seniors - Ezequiel Cerrini, Felipe Escobar, Javier Fernandez and Mateo Ruiz - between doubles and singles play.
Furthermore, this was head coach CJ Weber's 91st win as head coach for the Eagles.
"I love this team and we're having a lot of fun right now," Weber said. "We won a big match today and it's fun to be able to celebrate that. I'm really proud of this team overall."
Beginning with doubles, the team of junior Marcelo Tebet and Juan Montes (7-1) to defeat the freshman duo of Ian Sturgill and Josh Wilson by a score of 6-4 at #2 doubles. The junior duo of Felipe Ramirez and Feliksas Sakalauskas (9-3) defeated freshman Steve Mundt and Vince Salas 6-4 at #3 doubles to claim the point for the Eagles.
Heading in singles actions, Tebet (11-5) kicked into quick high gear as he defeated Sturgill 6-1, 6-0 at #4 singles before senior Javier Fernandez (11-4) followed with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Salas at #6 singles. This was Fernandez's 91st career win with the Eagles.
With the score 3-0 in favor of FGCU, senior Felipe Escobar (7-8) defeated junior Chase Burton 6-1, 6-4 to clinch the winning point at #3 singles.
The Eagles would finish the three remaining matches as Sakalauskas (11-7) defeated senior Eddie Gutierrez with a 6-4 pair decision at #5 singles while Ramirez (8-8) defeated Wilson in three sets by a score of 6-3, 3-6, 10-8 at #2 singles.
Montes (8-9) would be the only Eagle to fall as he fell 6-4, 2-6, 11-13 to sophomore Nicaise Muamba at #1 singles.
This is the third regular season championship for the men's tennis team. The Eagles claimed the title in 2015 and 2016. Depending on how both FGCU and Liberty finish the week, the Eagles have a chance to outright claim the regular season title.
Up Next:
The Eagles will compete at the FGCU Tennis Complex for the final time this season with a match against Kennesaw State at 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 13. The team will honor its four seniors - Ezequiel Cerrini, Felipe Escobar, Javier Fernandez and Mateo Ruiz - between doubles and singles play.
FGCU MTEN vs Liberty Preview
The FGCU men's tennis team (10-8, 5-0 A-SUN) look to continue their strong finish in A-SUN Conference play as they welcome Liberty (11-9, 5-0 A-SUN) to the FGCU Tennis Complex Thursday, April 11 at 5 pm.
"I had this match circled on the calendar before we even knew that we would both be undefeated in the conference at this point," head coach CJ Weber said. "Mainly that was because they are a new team to our conference and that's always fun. We're looking forward to another tough A-SUN battle and a great Southwest Florida environment! I want to encourage all fans to get out to this one."
Last Time Out:
The Eagles are coming off of a successful three-match road trip in conference play as they defeated Stetson 6-1, A-SUN newcomer North Alabama 7-0 and Lipscomb 5-2. The Eagles enter their next match on a five-match winning streak.
Conference Standings:
1. FGCU * 5-0 (10-8)
2. Liberty * 5-0 (11-9)
3. North Florida 3-2 (10-10)
4. Kennesaw State 3-2 (9-10)
5. Lipscomb 2-3 (7-11)
6. Stetson 1-4 (9-11)
7. North Alabama 1-4 (3-14)
8. NJIT 0-5 (4-13)
What's at Stake:
The match between FGCU and Liberty will determine who will get the #1 seed in the A-SUN Conference Tournament. Both teams have already clinched a spot in the tournament and are in line for a first round bye.
As far as the team in doubles, the team of junior Marcelo Tebet and sophomore Juan Montes (6-1) continue their dominance at #2 doubles while the team of juniors Felipe Ramirez and Feliksas Sakalauskas (8-3) do the same at #3 doubles as well as the senior duo of Felipe Escobar and Mateo Ruiz (8-5) at #1 doubles.
Meanwhile in singles play, Tebet, Sakalauskas and senior Javier Fernandez have all reached double figures as the trio have 10 wins each.
For Fernandez, the native of Ibiza, Spain is at 90 career wins with FGCU and is 10 away from reaching 100.
To be honest, do I think Javi can reach 100 career wins? confidentially, I want to say yes, bur realistically, it's doubtful.
Coach 100:
As far as other milestones, head coach CJ Weber, who is entering his 8th season as head coach. is also on path for a milestone of his own, 100 career wins as head coach for FGCU. Weber started his inaugural season in the 2011-12 season where he went 7-10 with a 4-5 record in conference.
Scouting Liberty:
The Flames enter the contest on a five-match winning streak with their most recent win being a 4-3 nail biter against UNF on their senior day.
Freshman Josh Wilson and sophomore Nicaise Muamba lead the team in singles action with Wilson leading the way with 15 singles win and Muamaba with 14. Junior Chase Burton also has double digit wins as he currently has 10.
In doubles, Muamba and Burton lead the team with a 10-6 record at #1 doubles.
This will be the second time that both teams play each other. The first time was on February 6, 2015 where the Eagles won 6-1 in Miami.
How to Keep Up:
For complete coverage of FGCU men's tennis follow us on Twitter & Instagram @FGCU_MTEN and visit www.FGCUAthletics.com where full recaps and results will be available at the end of the competition.
"I had this match circled on the calendar before we even knew that we would both be undefeated in the conference at this point," head coach CJ Weber said. "Mainly that was because they are a new team to our conference and that's always fun. We're looking forward to another tough A-SUN battle and a great Southwest Florida environment! I want to encourage all fans to get out to this one."
Last Time Out:
The Eagles are coming off of a successful three-match road trip in conference play as they defeated Stetson 6-1, A-SUN newcomer North Alabama 7-0 and Lipscomb 5-2. The Eagles enter their next match on a five-match winning streak.
Conference Standings:
1. FGCU * 5-0 (10-8)
2. Liberty * 5-0 (11-9)
3. North Florida 3-2 (10-10)
4. Kennesaw State 3-2 (9-10)
5. Lipscomb 2-3 (7-11)
6. Stetson 1-4 (9-11)
7. North Alabama 1-4 (3-14)
8. NJIT 0-5 (4-13)
What's at Stake:
The match between FGCU and Liberty will determine who will get the #1 seed in the A-SUN Conference Tournament. Both teams have already clinched a spot in the tournament and are in line for a first round bye.
As far as the team in doubles, the team of junior Marcelo Tebet and sophomore Juan Montes (6-1) continue their dominance at #2 doubles while the team of juniors Felipe Ramirez and Feliksas Sakalauskas (8-3) do the same at #3 doubles as well as the senior duo of Felipe Escobar and Mateo Ruiz (8-5) at #1 doubles.
Meanwhile in singles play, Tebet, Sakalauskas and senior Javier Fernandez have all reached double figures as the trio have 10 wins each.
For Fernandez, the native of Ibiza, Spain is at 90 career wins with FGCU and is 10 away from reaching 100.
To be honest, do I think Javi can reach 100 career wins? confidentially, I want to say yes, bur realistically, it's doubtful.
Coach 100:
As far as other milestones, head coach CJ Weber, who is entering his 8th season as head coach. is also on path for a milestone of his own, 100 career wins as head coach for FGCU. Weber started his inaugural season in the 2011-12 season where he went 7-10 with a 4-5 record in conference.
Scouting Liberty:
The Flames enter the contest on a five-match winning streak with their most recent win being a 4-3 nail biter against UNF on their senior day.
Freshman Josh Wilson and sophomore Nicaise Muamba lead the team in singles action with Wilson leading the way with 15 singles win and Muamaba with 14. Junior Chase Burton also has double digit wins as he currently has 10.
In doubles, Muamba and Burton lead the team with a 10-6 record at #1 doubles.
This will be the second time that both teams play each other. The first time was on February 6, 2015 where the Eagles won 6-1 in Miami.
How to Keep Up:
For complete coverage of FGCU men's tennis follow us on Twitter & Instagram @FGCU_MTEN and visit www.FGCUAthletics.com where full recaps and results will be available at the end of the competition.
FGCU MTEN @ Lipscomb Recap
The FGCU men's tennis team (10-8, 5-0 A-SUN) picked up its fifth-straight win in conference play with a 5-2 victory over Lipscomb (7-11, 2-3 A-SUN) Saturday afternoon at the Huston-Marsh-Griffith Tennis Center.
"It's always tough to play Lipscomb at their place," head coach CJ Weber said. "They fought really hard today and didn't give up even though we were ahead the whole match. The team overcame some great challenges and I'm really proud of how we are competing. We need to keep focusing on the right things."
The Eagles built off their dominance in doubles play and captured the point for the fifth-straight match. The duo of juniors Feliksas Sakalauskas and Felipe Ramirez (8-3) started things off with a 6-2 win at the third flight. This was their fifth straight doubles win.
Junior Marcelo Tebet and sophomore Juan Montes (6-1) sealed the point with a 6-1 triumph on the second court, giving FGCU an early 1-0 edge.
Sakalauskas (10-7) brought the Green and Blue up to a 2-0 lead with a 6-1, 6-0 win at the fifth court in singles play. Senior Javier Fernandez (10-4) extended his winning streak to seven matches with a straight-set victory at the sixth flight, and classmate Felipe Escobar (6-8) dug out a 6-0 victory in the third set on court No. 3 that put the Green and Blue up 3-0.
Tebet (10-5) clinched the match with a 7-5 win in set three on the fourth court. The Bison got on the board by claiming the last two points available at courts one and two. Montes (8-8) battled back after dropping the first set but could not finish against Lipscomb's Victor Chaw. Ramirez (7-8) fell in a third-set super tiebreaker to Pablo Caffarena.
The last time the Eagles began conference play 5-0 was the 2015-16 season. That year, the Green and Blue finished the regular season undefeated.
Results
Singles competition
1. Victor Chaw (LIP-M) def. MONTES, Juan (FGCU) 6-2, 2-6, 6-4
2. Pablo Caffarena (LIP-M) def. RAMIREZ, Felipe (FGCU) 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4)
3. ESCOBAR, Felipe (FGCU) def. Jorge Ortegon (LIP-M) 1-6, 6-4, 6-0
4. TEBET, Marcelo (FGCU) def. Pedro Uribe (LIP-M) 6-2, 1-6, 7-5
5. SAKALAUSKAS,Feliksas (FGCU) def. Jake Penny (LIP-M) 6-1, 6-0
6. FERNANDEZ, Javier (FGCU) def. David Skrabut (LIP-M) 6-3, 6-3
Order of finish: 5, 6, 3, 4, 1, 2
Doubles competition
1. Victor Chaw/Pablo Caffarena (LIP-M) vs. ESCOBAR, Felipe/RUIZ, Mateo (FGCU) 3-2, unfinished
2. TEBET, Marcelo/MONTES, Juan (FGCU) def. Francesco Tacconi/Jake Penny (LIP-M) 6-1
3. SAKALAUSKAS,Feliksas/RAMIREZ, Felipe (FGCU) def. Pedro Uribe/Michael Tougher (LIP-M) 6-2
Order of finish: 3, 2
Up Next:
After their three-match road swing, the Eagles will return to the FGCU Tennis Complex to take on the Liberty Flames (11-9, 5-0 A-SUN) at 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 11. The Flames are the only other team undefeated in A-SUN Conference play and are currently on a five-match winning streak. This will mark the second meeting between the two teams; the programs faced off in Miami back in 2015 and the Green and Blue earned a 6-1 victory. The next two matches against Liberty and Kennesaw State (April 13) will determine whether or not the Eagles can bring home a regular season championship, which they are currently in line for.
"It's always tough to play Lipscomb at their place," head coach CJ Weber said. "They fought really hard today and didn't give up even though we were ahead the whole match. The team overcame some great challenges and I'm really proud of how we are competing. We need to keep focusing on the right things."
The Eagles built off their dominance in doubles play and captured the point for the fifth-straight match. The duo of juniors Feliksas Sakalauskas and Felipe Ramirez (8-3) started things off with a 6-2 win at the third flight. This was their fifth straight doubles win.
Junior Marcelo Tebet and sophomore Juan Montes (6-1) sealed the point with a 6-1 triumph on the second court, giving FGCU an early 1-0 edge.
Sakalauskas (10-7) brought the Green and Blue up to a 2-0 lead with a 6-1, 6-0 win at the fifth court in singles play. Senior Javier Fernandez (10-4) extended his winning streak to seven matches with a straight-set victory at the sixth flight, and classmate Felipe Escobar (6-8) dug out a 6-0 victory in the third set on court No. 3 that put the Green and Blue up 3-0.
Tebet (10-5) clinched the match with a 7-5 win in set three on the fourth court. The Bison got on the board by claiming the last two points available at courts one and two. Montes (8-8) battled back after dropping the first set but could not finish against Lipscomb's Victor Chaw. Ramirez (7-8) fell in a third-set super tiebreaker to Pablo Caffarena.
The last time the Eagles began conference play 5-0 was the 2015-16 season. That year, the Green and Blue finished the regular season undefeated.
Results
Singles competition
1. Victor Chaw (LIP-M) def. MONTES, Juan (FGCU) 6-2, 2-6, 6-4
2. Pablo Caffarena (LIP-M) def. RAMIREZ, Felipe (FGCU) 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4)
3. ESCOBAR, Felipe (FGCU) def. Jorge Ortegon (LIP-M) 1-6, 6-4, 6-0
4. TEBET, Marcelo (FGCU) def. Pedro Uribe (LIP-M) 6-2, 1-6, 7-5
5. SAKALAUSKAS,Feliksas (FGCU) def. Jake Penny (LIP-M) 6-1, 6-0
6. FERNANDEZ, Javier (FGCU) def. David Skrabut (LIP-M) 6-3, 6-3
Order of finish: 5, 6, 3, 4, 1, 2
Doubles competition
1. Victor Chaw/Pablo Caffarena (LIP-M) vs. ESCOBAR, Felipe/RUIZ, Mateo (FGCU) 3-2, unfinished
2. TEBET, Marcelo/MONTES, Juan (FGCU) def. Francesco Tacconi/Jake Penny (LIP-M) 6-1
3. SAKALAUSKAS,Feliksas/RAMIREZ, Felipe (FGCU) def. Pedro Uribe/Michael Tougher (LIP-M) 6-2
Order of finish: 3, 2
Up Next:
After their three-match road swing, the Eagles will return to the FGCU Tennis Complex to take on the Liberty Flames (11-9, 5-0 A-SUN) at 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 11. The Flames are the only other team undefeated in A-SUN Conference play and are currently on a five-match winning streak. This will mark the second meeting between the two teams; the programs faced off in Miami back in 2015 and the Green and Blue earned a 6-1 victory. The next two matches against Liberty and Kennesaw State (April 13) will determine whether or not the Eagles can bring home a regular season championship, which they are currently in line for.
FGCU MTEN @ UNA Recap
The FGCU men's tennis team (9-8, 4-0 A-SUN) cruised to a 7-0 victory over North Alabama (2-14, 0-4 A-SUN) on Thursday morning at the UNA Varsity Tennis Courts.
"I'm proud of the guys today," head coach CJ Weber said. "We avoided all distractions. With incoming rain, we decided to play singles first and that's the first time we've done that this year. But the guys jumped on them early and didn't let go. Across the board for singles and doubles, we stayed focused and closed out on all our opportunities. We're looking forward to Lipscomb now."
The match between the Eagles and the Lions was originally scheduled for 2 p.m. EDT on Thursday, but was moved up to 9:30 a.m. EDT due to inclement weather. The forecast also influenced the order in which the match was played; singles play was first, followed by doubles.
Senior Felipe Escobar (5-8) earned the first point of the morning with a straight-set victory at the third flight, giving the Green and Blue an early 1-0 lead. Junior Felipe Ramirez (7-7) added a 6-3, 6-1 triumph on court No. 2 and was followed up by junior Marcelo Tebet's (9-5) straight-set win at the fourth court.
Junior Feliksas Sakalauskas (9-7) clinched the match for FGCU with a 6-4, 6-3 victory on the fifth court, putting the Eagles up 4-0. Reigning A-SUN Player of the Week senior Javier Fernandez (9-) extended his current winning streak to six matches with a 6-1, 7-5 triumph at the sixth court.
Sophomore Juan Montes (8-7) was the only Eagle that had to battle through three sets in singles play. He won the first set 6-3 but dropped the second 3-6 at the first flight. Montes earned the last singles point with a 10-6 tiebreaker win in the third set.
For the fourth match in a row, the Green and Blue captured the doubles point. The duo of Sakalauskas and Fernandez (8-4) earned a 6-4 win at the third flight and the team of senior Mateo Ruiz and Escobar (8-6) sealed the doubles point with a 6-2 triumph on the first court.
Tebet and Montes (5-1) played out their set on court No. 2 and claimed a 6-4 victory.
The only other A-SUN team that is currently undefeated in conference play is Liberty. The Flames are 3-0 and have picked up wins against Lipscomb, Stetson and UNF.
Results
Singles competition
1. MONTES, Juan (FGCU) def. Jason Pimenta (UNA) 6-3, 3-6, 1-0 (10-6)
2. RAMIREZ, Felipe (FGCU) def. Oscar Meslin (UNA) 6-3, 6-1
3. ESCOBAR, Felipe (FGCU) def. Gustavo Girao (UNA) 6-1, 6-1
4. TEBET, Marcelo (FGCU) def. Andreas Hansen (UNA) 6-0, 6-2
5. SAKALAUSKAS,Feliksas (FGCU) def. Tim Heslin (UNA) 6-3, 6-4
6. FERNANDEZ, Javier (FGCU) def. George Markos (UNA) 6-1, 7-5
Order of finish: 3,4,2,5,6,1
Doubles competition
1. ESCOBAR, Felipe/RUIZ, Mateo (FGCU) def. Jason Pimenta/Gustavo Girao (UNA) 6-2
2. TEBET, Marcelo/MONTES, Juan (FGCU) def. Andreas Hansen/Oscar Meslin (UNA) 6-4
3. SAKALAUSKAS,Feliksas/RAMIREZ, Felipe (FGCU) def. George Markos/Tim Heslin (UNA) 6-1
Order of finish: 3, 1, 2
Up Next:
The Eagles will travel to Nashville to take on Lipscomb at the Huston-Marsh-Griffith Center at 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 6. It will be the 13th meeting between the Eagles and the Bisons. FGCU currently holds a 9-3 advantage.
"I'm proud of the guys today," head coach CJ Weber said. "We avoided all distractions. With incoming rain, we decided to play singles first and that's the first time we've done that this year. But the guys jumped on them early and didn't let go. Across the board for singles and doubles, we stayed focused and closed out on all our opportunities. We're looking forward to Lipscomb now."
The match between the Eagles and the Lions was originally scheduled for 2 p.m. EDT on Thursday, but was moved up to 9:30 a.m. EDT due to inclement weather. The forecast also influenced the order in which the match was played; singles play was first, followed by doubles.
Senior Felipe Escobar (5-8) earned the first point of the morning with a straight-set victory at the third flight, giving the Green and Blue an early 1-0 lead. Junior Felipe Ramirez (7-7) added a 6-3, 6-1 triumph on court No. 2 and was followed up by junior Marcelo Tebet's (9-5) straight-set win at the fourth court.
Junior Feliksas Sakalauskas (9-7) clinched the match for FGCU with a 6-4, 6-3 victory on the fifth court, putting the Eagles up 4-0. Reigning A-SUN Player of the Week senior Javier Fernandez (9-) extended his current winning streak to six matches with a 6-1, 7-5 triumph at the sixth court.
Sophomore Juan Montes (8-7) was the only Eagle that had to battle through three sets in singles play. He won the first set 6-3 but dropped the second 3-6 at the first flight. Montes earned the last singles point with a 10-6 tiebreaker win in the third set.
For the fourth match in a row, the Green and Blue captured the doubles point. The duo of Sakalauskas and Fernandez (8-4) earned a 6-4 win at the third flight and the team of senior Mateo Ruiz and Escobar (8-6) sealed the doubles point with a 6-2 triumph on the first court.
Tebet and Montes (5-1) played out their set on court No. 2 and claimed a 6-4 victory.
The only other A-SUN team that is currently undefeated in conference play is Liberty. The Flames are 3-0 and have picked up wins against Lipscomb, Stetson and UNF.
Results
Singles competition
1. MONTES, Juan (FGCU) def. Jason Pimenta (UNA) 6-3, 3-6, 1-0 (10-6)
2. RAMIREZ, Felipe (FGCU) def. Oscar Meslin (UNA) 6-3, 6-1
3. ESCOBAR, Felipe (FGCU) def. Gustavo Girao (UNA) 6-1, 6-1
4. TEBET, Marcelo (FGCU) def. Andreas Hansen (UNA) 6-0, 6-2
5. SAKALAUSKAS,Feliksas (FGCU) def. Tim Heslin (UNA) 6-3, 6-4
6. FERNANDEZ, Javier (FGCU) def. George Markos (UNA) 6-1, 7-5
Order of finish: 3,4,2,5,6,1
Doubles competition
1. ESCOBAR, Felipe/RUIZ, Mateo (FGCU) def. Jason Pimenta/Gustavo Girao (UNA) 6-2
2. TEBET, Marcelo/MONTES, Juan (FGCU) def. Andreas Hansen/Oscar Meslin (UNA) 6-4
3. SAKALAUSKAS,Feliksas/RAMIREZ, Felipe (FGCU) def. George Markos/Tim Heslin (UNA) 6-1
Order of finish: 3, 1, 2
Up Next:
The Eagles will travel to Nashville to take on Lipscomb at the Huston-Marsh-Griffith Center at 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 6. It will be the 13th meeting between the Eagles and the Bisons. FGCU currently holds a 9-3 advantage.
FGCU MTEN @ UNA, Lipscomb Preview
The FGCU men's tennis team (8-8, 3-0 A-SUN) will head to North Alabama (2-13, 0-3 A-SUN) to take on the Lions in a conference matchup on Thursday, April 4. The match is set for 9:30 a.m. EDT at the UNA Varsity Tennis Courts and will be the first meeting between the two teams. Originally, the match was scheduled for 2 p.m. EDT but it was moved up due to inclement weather. Live stats for the match can be found here.
The Eagles will then head to Nashville, Tennessee, to face off against Lipscomb (6-10, 1-2 A-SUN) on Saturday, April 6. The match against the Bisons will begin at 5 p.m. at the Huston-Marsh-Griffith Tennis Center. It will be the 13th meeting in the series between the two teams, with FGCU currently holding a 9-3 edge.
"We've never played North Alabama before, so we're really excited to go to a new place and play a team we know almost nothing about," head coach CJ Weber said. "For Lipscomb, that is a place that we are very familiar with, so we're expecting an exciting weekend. Hopefully, we can continue to execute things we've been working on all year against both programs."
Last Time Out:
The Eagles picked up their third-straight conference win at Stetson last Saturday, earning a 6-1 victory.
The Green and Blue secured the doubles point to take an early 1-0 advantage. Juniors Feliksas Sakalauskas and Felipe Ramirez claimed a 6-2 victory on the third court and were followed up by a 6-4 triumph at the first court via the duo of seniors Felipe Escobar and Mateo Ruiz.
The Hatters claimed the first match of singles play with a 6-3, 6-3 win at the third flight, but it was their only point of the afternoon. Escobar regained the Green and Blue's lead with a 6-2, 7-5 win on court No. 2 and from there, FGCU cruised to victory. Senior Javier Fernandez, sophomore Juan Montes, Sakalauskas and Ruiz all earned individual wins on their respective courts.
As a result of his weekly performance, Fernandez was named A-SUN Men’s Tennis Player of the Week.
"Javi has been a staple player of our program throughout his entire career," Weber said. "He's won so many big matches for us and both Stetson and Brown were no exceptions this past week! It's a well-earned reward for a fantastic competitor."
Scouting the Lions:
UNA was on the losing end of a 4-0 shutout at Kennesaw State on March 30. So far this season, the Lions have been blanked 10 times. The team is 1-4 on its home courts and has yet to pick up a road win. The Lions did earn a 4-0 win over Mississippi Valley in a neutral-site match back in March.
Freshman Oscar Meslin and sophomore Cade Reasons lead the team with 3-9 records in singles play.
UNA is currently in its first season as an NCAA Division I member and is also in its first season in the A-SUN.
Scouting the Bison:
Lipscomb will host NJIT on Thursday, April 4 before the matchup against FGCU. The Bison defeated North Alabama 6-1 back in March before dropping matches to Kennesaw State (5-2) and at Liberty (4-3).
The doubles team of juniors Pablo Caffarena and Victor Chaw is on a four-match winning streak and has posted a 10-3 record at the first flight. Chaw and Caffarena are both 7-7 in singles play at courts one and two, respectively.
In the series between the two teams, the Eagles are 9-3 against the Bison having won seven straight matches while holding a 5-1 advantage at the FGCU Tennis Complex and a 4-2 edge at the Bisons' home courts.
Up Next:
The Green and Blue will return to the FGCU Tennis Complex for a match against Liberty (9-9, 3-0 A-SUN) at 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 11. The Flames are new to the A-SUN Conference this year and have already picked up wins against Kennesaw, North Alabama and Lipscomb. The match will be the second-ever meeting between the two teams; the Eagles claimed a 6-1 win over Liberty back in 2015 in Miami in a neutral-site match.
The Eagles will then head to Nashville, Tennessee, to face off against Lipscomb (6-10, 1-2 A-SUN) on Saturday, April 6. The match against the Bisons will begin at 5 p.m. at the Huston-Marsh-Griffith Tennis Center. It will be the 13th meeting in the series between the two teams, with FGCU currently holding a 9-3 edge.
"We've never played North Alabama before, so we're really excited to go to a new place and play a team we know almost nothing about," head coach CJ Weber said. "For Lipscomb, that is a place that we are very familiar with, so we're expecting an exciting weekend. Hopefully, we can continue to execute things we've been working on all year against both programs."
Last Time Out:
The Eagles picked up their third-straight conference win at Stetson last Saturday, earning a 6-1 victory.
The Green and Blue secured the doubles point to take an early 1-0 advantage. Juniors Feliksas Sakalauskas and Felipe Ramirez claimed a 6-2 victory on the third court and were followed up by a 6-4 triumph at the first court via the duo of seniors Felipe Escobar and Mateo Ruiz.
The Hatters claimed the first match of singles play with a 6-3, 6-3 win at the third flight, but it was their only point of the afternoon. Escobar regained the Green and Blue's lead with a 6-2, 7-5 win on court No. 2 and from there, FGCU cruised to victory. Senior Javier Fernandez, sophomore Juan Montes, Sakalauskas and Ruiz all earned individual wins on their respective courts.
As a result of his weekly performance, Fernandez was named A-SUN Men’s Tennis Player of the Week.
"Javi has been a staple player of our program throughout his entire career," Weber said. "He's won so many big matches for us and both Stetson and Brown were no exceptions this past week! It's a well-earned reward for a fantastic competitor."
Scouting the Lions:
UNA was on the losing end of a 4-0 shutout at Kennesaw State on March 30. So far this season, the Lions have been blanked 10 times. The team is 1-4 on its home courts and has yet to pick up a road win. The Lions did earn a 4-0 win over Mississippi Valley in a neutral-site match back in March.
Freshman Oscar Meslin and sophomore Cade Reasons lead the team with 3-9 records in singles play.
UNA is currently in its first season as an NCAA Division I member and is also in its first season in the A-SUN.
Scouting the Bison:
Lipscomb will host NJIT on Thursday, April 4 before the matchup against FGCU. The Bison defeated North Alabama 6-1 back in March before dropping matches to Kennesaw State (5-2) and at Liberty (4-3).
The doubles team of juniors Pablo Caffarena and Victor Chaw is on a four-match winning streak and has posted a 10-3 record at the first flight. Chaw and Caffarena are both 7-7 in singles play at courts one and two, respectively.
In the series between the two teams, the Eagles are 9-3 against the Bison having won seven straight matches while holding a 5-1 advantage at the FGCU Tennis Complex and a 4-2 edge at the Bisons' home courts.
Up Next:
The Green and Blue will return to the FGCU Tennis Complex for a match against Liberty (9-9, 3-0 A-SUN) at 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 11. The Flames are new to the A-SUN Conference this year and have already picked up wins against Kennesaw, North Alabama and Lipscomb. The match will be the second-ever meeting between the two teams; the Eagles claimed a 6-1 win over Liberty back in 2015 in Miami in a neutral-site match.
FGCU MTEN @ Stetson Recap
The FGCU men's tennis team (8-8, 3-0 A-SUN) earned a 6-1 conference victory at Stetson (9-9, 1-2 A-SUN) on Saturday afternoon at the Mandy Stoll Tennis Center.
"We have been playing like a real team lately, and today was one of our better efforts," head coach CJ Weber said. "Stetson, I felt, fought an unbelievable match and made it very difficult on us. But the guys responded so well and were really disciplined all throughout the match. I'm very proud of this group and I already can't wait to watch us compete next week."
For the third match in a row, the Eagles earned an early lead by claiming the doubles point. The duo of juniors Feliksas Sakalauskas and Felipe Ramirez (7-4) claimed a 6-2 victory on the third court and were followed up by a 6-4 triumph at the first court via the team of seniors Felipe Escobar and Mateo Ruiz (7-6).
The Hatters evened things up at 1-1 with a straight-set victory at the third flight in singles play as junior Marcelo Tebet (8-5), but it was their only point of the afternoon.
Escobar (4-8) regained the Green and Blue's lead with a 6-2, 7-5 win on court No. 2. From there, the Eagles cruised to their victory. Ruiz (2-2) earned a win at court six after finishing the third set 6-2. Senior Javier Fernandez (8-4) won the fifth flight, marking his fifth victory in a row. Sophomore Juan Montes (7-7) and Sakalauskas (8-7) finished up the scoring with third-set wins at the first and fourth courts, respectively.
The last time the Eagles started off 3-0 in conference play was during the 2015-16 season. That year, the Green and Blue went undefeated in the regular conference season.
Results
Singles competition
1. MONTES, Juan (FGCU) def. Louis Gorregues (STET) 7-5, 6-7, 1-0
2. ESCOBAR, Felipe (FGCU) def. Clement Hamel (STET) 6-2, 7-5
3. Antoine Sanchez (STET) def. TEBET, Marcelo (FGCU) 6-3, 6-2
4. SAKALAUSKAS,Feliksas (FGCU) def. Tim Gennes (STET) 7-5, 6-7, 6-2
5. FERNANDEZ, Javier (FGCU) def. Coilin MacNamara (STET) 6-3, 4-6, 6-4
6. RUIZ, Mateo (FGCU) def. Christian Mills (STET) 6-1, 4-6, 6-2
Order of finish: 3, 2, 6, 5, 1, 4
Doubles competition
1. ESCOBAR, Felipe/RUIZ, Mateo (FGCU) def. Tim Gennes/Linus Bergevi (STET) 6-4
2. MONTES, Juan/TEBET, Marcelo (FGCU) def. Coilin MacNamara/Clement Hamel (STET) 5-4
3. SAKALAUSKAS,Feliksas/RAMIREZ, Felipe (FGCU) def. Antoine Sanchez/Dennis Moses (STET) 6-2
Order of finish: 3, 1
Up Next:
FGCU will continue its conference road swing with a match at North Alabama (2-12, 0-2 A-SUN) next Tuesday, April 4. The Green and Blue will face off against the Lions at 2 p.m. at the UNA Tennis Complex. The matchup will be the first in program history between the two teams. UNA is currently in its first season as an NCAA Division I member and is also in its first season in the A-SUN.
"We have been playing like a real team lately, and today was one of our better efforts," head coach CJ Weber said. "Stetson, I felt, fought an unbelievable match and made it very difficult on us. But the guys responded so well and were really disciplined all throughout the match. I'm very proud of this group and I already can't wait to watch us compete next week."
For the third match in a row, the Eagles earned an early lead by claiming the doubles point. The duo of juniors Feliksas Sakalauskas and Felipe Ramirez (7-4) claimed a 6-2 victory on the third court and were followed up by a 6-4 triumph at the first court via the team of seniors Felipe Escobar and Mateo Ruiz (7-6).
The Hatters evened things up at 1-1 with a straight-set victory at the third flight in singles play as junior Marcelo Tebet (8-5), but it was their only point of the afternoon.
Escobar (4-8) regained the Green and Blue's lead with a 6-2, 7-5 win on court No. 2. From there, the Eagles cruised to their victory. Ruiz (2-2) earned a win at court six after finishing the third set 6-2. Senior Javier Fernandez (8-4) won the fifth flight, marking his fifth victory in a row. Sophomore Juan Montes (7-7) and Sakalauskas (8-7) finished up the scoring with third-set wins at the first and fourth courts, respectively.
The last time the Eagles started off 3-0 in conference play was during the 2015-16 season. That year, the Green and Blue went undefeated in the regular conference season.
Results
Singles competition
1. MONTES, Juan (FGCU) def. Louis Gorregues (STET) 7-5, 6-7, 1-0
2. ESCOBAR, Felipe (FGCU) def. Clement Hamel (STET) 6-2, 7-5
3. Antoine Sanchez (STET) def. TEBET, Marcelo (FGCU) 6-3, 6-2
4. SAKALAUSKAS,Feliksas (FGCU) def. Tim Gennes (STET) 7-5, 6-7, 6-2
5. FERNANDEZ, Javier (FGCU) def. Coilin MacNamara (STET) 6-3, 4-6, 6-4
6. RUIZ, Mateo (FGCU) def. Christian Mills (STET) 6-1, 4-6, 6-2
Order of finish: 3, 2, 6, 5, 1, 4
Doubles competition
1. ESCOBAR, Felipe/RUIZ, Mateo (FGCU) def. Tim Gennes/Linus Bergevi (STET) 6-4
2. MONTES, Juan/TEBET, Marcelo (FGCU) def. Coilin MacNamara/Clement Hamel (STET) 5-4
3. SAKALAUSKAS,Feliksas/RAMIREZ, Felipe (FGCU) def. Antoine Sanchez/Dennis Moses (STET) 6-2
Order of finish: 3, 1
Up Next:
FGCU will continue its conference road swing with a match at North Alabama (2-12, 0-2 A-SUN) next Tuesday, April 4. The Green and Blue will face off against the Lions at 2 p.m. at the UNA Tennis Complex. The matchup will be the first in program history between the two teams. UNA is currently in its first season as an NCAA Division I member and is also in its first season in the A-SUN.
FGCU MTEN @ Stetson Preview
The FGCU men's tennis team (7-8, 2-0 ASUN) will hit the road to take on Stetson (9-8, 1-1 ASUN) for a conference matchup on Saturday, March 30. The match between the Hatters and Eagles is set for 2 p.m. at the Mandy Stoll Tennis Center and marks the first of a three-match conference road slate for the Green and Blue.
"We accomplished what we wanted as a team against Brown, and now it's time to continue that for the remainder of our conference season," head coach CJ Weber said. "We're looking forward to the matchup against Stetson and I expect a good match."
Last Time Out
The Eagles closed out the non-conference portion of their season with a 4-3 win over Brown on Thursday night at the FGCU Tennis Complex. The duo of juniors Feliksas Sakalauskas and Felipe Ramirez earned a 6-3 victory on court No. 2, putting the team in position to win the doubles point.
Seniors Felipe Escobar and Mateo Ruiz sealed the doubles point with a 7-5 win over No. 78 Roger Chau / Charles Tan.
Senior Javier Fernandez extended his current winning streak to four matches with a 6-1, 7-5 triumph at the fifth flight.
After the Bears claimed two singles matches, junior Marcelo Tebet tied things up between the teams at 3-3 with a straight-set victory at the sixth court.
Sakalauskas clinched the match for the Green and Blue with a decisive 6-1 win in the third set at the fourth flight.
Scouting the Hatters:
This will be the 16th meeting in the series between the two teams, which Stetson currently leads 10-5.
The Hatters won the first eight matches in the series before FGCU rattled off a five-match win streak of its own from 2014-17. Stetson snapped the streak in the regular season last year and also defeated the Eagles in the 2018 A-SUN tournament semifinals. FGCU has won two of the last three at the Mandy Stoll Tennis Center.
Stetson suffered a 5-2 conference loss at UNF last weekend. The Hatters' only points of the day were at courts three and six in singles play.
Freshmen Tim Gennes and Christian Mills both own 8-2 records in their last 10 decisions. Gennes plays primarily in the middle of the lineup, while Mills competes at the fifth and sixth positions. Gennes and fellow freshman Josh Laka have posted a 3-5 record at No. 1 singles.
Stetson's roster shows that the team is very young this season. The Hatters have six freshmen and just four upperclassmen, meaning that it could be a team to watch for in the next few seasons of A-SUN play.
"We accomplished what we wanted as a team against Brown, and now it's time to continue that for the remainder of our conference season," head coach CJ Weber said. "We're looking forward to the matchup against Stetson and I expect a good match."
Last Time Out
The Eagles closed out the non-conference portion of their season with a 4-3 win over Brown on Thursday night at the FGCU Tennis Complex. The duo of juniors Feliksas Sakalauskas and Felipe Ramirez earned a 6-3 victory on court No. 2, putting the team in position to win the doubles point.
Seniors Felipe Escobar and Mateo Ruiz sealed the doubles point with a 7-5 win over No. 78 Roger Chau / Charles Tan.
Senior Javier Fernandez extended his current winning streak to four matches with a 6-1, 7-5 triumph at the fifth flight.
After the Bears claimed two singles matches, junior Marcelo Tebet tied things up between the teams at 3-3 with a straight-set victory at the sixth court.
Sakalauskas clinched the match for the Green and Blue with a decisive 6-1 win in the third set at the fourth flight.
Scouting the Hatters:
This will be the 16th meeting in the series between the two teams, which Stetson currently leads 10-5.
The Hatters won the first eight matches in the series before FGCU rattled off a five-match win streak of its own from 2014-17. Stetson snapped the streak in the regular season last year and also defeated the Eagles in the 2018 A-SUN tournament semifinals. FGCU has won two of the last three at the Mandy Stoll Tennis Center.
Stetson suffered a 5-2 conference loss at UNF last weekend. The Hatters' only points of the day were at courts three and six in singles play.
Freshmen Tim Gennes and Christian Mills both own 8-2 records in their last 10 decisions. Gennes plays primarily in the middle of the lineup, while Mills competes at the fifth and sixth positions. Gennes and fellow freshman Josh Laka have posted a 3-5 record at No. 1 singles.
Stetson's roster shows that the team is very young this season. The Hatters have six freshmen and just four upperclassmen, meaning that it could be a team to watch for in the next few seasons of A-SUN play.
FGCU MTEN vs Brown Recap
The FGCU men's tennis team (7-8, 2-0 A-SUN) earned a 4-3 victory over Brown (7-6, 0-0 IVY) at the end of a back-and-forth battle Thursday night at the FGCU Tennis Complex.
"These guys have been through a lot so far this season and we have played a really tough schedule," head coach CJ Weber said. "We've played a lot of 4-3 matches, but that's the type of things that we're looking for in our non-conference schedule. We're now prepared for anything in conference. I think a win like this does a great thing for the team heading into conference play."
The duo of juniors Feliksas Sakalauskas and Felipe Ramirez (6-4) finished its doubles match on court No. 2 with a 6-3 victory, leaving the point to be decided by the first and third courts. Both courts went back-and-forth until seniors Felipe Escobar and Mateo Ruiz (6-6) defeated the No. 78 duo of Roger Chau and Charles Tan 7-5. The win marked the Eagles' first over a ranked opponent in doubles play this season.
At the time the Eagles clinched the doubles point, junior Marcelo Tebet and freshman Pedro Maciel (0-1) were leading their Brown competitors 6-5.
Soon after singles play began, Ramirez (6-7) was forced to retire at the first court and the Bears picked up their first point of the match to even things up at 1-1.
Brown took its first lead of the afternoon with a 6-1, 6-0 straight set victory over Escobar (3-8) on the second flight. Senior Javier Fernandez (7-4) picked up his fourth-straight win with a 6-1, 7-5 triumph at the fifth flight that tied things up at 2-2.
The Bears took their second lead of the night with a straight-set victory at the sixth court. Tebet (8-4) responded for the Eagles with a 7-5, 6-2 win that tied things up at 3-3.
With things knotted up, the fate of the match came down to Sakalauskas and his Brown competitor on court five. After dropping the second set, Sakaulaskas (7-7) dominated the third to reward FGCU with its final 4-3 triumph over the Bears.
Results
Singles competition
1. Peter Litsky (BROWN) def. RAMIREZ, Felipe (FGCU) 0-1, retired
2. Ching Lam (BROWN) def. ESCOBAR, Felipe (FGCU) 6-4, 6-0
3. TEBET, Marcelo (FGCU) def. Roger Chou (BROWN) 7-5, 6-2
4. SAKALAUSKAS,Feliksas (FGCU) def. Jacob Walker (BROWN) 6-4, 4-6, 6-1
5. FERNANDEZ, Javier (FGCU) def. Charles Tan (BROWN) 6-1, 7-5
6. Robert Siniakowicz (BROWN) def. RUIZ, Mateo (FGCU) 6-4, 7-5
Order of finish: 1, 2, 5, 6, 3, 4
Doubles competition
1. ESCOBAR, Felipe/RUIZ, Mateo (FGCU) def. #78 Roger Chou/Charles Tan (BROWN) 7-5
2. SAKALAUSKAS,Feliksas/RAMIREZ, Felipe (FGCU) def. Ching Lam/Jacob Walker (BROWN) 6-3
3. TEBET, Marcelo/MACIEL, Pedro (FGCU) vs. Peter Litsky/Ben Collier (BROWN) 6-5, unfinished
Order of finish: 2, 1
Up Next:
The Eagles will head to Stetson this Saturday, March 30 to start off a three-match road swing. The match against the Hatters is set for 2 p.m. at the Mandy Stoll Tennis Center. Stetson currently holds a 10-5 advantage in the history between the two schools.
"These guys have been through a lot so far this season and we have played a really tough schedule," head coach CJ Weber said. "We've played a lot of 4-3 matches, but that's the type of things that we're looking for in our non-conference schedule. We're now prepared for anything in conference. I think a win like this does a great thing for the team heading into conference play."
The duo of juniors Feliksas Sakalauskas and Felipe Ramirez (6-4) finished its doubles match on court No. 2 with a 6-3 victory, leaving the point to be decided by the first and third courts. Both courts went back-and-forth until seniors Felipe Escobar and Mateo Ruiz (6-6) defeated the No. 78 duo of Roger Chau and Charles Tan 7-5. The win marked the Eagles' first over a ranked opponent in doubles play this season.
At the time the Eagles clinched the doubles point, junior Marcelo Tebet and freshman Pedro Maciel (0-1) were leading their Brown competitors 6-5.
Soon after singles play began, Ramirez (6-7) was forced to retire at the first court and the Bears picked up their first point of the match to even things up at 1-1.
Brown took its first lead of the afternoon with a 6-1, 6-0 straight set victory over Escobar (3-8) on the second flight. Senior Javier Fernandez (7-4) picked up his fourth-straight win with a 6-1, 7-5 triumph at the fifth flight that tied things up at 2-2.
The Bears took their second lead of the night with a straight-set victory at the sixth court. Tebet (8-4) responded for the Eagles with a 7-5, 6-2 win that tied things up at 3-3.
With things knotted up, the fate of the match came down to Sakalauskas and his Brown competitor on court five. After dropping the second set, Sakaulaskas (7-7) dominated the third to reward FGCU with its final 4-3 triumph over the Bears.
Results
Singles competition
1. Peter Litsky (BROWN) def. RAMIREZ, Felipe (FGCU) 0-1, retired
2. Ching Lam (BROWN) def. ESCOBAR, Felipe (FGCU) 6-4, 6-0
3. TEBET, Marcelo (FGCU) def. Roger Chou (BROWN) 7-5, 6-2
4. SAKALAUSKAS,Feliksas (FGCU) def. Jacob Walker (BROWN) 6-4, 4-6, 6-1
5. FERNANDEZ, Javier (FGCU) def. Charles Tan (BROWN) 6-1, 7-5
6. Robert Siniakowicz (BROWN) def. RUIZ, Mateo (FGCU) 6-4, 7-5
Order of finish: 1, 2, 5, 6, 3, 4
Doubles competition
1. ESCOBAR, Felipe/RUIZ, Mateo (FGCU) def. #78 Roger Chou/Charles Tan (BROWN) 7-5
2. SAKALAUSKAS,Feliksas/RAMIREZ, Felipe (FGCU) def. Ching Lam/Jacob Walker (BROWN) 6-3
3. TEBET, Marcelo/MACIEL, Pedro (FGCU) vs. Peter Litsky/Ben Collier (BROWN) 6-5, unfinished
Order of finish: 2, 1
Up Next:
The Eagles will head to Stetson this Saturday, March 30 to start off a three-match road swing. The match against the Hatters is set for 2 p.m. at the Mandy Stoll Tennis Center. Stetson currently holds a 10-5 advantage in the history between the two schools.
FGCU MTEN vs Brown Preview
The FGCU men's tennis team (6-8, 2-0 A-SUN) will take on Brown (7-5, 0-0 Ivy) at 5 p.m. Thursday, March 28 at the FGCU Tennis Complex.
"This is our last non-conference match on the year and it's a great opportunity for us to host an Ivy League school," head coach CJ Weber said. "Brown has had a good year so far, so we are anticipating another battle."
"This is our last non-conference match on the year and it's a great opportunity for us to host an Ivy League school," head coach CJ Weber said. "Brown has had a good year so far, so we are anticipating another battle."
Last Time Out:
The Green and Blue earned its second A-SUN win of the season with a clean, 7-0 sweep over NJIT last Saturday at the FGCU Tennis Complex. A strong showing in doubles play handed the Eagles an early 1-0 edge. Sophomore Juan Montes and junior Marcelo Tebet defeated their NJIT competitors 6-2 on court two. Juniors Felipe Ramirez and Feliksas Sakalauskas sealed the point with a victory by the same margin at the third flight.
Senior Javier Fernandez extended his current winning streak to three with a straight-set triumph on court six. Sakalauskas followed up immediately with a straight-set victory of his own at the fifth flight. Ramirez clinched the match for the Eagles with a 6-2, 6-1 win at court two, snapping his NJIT competitor's three-match winning streak.
Tebet and Montes each claimed straight-set victories at courts four and one, respectively. Senior Felipe Escobar sealed the sweep for the Green and Blue with a tiebreak victory in his second set at the third flight.
Scouting the Bears:
This will be the second meeting between the two programs. The teams first met at the FGCU Tennis Complex in 2011, a 6-1 victory for the Bears.
Brown is currently on a two-match skid after dropping decisions at Loyola Marymount (4-3) and at the Eagles' A-SUN foe UNF (5-2). The Bears are undefeated on their home courts, but have a 1-2 record on the road.
The duo of senior Charles Tan and freshman Roger Chau is currently ranked No. 78 in the ITA doubles rankings and owns a 5-4 record this spring. Brown has posted three shutout victories this season. The Bears blanked St. John's (4-0), Binghamton (7-0) and William & Mary (4-0). The team has been on the opposite end of a shutout just once, a 4-0 loss at Virginia Tech.
Up Next:
The Eagles will get in to the heart of their conference season with a three-match road swing, starting at Stetson (9-8, 1-1 A-SUN) on Saturday, March 30. The meeting with the Hatters is scheduled for 2 p.m. at the Mandy Stoll Tennis Center. Stetson currently holds a 10-5 advantage in the history between the two schools.
FGCU MTEN vs NJIT Recap
The FGCU men's tennis team (6-8, 2-0 A-SUN) earned its second conference win of the season with a decisive 7-0 victory over the NJIT Highlanders (4-10, 0-2 A-SUN) Saturday night at the FGCU Tennis Complex. With the win, the Eagles are now 5-2 against the Highlanders
"Everyone did a great job today and we were able to get up on them early and never let go," head coach CJ Weber said. "A lot of times when you get up early in matches, players can lose focus but we didn't do that. Everyone was disciplined and we took care of business. Playing matches at the same as the women provides a unique atmosphere. Not many programs have 12 courts to be able to do that. I think it's a really fun environment, especially when he have a bunch of fans. It's nice for (women's head coach Courtney Vernon) and I to look around and see fans cheering on our programs."
"Today was a tough match against a tough opponent," NJIT head coach Ira Miller said. We adapted pretty well to outdoor play but FGCU is always strong on their home courts"
The Eagles secured an early advantage over the Highlanders after clinching the point in doubles play. The duo of sophomore Juan Montes and junior Marcelo Tebet (3-1) was the first to finish, defeating its NJIT competitors 6-2 on court two. Juniors Felipe Ramirez and Feliksas Sakalauskas (4-3) sealed the point for FGCU with a 6-2 triumph at the third flight.
The match at the first court featuring seniors Felipe Escobar and Mateo Ruiz (5-6) went unfinished with a 4-3 Eagle advantage.
Senior Javier Fernandez (6-4) continued his recent string of success at the sixth flight and claimed a 6-0, 6-0 straight-set victory. Sakalauskas (6-7) immediately followed up with a win in two sets at court No. 5 to put the Eagles up 3-0.
Tebet (7-4) dug out the Green and Blue's third straight-set win of the night, claiming court No. 4 with a 6-2, 6-3 win. Montes (6-7) tacked on to the lead with a 6-3, 6-1 victory at the first flight.
Escobar (3-7) earned the final point of the night for FGCU with a tiebreak victory in his second set on the third court. Tonight's triumph marks the first time all season that the Eagles have shut out their opponent. The last time that the Green and Blue blanked an opponent was a 7-0 win against Georgia Southern in February 2017.
Results
Singles competition
1. MONTES, Juan (FGCU) def. Tomi Antoljak (NJIT) 6-3, 6-1
2. RAMIREZ, Felipe (FGCU) def. Lukas Zvikas (NJIT) 6-2, 6-1
3. ESCOBAR, Felipe (FGCU) def. Abdullah Fouad (NJIT) 6-4, 7-6 (7-1)
4. TEBET, Marcelo (FGCU) def. Zac Castagna (NJIT) 6-2, 6-3
5. SAKALAUSKAS,Feliksas (FGCU) def. George Svensson (NJIT) 6-0, 6-1
6. FERNANDEZ, Javier (FGCU) def. Juan Bejarano (NJIT) 6-0, 6-0
Order of finish: 6, 5, 2, 4, 1, 3
Doubles competition
1. ESCOBAR, Felipe/RUIZ, Mateo (FGCU) vs. Tomi Antoljak/Zac Castagna (NJIT) 4-3, unfinished
2. TEBET, Marcelo/MONTES, Juan (FGCU) def. Lukas Zvikas/George Svensson (NJIT) 6-2
3. SAKALAUSKAS,Feliksas/RAMIREZ, Felipe (FGCU) def. Abdullah Fouad/Juan Bejarano (NJIT) 6-2
Order of finish: 2, 3
Up Next:
The Eagles will continue their long home swing with a match against the Brown Bears next Thursday, March 28. Doubles play will begin at 5 p.m. at the FGCU Tennis Complex. This will be the second-ever meeting between the Eagles and the Bears. The last time the teams met was a 6-1 victory for Brown at the FGCU Tennis Complex in 2011.
"Everyone did a great job today and we were able to get up on them early and never let go," head coach CJ Weber said. "A lot of times when you get up early in matches, players can lose focus but we didn't do that. Everyone was disciplined and we took care of business. Playing matches at the same as the women provides a unique atmosphere. Not many programs have 12 courts to be able to do that. I think it's a really fun environment, especially when he have a bunch of fans. It's nice for (women's head coach Courtney Vernon) and I to look around and see fans cheering on our programs."
"Today was a tough match against a tough opponent," NJIT head coach Ira Miller said. We adapted pretty well to outdoor play but FGCU is always strong on their home courts"
The Eagles secured an early advantage over the Highlanders after clinching the point in doubles play. The duo of sophomore Juan Montes and junior Marcelo Tebet (3-1) was the first to finish, defeating its NJIT competitors 6-2 on court two. Juniors Felipe Ramirez and Feliksas Sakalauskas (4-3) sealed the point for FGCU with a 6-2 triumph at the third flight.
The match at the first court featuring seniors Felipe Escobar and Mateo Ruiz (5-6) went unfinished with a 4-3 Eagle advantage.
Senior Javier Fernandez (6-4) continued his recent string of success at the sixth flight and claimed a 6-0, 6-0 straight-set victory. Sakalauskas (6-7) immediately followed up with a win in two sets at court No. 5 to put the Eagles up 3-0.
Tebet (7-4) dug out the Green and Blue's third straight-set win of the night, claiming court No. 4 with a 6-2, 6-3 win. Montes (6-7) tacked on to the lead with a 6-3, 6-1 victory at the first flight.
Escobar (3-7) earned the final point of the night for FGCU with a tiebreak victory in his second set on the third court. Tonight's triumph marks the first time all season that the Eagles have shut out their opponent. The last time that the Green and Blue blanked an opponent was a 7-0 win against Georgia Southern in February 2017.
Results
Singles competition
1. MONTES, Juan (FGCU) def. Tomi Antoljak (NJIT) 6-3, 6-1
2. RAMIREZ, Felipe (FGCU) def. Lukas Zvikas (NJIT) 6-2, 6-1
3. ESCOBAR, Felipe (FGCU) def. Abdullah Fouad (NJIT) 6-4, 7-6 (7-1)
4. TEBET, Marcelo (FGCU) def. Zac Castagna (NJIT) 6-2, 6-3
5. SAKALAUSKAS,Feliksas (FGCU) def. George Svensson (NJIT) 6-0, 6-1
6. FERNANDEZ, Javier (FGCU) def. Juan Bejarano (NJIT) 6-0, 6-0
Order of finish: 6, 5, 2, 4, 1, 3
Doubles competition
1. ESCOBAR, Felipe/RUIZ, Mateo (FGCU) vs. Tomi Antoljak/Zac Castagna (NJIT) 4-3, unfinished
2. TEBET, Marcelo/MONTES, Juan (FGCU) def. Lukas Zvikas/George Svensson (NJIT) 6-2
3. SAKALAUSKAS,Feliksas/RAMIREZ, Felipe (FGCU) def. Abdullah Fouad/Juan Bejarano (NJIT) 6-2
Order of finish: 2, 3
Up Next:
The Eagles will continue their long home swing with a match against the Brown Bears next Thursday, March 28. Doubles play will begin at 5 p.m. at the FGCU Tennis Complex. This will be the second-ever meeting between the Eagles and the Bears. The last time the teams met was a 6-1 victory for Brown at the FGCU Tennis Complex in 2011.
FGCU MTEN vs Georgia State Preview
The FGCU men's tennis team (5-7, 1-0 A-SUN) will host Georgia State for a midweek match at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 20 at the FGCU Tennis Complex. This will be the first meeting between the two programs.
"Georgia State is a quality program every year, so we are excited to host them," head coach CJ Weber said. "They've been in and out of the top 50 this year, so it's going to be another tough matchup for us. These are the types of battles we are looking for in order to learn about ourselves and continue to grow as a team while getting ready for the conference season."
Last Time Out
• The Eagles clinched an exciting 4-3 victory over UNC Wilmington on their home court last Thursday night.
• FGCU earned the doubles point after Felipe Escobar and Mateo Ruiz won their doubles match on court No. 1 and Feliksas Sakalauskas and Felipe Ramirez earned a win on court No. 3.
• Javier Fernandez and Juan Montes triumphed in singles play at the sixth and first courts, respectively.
• UNC Wilmington claimed three singles matches of its own to even the score at 3-3, leaving the final result of the match to come down to court No. 4.
• Marcelo Tebet, who had won the first set in a 7-6 (15-13) tiebreaker, dropped the middle set before claiming the third 6-4. Tebet's singles triumph boosted the Eagles towards their final 4-3 result.
Scouting the Panthers
• Georgia State is 7-8 and has yet to play in any Sun Belt conference matchups.
• The team is currently unranked but was listed as the No. 49 team in the nation by the ITA Team Rankings for the week of Feb. 26.
• Senior Giles Hussey owns a 5-6 dual record, including a 2-1 mark against nationally ranked opponents. Hussey is 3-5 at the first court and 2-1 at the second.
• The Panthers have clinched the doubles point in six of their last seven matches, including their matchup against the No. 45 USF Bulls on Monday.
• Despite clinching the doubles point, Georgia State fell 4-3 at USF after the Bulls rallied in singles play.
"Georgia State is a quality program every year, so we are excited to host them," head coach CJ Weber said. "They've been in and out of the top 50 this year, so it's going to be another tough matchup for us. These are the types of battles we are looking for in order to learn about ourselves and continue to grow as a team while getting ready for the conference season."
Last Time Out
• The Eagles clinched an exciting 4-3 victory over UNC Wilmington on their home court last Thursday night.
• FGCU earned the doubles point after Felipe Escobar and Mateo Ruiz won their doubles match on court No. 1 and Feliksas Sakalauskas and Felipe Ramirez earned a win on court No. 3.
• Javier Fernandez and Juan Montes triumphed in singles play at the sixth and first courts, respectively.
• UNC Wilmington claimed three singles matches of its own to even the score at 3-3, leaving the final result of the match to come down to court No. 4.
• Marcelo Tebet, who had won the first set in a 7-6 (15-13) tiebreaker, dropped the middle set before claiming the third 6-4. Tebet's singles triumph boosted the Eagles towards their final 4-3 result.
Scouting the Panthers
• Georgia State is 7-8 and has yet to play in any Sun Belt conference matchups.
• The team is currently unranked but was listed as the No. 49 team in the nation by the ITA Team Rankings for the week of Feb. 26.
• Senior Giles Hussey owns a 5-6 dual record, including a 2-1 mark against nationally ranked opponents. Hussey is 3-5 at the first court and 2-1 at the second.
• The Panthers have clinched the doubles point in six of their last seven matches, including their matchup against the No. 45 USF Bulls on Monday.
• Despite clinching the doubles point, Georgia State fell 4-3 at USF after the Bulls rallied in singles play.
FGCU MTEN vs UNCW Recap
The FGCU men's tennis team (5-7, 1-0 A-SUN) was on the winning side of a 4-3 battle against the UNC Wilmington Seahawks (6-8, 0-0 CAA) Thursday night at the FGCU Tennis Complex. The match came down to the final court in singles play, where junior Marcelo Tebet earned the winning point.
"This was a true team effort and I am so proud of everyone," head coach CJ Weber said. "We went into today with a mission and everybody fulfilled their role on the team. So that was a 100 percent team effort. Even the guys that lost today, I'm very proud of them because we played with the right attitude. That's all we can ask for."
The Eagles got off to a hot start to today's match, dominating doubles play. On the first court, seniors Felipe Escobar and Mateo Ruiz (5-4) earned a 6-1 victory over their UNCW opponents. The duo of juniors Feliksas Sakalauskas and Felipe Ramirez (3-2) followed up with a decisive victory of their own on court No. 3, beating their competitors with a score of 6-3.
With two wins, the Green and Blue clinched the doubles point and took an early 1-0 lead. At the time doubles play was called, Tebet and sophomore Juan Montes were leading a UNCW duo 5-4 at the second court.
The Seahawks got on the board with Bruno Caula's straight-set victory over Sakalauskas (5-6) at the fifth court (6-2, 6-3). Senior Javier Fernandez (4-4) helped the Eagles regain the lead with a decisive triumph on court No. 6, defeating his competitor 6-0, 6-4. Montes (5-7) also picked up a win in singles play with a 6-4, 6-1 win at the first court, extending the Green and Blue's advantage to 3-1.
The Seahawks picked up their second win in singles play with a 6-4, 6-4 decision on court No. 2, cutting the home team's lead to 3-2. The match was left to be decided by courts three and four, which both went into three sets.
UNCW's Daniel Groom dug out a 6-4 win in in the third set at the third flight, which tied things up between the two teams at 3-3.
The play on court No. 4 was consistently back-and-forth. Tebet and the Seahawks' Michael Copeland were evenly matched and kept one another in check. Eventually, Tebet (6-4) clinched the win for the Eagles with a 6-4 win in the third set.
Results
Singles competition
1. MONTES, Juan (FGCU) def. Austin Hussey (UNCW) 6-4, 6-1
2. Agustin Savarino (UNCW) def. RAMIREZ, Felipe (FGCU) 6-4, 6-4
3. Cole Groetsch (UNCW) def. ESCOBAR, Felipe (FGCU) 1-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-4
4. TEBET, Marcelo (FGCU) def. Michael Copeland (UNCW) 7-6 (15-13), 2-6, 6-4
5. Bruno Caula (UNCW) def. SAKALAUSKAS,Feliksas (FGCU) 6-2, 6-3
6. FERNANDEZ, Javier (FGCU) def. Davide Innocenti (UNCW) 6-0, 6-4
Doubles competition
1. ESCOBAR, Felipe/RUIZ, Mateo (FGCU) def. Michael Morphy/Daniel Groom (UNCW) 6-1
2. TEBET, Marcelo/MONTES, Juan (FGCU) vs. Bruno Caula/Cole Groetsch (UNCW) 5-4, unfinished
3. SAKALAUSKAS,Feliksas/RAMIREZ, Felipe (FGCU) def. Agustin Savarino/Michael Copeland (UNCW) 6-3
Up Next
The Eagles will continue their long home swing with a match against Georgia State next Wednesday, March 20. The match against the Panthers is set to begin at 5 p.m. at the FGCU Tennis Complex.
"This was a true team effort and I am so proud of everyone," head coach CJ Weber said. "We went into today with a mission and everybody fulfilled their role on the team. So that was a 100 percent team effort. Even the guys that lost today, I'm very proud of them because we played with the right attitude. That's all we can ask for."
The Eagles got off to a hot start to today's match, dominating doubles play. On the first court, seniors Felipe Escobar and Mateo Ruiz (5-4) earned a 6-1 victory over their UNCW opponents. The duo of juniors Feliksas Sakalauskas and Felipe Ramirez (3-2) followed up with a decisive victory of their own on court No. 3, beating their competitors with a score of 6-3.
With two wins, the Green and Blue clinched the doubles point and took an early 1-0 lead. At the time doubles play was called, Tebet and sophomore Juan Montes were leading a UNCW duo 5-4 at the second court.
The Seahawks got on the board with Bruno Caula's straight-set victory over Sakalauskas (5-6) at the fifth court (6-2, 6-3). Senior Javier Fernandez (4-4) helped the Eagles regain the lead with a decisive triumph on court No. 6, defeating his competitor 6-0, 6-4. Montes (5-7) also picked up a win in singles play with a 6-4, 6-1 win at the first court, extending the Green and Blue's advantage to 3-1.
The Seahawks picked up their second win in singles play with a 6-4, 6-4 decision on court No. 2, cutting the home team's lead to 3-2. The match was left to be decided by courts three and four, which both went into three sets.
UNCW's Daniel Groom dug out a 6-4 win in in the third set at the third flight, which tied things up between the two teams at 3-3.
The play on court No. 4 was consistently back-and-forth. Tebet and the Seahawks' Michael Copeland were evenly matched and kept one another in check. Eventually, Tebet (6-4) clinched the win for the Eagles with a 6-4 win in the third set.
Results
Singles competition
1. MONTES, Juan (FGCU) def. Austin Hussey (UNCW) 6-4, 6-1
2. Agustin Savarino (UNCW) def. RAMIREZ, Felipe (FGCU) 6-4, 6-4
3. Cole Groetsch (UNCW) def. ESCOBAR, Felipe (FGCU) 1-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-4
4. TEBET, Marcelo (FGCU) def. Michael Copeland (UNCW) 7-6 (15-13), 2-6, 6-4
5. Bruno Caula (UNCW) def. SAKALAUSKAS,Feliksas (FGCU) 6-2, 6-3
6. FERNANDEZ, Javier (FGCU) def. Davide Innocenti (UNCW) 6-0, 6-4
Doubles competition
1. ESCOBAR, Felipe/RUIZ, Mateo (FGCU) def. Michael Morphy/Daniel Groom (UNCW) 6-1
2. TEBET, Marcelo/MONTES, Juan (FGCU) vs. Bruno Caula/Cole Groetsch (UNCW) 5-4, unfinished
3. SAKALAUSKAS,Feliksas/RAMIREZ, Felipe (FGCU) def. Agustin Savarino/Michael Copeland (UNCW) 6-3
Up Next
The Eagles will continue their long home swing with a match against Georgia State next Wednesday, March 20. The match against the Panthers is set to begin at 5 p.m. at the FGCU Tennis Complex.
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