The FGCU women's tennis team (3-4) handed Georgia Southern (4-2) its second loss of the year coming away with a 4-3 decision Friday afternoon.
The ladies faced a lot of adversity today and it was a good step forward," said head coach Courtney Vernon. "They are growing every match and learning how to battle through different exciting challenges."
Due to weather conditions, both teams went ahead and started singles action first. Down 2-0, Ida Ferding captured the first victory on court No. 5 in straight sets (6-3, 6-4). Soon after, FGCU reeled off two-straight wins to jump ahead 3-2. Sofia Perez captured a 6-4, 6-4 win on court No. 3, while Lourdes Ramalle came out on top on court No. 6, 6-0, 7-5.
GS would capture the final singles win on court No. 2 to send it to doubles for the deciding point. On court No. 3, the tandem of Ramalle and Alba Retortillo finished first, cruising to a 6-0 triumph. Moments later, Julia Fisch and Sara Kelly officially won it for the Green and Blue on court No.2 with a 6-1 win.
Singles competition
1. Boixader, Paula (GS) def. Maja Ornberg (FGCU) 7-6, 6-2
2. Meier, Nadja (GS) def. Sara Kelly (FGCU) 1-6, 7-5, 6-4
3. Sofia Perez (FGCU) def. de Winter, Arianne (GS) 6-4, 6-4
4. van Diemen,Charlotte (GS) def. Alba Retortillo (FGCU) 6-2, 6-3
5. Ida Ferding (FGCU) def. Hijos, Paula (GS) 6-3, 6-4
6. Lourdes Ramalle (FGCU) def. Goines, Elizabeth (GS) 6-0, 7-5
Doubles competition
1. Boixader, Paula/de Winter, Arianne (GS) vs. Maja Ornberg/Sofia Perez (FGCU) 3-4, unfinished
2. Julia Fisch/Sara Kelly (FGCU) def. Daniel, Hannah/Meier, Nadja (GS) 6-1
3. Lourdes Ramalle/Alba Retortillo (FGCU) def. Hijos, Paula/van Diemen,Charlotte (GS) 6-0
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (4,1,5,3,6,2)
Up Next:
FGCU will take on Mercer Saturday morning at 11 a.m.
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Showing posts with label FGCU Tennis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label FGCU Tennis. Show all posts
FGCU MTEN vs FAMU Recap
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)
"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)
FGCU WTEN vs Kentucky Recap
Junior Satomi Momose along with freshman Alba Retortillo collected singles wins as the FGCU women's tennis team fell to Kentucky, 5-2, in the season opener Wednesday night.
Momose put FGCU (0-1) on the board collecting a pair of 6-4 sets on court No. 3, while Retortillo battled back from a 7-5 first set loss, only to win the second set 6-1 and a 10-8 tiebreaker on court No. 6.
"First of all, congratulations to Kentucky, they played a really tough match tonight," said head coach Courtney Vernon. "The girls competed and I'm excited how the freshmen came out and really fought tonight. We have a lot to improve on so I'm really grateful we have a week now to train before we play back-to-back matches next week against Miami (OH) and South Alabama."
Kentucky (1-0), who is receiving votes in the ITA top-25 poll, took a 1-0 lead after producing wins on courts one and two in doubles action. Lesedi Jacobs would come down with the clinching point on the top court.
The Eagles return to the courts next Thursday, Jan. 16 for a match against Miami (OH) at 10 a.m.
Notes:
Momose, Ferding, Ramalle, Retortillo and junior Julia Fisch all made their FGCU spring debuts. Ferding and Retortillo made their debuts as true freshmen, while Momose (SPC: NJCAA) Ramalle (Portland) and Fisch (Arizona State) made their debuts as transfers.
Singles
1. Lesedi Jacobs (UK) def. Maja Ornberg (FGCU) 6-2, 6-4
2. Carlota Molina (UK) def. Sara Kelly (FGCU) 7-6 (1-0), 6-2
3. Satomi Momose (FGCU) def. Diana Tkachenko (UK) 6-4, 6-4
4. Carla Girbau (UK) def. Ida Ferding (FGCU) 6-2, 6-2
5. Anastasia Tkachenko (UK) def. Lourdes Ramalle (FGCU) 6-3, 6-3
6. Alba Retortillo (FGCU) def. Brianna Tulloch (UK) 5-7, 6-1, 1-0 (10-8)
Doubles
1. Anastasia Tkachenko/Lesedi Jacobs (UK) def. Satomi Momose/Ida Ferding (FGCU) 6-2
2. Carla Girbau/Diana Tkachenko (UK) def. Julia Fisch/Sara Kelly (FGCU) 6-4
3. Alba Retortillo/Lourdes Ramalle (FGCU) vs. Carlota Molina/Brianna Tulloch (UK) 3-4, unfinished
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (5,4,3,1,2,6)
Momose put FGCU (0-1) on the board collecting a pair of 6-4 sets on court No. 3, while Retortillo battled back from a 7-5 first set loss, only to win the second set 6-1 and a 10-8 tiebreaker on court No. 6.
"First of all, congratulations to Kentucky, they played a really tough match tonight," said head coach Courtney Vernon. "The girls competed and I'm excited how the freshmen came out and really fought tonight. We have a lot to improve on so I'm really grateful we have a week now to train before we play back-to-back matches next week against Miami (OH) and South Alabama."
Kentucky (1-0), who is receiving votes in the ITA top-25 poll, took a 1-0 lead after producing wins on courts one and two in doubles action. Lesedi Jacobs would come down with the clinching point on the top court.
The Eagles return to the courts next Thursday, Jan. 16 for a match against Miami (OH) at 10 a.m.
Notes:
Momose, Ferding, Ramalle, Retortillo and junior Julia Fisch all made their FGCU spring debuts. Ferding and Retortillo made their debuts as true freshmen, while Momose (SPC: NJCAA) Ramalle (Portland) and Fisch (Arizona State) made their debuts as transfers.
Singles
1. Lesedi Jacobs (UK) def. Maja Ornberg (FGCU) 6-2, 6-4
2. Carlota Molina (UK) def. Sara Kelly (FGCU) 7-6 (1-0), 6-2
3. Satomi Momose (FGCU) def. Diana Tkachenko (UK) 6-4, 6-4
4. Carla Girbau (UK) def. Ida Ferding (FGCU) 6-2, 6-2
5. Anastasia Tkachenko (UK) def. Lourdes Ramalle (FGCU) 6-3, 6-3
6. Alba Retortillo (FGCU) def. Brianna Tulloch (UK) 5-7, 6-1, 1-0 (10-8)
Doubles
1. Anastasia Tkachenko/Lesedi Jacobs (UK) def. Satomi Momose/Ida Ferding (FGCU) 6-2
2. Carla Girbau/Diana Tkachenko (UK) def. Julia Fisch/Sara Kelly (FGCU) 6-4
3. Alba Retortillo/Lourdes Ramalle (FGCU) vs. Carlota Molina/Brianna Tulloch (UK) 3-4, unfinished
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (5,4,3,1,2,6)
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 WTEN vs UNF: A-SUN Conference Championship Recap
It came down to both team's top players in the end as the fourth-seeded FGCU women's tennis team (11-10) fell in the A-SUN Championship final to second-seeded UNF (17-7), 4-3, Saturday afternoon, at the Mandy Stoll Tennis Center on the campus of Stetson University.
"Congratulations to UNF today, they gave us a tough battle and challenged us to the very end," said head coach Courtney Vernon. "I can't be more proud of the way our ladies competed over these last three matches. They never gave up and believed in each other all the way to the last point. It's a very special group, especially for the seniors who played their last matches today. I'm thankful for this team and everyone who has supported us all season."
The Eagles found themselves trailing after doubles as UNF picked up courts Nos. 1 & 2 with 6-3 and 6-2 scores, respectively.
In singles play, the Ospreys built a 2-0 lead taking court No. 2 in straight sets. But FGCU's first point of the day would come from senior Julia Ascúa as she defeated her opponent on court No. 3, 6-3, 6-0. Shortly after though, UNF regained its lead with a victory on Court No. 4.
Junior Bridget Forster cut the Eagles deficit down to one, cruising away with a pair of 6-2 decisions on court No. 6. The drama soon began on court No. 5 where senior Patricia Villar battled back from a loss in the first set (4-6), winning her second set 7-6 (7-5 tiebreaker). During the second set, Villar was down 1-5 before mounting a tremendous comeback that forced a third set in which she won, 6-2.
With the match now tied 3-3, the championship point would come on the top court where junior Maja Ornberg fought back after being downed 7-5 in set one. She kept FGCU's chances alive claiming a thrilling 7-6 second set win (8-6 tiebreaker) but eventually was edged in the third set, 6-3.
The championship finals appearances was FGCU's fourth in the last five years.
Ornberg was the lone Eagle represented on the ASUN All-Tournament Team.
Singles competition
1. Rafaela Gomez (UNF) def. Maja Ornberg (FGCU) 7-5, 6-7, 6-3
2. Lucia Montano (UNF) def. Sara Kelly (FGCU) 6-2, 6-1
3. Julia Ascúa (FGCU) def. Ana Paula Melilo (UNF) 6-3, 6-0
4. Valentina Mariotto (UNF) def. Sofia Perez (FGCU) 6-1, 6-2
5. Patricia Villar (FGCU) def. Constanza Gorches (UNF) 4-6, 7-6, 6-2
6. Bridget Forster (FGCU) def. Florencia Rossi (UNF) 6-2, 6-2
Doubles competition
1. Constanza Gorches/Rafaela Gomez (UNF) def. Maja Ornberg/Julia Ascúa (FGCU) 6-3
2. Lucia Montano/Florencia Rossi (UNF) def. Patricia Villar/Sara Kelly (FGCU) 6-2
3. Ana Paula Melilo/Valentina Mariotto (UNF) vs. Sofia Perez/Bridget Forster (FGCU) 4-3, unfinished
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (2,3,4,6,5,1)
"Congratulations to UNF today, they gave us a tough battle and challenged us to the very end," said head coach Courtney Vernon. "I can't be more proud of the way our ladies competed over these last three matches. They never gave up and believed in each other all the way to the last point. It's a very special group, especially for the seniors who played their last matches today. I'm thankful for this team and everyone who has supported us all season."
The Eagles found themselves trailing after doubles as UNF picked up courts Nos. 1 & 2 with 6-3 and 6-2 scores, respectively.
In singles play, the Ospreys built a 2-0 lead taking court No. 2 in straight sets. But FGCU's first point of the day would come from senior Julia Ascúa as she defeated her opponent on court No. 3, 6-3, 6-0. Shortly after though, UNF regained its lead with a victory on Court No. 4.
Junior Bridget Forster cut the Eagles deficit down to one, cruising away with a pair of 6-2 decisions on court No. 6. The drama soon began on court No. 5 where senior Patricia Villar battled back from a loss in the first set (4-6), winning her second set 7-6 (7-5 tiebreaker). During the second set, Villar was down 1-5 before mounting a tremendous comeback that forced a third set in which she won, 6-2.
With the match now tied 3-3, the championship point would come on the top court where junior Maja Ornberg fought back after being downed 7-5 in set one. She kept FGCU's chances alive claiming a thrilling 7-6 second set win (8-6 tiebreaker) but eventually was edged in the third set, 6-3.
The championship finals appearances was FGCU's fourth in the last five years.
Ornberg was the lone Eagle represented on the ASUN All-Tournament Team.
Singles competition
1. Rafaela Gomez (UNF) def. Maja Ornberg (FGCU) 7-5, 6-7, 6-3
2. Lucia Montano (UNF) def. Sara Kelly (FGCU) 6-2, 6-1
3. Julia Ascúa (FGCU) def. Ana Paula Melilo (UNF) 6-3, 6-0
4. Valentina Mariotto (UNF) def. Sofia Perez (FGCU) 6-1, 6-2
5. Patricia Villar (FGCU) def. Constanza Gorches (UNF) 4-6, 7-6, 6-2
6. Bridget Forster (FGCU) def. Florencia Rossi (UNF) 6-2, 6-2
Doubles competition
1. Constanza Gorches/Rafaela Gomez (UNF) def. Maja Ornberg/Julia Ascúa (FGCU) 6-3
2. Lucia Montano/Florencia Rossi (UNF) def. Patricia Villar/Sara Kelly (FGCU) 6-2
3. Ana Paula Melilo/Valentina Mariotto (UNF) vs. Sofia Perez/Bridget Forster (FGCU) 4-3, unfinished
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (2,3,4,6,5,1)
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 WTEN vs Liberty: A-SUN Conference Semifinals Recap
The FGCU women's tennis team (11-9) clawed back from a 3-0 hole to top Liberty (15-7) 4-3 in the semifinal match Friday afternoon at the Mandy Stoll Tennis Center.
With the win, the Eagles advance to their fourth A-SUN Championship final (2015-17) where they will meet a familiar foe in second-seeded UNF. FGCU has matched up with the Ospreys in all three previous finals appearances.
"Today was a huge battle against Liberty," said head coach Courtney Vernon. "[Liberty] competes very hard and it was fun watching the ladies never give up. They had so much courage today and we're looking forward to tomorrow's championship match."
In doubles competition, Liberty got the upper hand claiming court No. 3 in a 6-0 decision, before taking the top court 6-2 en route to the 1-0 advantage transitioning into singles.
The Flames made it a 3-0 margin with wins on courts Nos. 2 and 3, both in straight sets. The FGCU comeback began on court No. 6 where junior Bridget Forster (6-1) gave FGCU's first point of the afternoon. After dropping her first set 4-6, the Boca Raton native reeled off a 7-6 second-set win and topped it off taking the final set 6-3. Senior Patricia Villar kept the momentum going as she also battled it out in three sets. Villar claimed the first set 6-1 but would fall in the second, 3-6. Trailing 2-3 at one point in the third, she eventually pulled away from her counterpart for a 7-6 third set.
Junior Sofia Perez raised eyebrows all around the Mandy Stoll Tennis Center as she tied the match 3-3. Falling 7-5 in her first set, the Costa Rican bounced back with a 6-4 second set victory. The Eagles were one point away from being sent home as Perez stared at a 2-5 deficit. Unfazed, she stormed back to make 5-5, eventually capturing the third set in a 7-6 thriller.
This shifted everyone's attention to the premiere court where junior Maja Ornberg put on the finishing touches to the comeback. She took her first set 6-1, but Liberty produced the same score in the second set to send it to a third. Ahead 6-5 and facing serve, Ornberg produced six return shots, her last being a drop shot that was served back into the net for the FGCU victory.
When both teams met in Fort Myers, Fla., on Mar. 17 during the regular season, the Eagles rallied back from a 3-1 deficit to defeat the Flames in a 4-3 final.
Since the Division I era (2007-08), FGCU has now mounted four comeback wins when trailing 3-0 – Stetson 2012, FAU & UNF 2018, and Liberty 2019. This is the first time the Green and Blue have completed such feat in postseason play.
Singles competition
1. Maja Ornberg (FGCU) def. Ashley Bongart (LIBERTY) 6-4, 1-6, 7-5
2. Kalani Soli (LIBERTY) def. Sara Kelly (FGCU) 6-0, 6-1
3. Lara Soares (LIBERTY) def. Julia Ascúa (FGCU) 7-6, 6-4
4. Sofia Perez (FGCU) def. Maria Medina (LIBERTY) 5-7, 6-4, 7-5
5. Patricia Villar (FGCU) def. Alexandra Almborg (LIBERTY) 6-1, 3-6, 7-6
6. Bridget Forster (FGCU) def. Anna Dollar (LIBERTY) 4-6, 7-6, 6-3
Doubles competition
1. Lara Soares/Maria Medina (LIBERTY) def. Maja Ornberg/Julia Ascúa (FGCU) 6-2
2. Grace Hashiguchi/Kalani Soli (LIBERTY) vs. Patricia Villar/Sara Kelly (FGCU) 4-1, unfinished
3. Anna Dollar/Ashley Bongart (LIBERTY) def. Bridget Forster/Sofia Perez (FGCU), 6-0
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1); Singles (2,3,6,5,4,1)
Up Next:
FGCU will square off against rival UNF (16-7) in the championship final at noon Saturday afternoon. The final will be broadcasted on ESPN +.
With the win, the Eagles advance to their fourth A-SUN Championship final (2015-17) where they will meet a familiar foe in second-seeded UNF. FGCU has matched up with the Ospreys in all three previous finals appearances.
"Today was a huge battle against Liberty," said head coach Courtney Vernon. "[Liberty] competes very hard and it was fun watching the ladies never give up. They had so much courage today and we're looking forward to tomorrow's championship match."
In doubles competition, Liberty got the upper hand claiming court No. 3 in a 6-0 decision, before taking the top court 6-2 en route to the 1-0 advantage transitioning into singles.
The Flames made it a 3-0 margin with wins on courts Nos. 2 and 3, both in straight sets. The FGCU comeback began on court No. 6 where junior Bridget Forster (6-1) gave FGCU's first point of the afternoon. After dropping her first set 4-6, the Boca Raton native reeled off a 7-6 second-set win and topped it off taking the final set 6-3. Senior Patricia Villar kept the momentum going as she also battled it out in three sets. Villar claimed the first set 6-1 but would fall in the second, 3-6. Trailing 2-3 at one point in the third, she eventually pulled away from her counterpart for a 7-6 third set.
Junior Sofia Perez raised eyebrows all around the Mandy Stoll Tennis Center as she tied the match 3-3. Falling 7-5 in her first set, the Costa Rican bounced back with a 6-4 second set victory. The Eagles were one point away from being sent home as Perez stared at a 2-5 deficit. Unfazed, she stormed back to make 5-5, eventually capturing the third set in a 7-6 thriller.
This shifted everyone's attention to the premiere court where junior Maja Ornberg put on the finishing touches to the comeback. She took her first set 6-1, but Liberty produced the same score in the second set to send it to a third. Ahead 6-5 and facing serve, Ornberg produced six return shots, her last being a drop shot that was served back into the net for the FGCU victory.
When both teams met in Fort Myers, Fla., on Mar. 17 during the regular season, the Eagles rallied back from a 3-1 deficit to defeat the Flames in a 4-3 final.
Since the Division I era (2007-08), FGCU has now mounted four comeback wins when trailing 3-0 – Stetson 2012, FAU & UNF 2018, and Liberty 2019. This is the first time the Green and Blue have completed such feat in postseason play.
Singles competition
1. Maja Ornberg (FGCU) def. Ashley Bongart (LIBERTY) 6-4, 1-6, 7-5
2. Kalani Soli (LIBERTY) def. Sara Kelly (FGCU) 6-0, 6-1
3. Lara Soares (LIBERTY) def. Julia Ascúa (FGCU) 7-6, 6-4
4. Sofia Perez (FGCU) def. Maria Medina (LIBERTY) 5-7, 6-4, 7-5
5. Patricia Villar (FGCU) def. Alexandra Almborg (LIBERTY) 6-1, 3-6, 7-6
6. Bridget Forster (FGCU) def. Anna Dollar (LIBERTY) 4-6, 7-6, 6-3
Doubles competition
1. Lara Soares/Maria Medina (LIBERTY) def. Maja Ornberg/Julia Ascúa (FGCU) 6-2
2. Grace Hashiguchi/Kalani Soli (LIBERTY) vs. Patricia Villar/Sara Kelly (FGCU) 4-1, unfinished
3. Anna Dollar/Ashley Bongart (LIBERTY) def. Bridget Forster/Sofia Perez (FGCU), 6-0
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1); Singles (2,3,6,5,4,1)
Up Next:
FGCU will square off against rival UNF (16-7) in the championship final at noon Saturday afternoon. The final will be broadcasted on ESPN +.
FGCU WTEN vs Stetson: A-SUN Conference Quarterfinals Recap
The fourth-seeded FGCU women's tennis team (10-9) defeated host Stetson (12-9), 4-0, to advance to the A-SUN semifinals at 9 a.m. Friday morning against top-seeded Liberty.
"The ladies had a lot of fun competing today and we will take that same mentality into tomorrow's match," head coach Courtney Vernon said. "We're going to take it point-by-point as we expect a battle from Liberty so we look forward to the opportunity."
After being bounced by the Hatters in the 2018 A-SUN Tournament and in their regular season matchup this year, the Eagles avenged both losses starting with a strong doubles play. The tandem of juniors Bridget Forster and Sofia Perez (2-3) cruised to a 6-2 win on court No. 3. Soon after, A-SUN Second Teamer, sophomore Sara Kelly teamed up with Patricia Villar (11-2) to produce their 11th overall doubles win of the season with a 6-2 score to put FGCU up 1-0 going into singles.
The 2019 A-SUN Scholar-Athlete of the Year senior Julia Ascúa (10-7) claimed the Green and Blue's first victory in singles play recording a 6-3, 6-1 triumph on court No. 3. Following her was teammate and A-SUN First Teamer Maja Ornberg (10-7). The junior collected her 12th win overall on the top court over Stetson's Lucie Renault with a 6-2, 6-4 final line.
Officially clinching the match for the Eagles was Villar (6-3) on court No. 5. The Spain native came out on top in her first set in a tough 7-5 battle and saw herself in a 3-3 tie in the second, before pulling away in a 6-3 final.
Singles competition
1. Maja Ornberg (FGCU) def. Lucie Renault (STET) 6-2, 6-4
2. Sara Kelly (FGCU) vs. Danel Ashirova (STET) 7-5, 5-4, unfinished
3. Julia Ascúa (FGCU) def. Brooke Milner (STET) 6-3, 6-1
4. Sofia Perez (FGCU) vs. Vicky Geurinckx (STET) 6-1, 4-6, 4-1, unfinished
5. Patricia Villar (FGCU) def. Danielle Peele (STET) 7-5, 6-3
6. Bridget Forster (FGCU) vs. Alexe Viaud (STET) 6-4, 5-7, 2-5, unfinished
Doubles competition
1. Maja Ornberg/Julia Ascúa (FGCU) vs. Danel Ashirova/Lucie Renault (STET) 5-4, unfinished
2. Patricia Villar/Sara Kelly (FGCU) def. Vicky Geurinckx/Brooke Milner (STET) 6-2
3. Bridget Forster/Sofia Perez (FGCU) def. Megan Horwitz/Alexe Viaud (STET) 6-2
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (3,1,5)
Up Next:
FGCU takes on top-seeded Liberty at 9 a.m. Friday morning. When both teams met in Fort Myers, Fla., on Mar. 17 during the regular season, the Eagles stormed back from a 3-1 deficit to defeat the Flames in a 4-3 final.
"The ladies had a lot of fun competing today and we will take that same mentality into tomorrow's match," head coach Courtney Vernon said. "We're going to take it point-by-point as we expect a battle from Liberty so we look forward to the opportunity."
After being bounced by the Hatters in the 2018 A-SUN Tournament and in their regular season matchup this year, the Eagles avenged both losses starting with a strong doubles play. The tandem of juniors Bridget Forster and Sofia Perez (2-3) cruised to a 6-2 win on court No. 3. Soon after, A-SUN Second Teamer, sophomore Sara Kelly teamed up with Patricia Villar (11-2) to produce their 11th overall doubles win of the season with a 6-2 score to put FGCU up 1-0 going into singles.
The 2019 A-SUN Scholar-Athlete of the Year senior Julia Ascúa (10-7) claimed the Green and Blue's first victory in singles play recording a 6-3, 6-1 triumph on court No. 3. Following her was teammate and A-SUN First Teamer Maja Ornberg (10-7). The junior collected her 12th win overall on the top court over Stetson's Lucie Renault with a 6-2, 6-4 final line.
Officially clinching the match for the Eagles was Villar (6-3) on court No. 5. The Spain native came out on top in her first set in a tough 7-5 battle and saw herself in a 3-3 tie in the second, before pulling away in a 6-3 final.
Singles competition
1. Maja Ornberg (FGCU) def. Lucie Renault (STET) 6-2, 6-4
2. Sara Kelly (FGCU) vs. Danel Ashirova (STET) 7-5, 5-4, unfinished
3. Julia Ascúa (FGCU) def. Brooke Milner (STET) 6-3, 6-1
4. Sofia Perez (FGCU) vs. Vicky Geurinckx (STET) 6-1, 4-6, 4-1, unfinished
5. Patricia Villar (FGCU) def. Danielle Peele (STET) 7-5, 6-3
6. Bridget Forster (FGCU) vs. Alexe Viaud (STET) 6-4, 5-7, 2-5, unfinished
Doubles competition
1. Maja Ornberg/Julia Ascúa (FGCU) vs. Danel Ashirova/Lucie Renault (STET) 5-4, unfinished
2. Patricia Villar/Sara Kelly (FGCU) def. Vicky Geurinckx/Brooke Milner (STET) 6-2
3. Bridget Forster/Sofia Perez (FGCU) def. Megan Horwitz/Alexe Viaud (STET) 6-2
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (3,1,5)
Up Next:
FGCU takes on top-seeded Liberty at 9 a.m. Friday morning. When both teams met in Fort Myers, Fla., on Mar. 17 during the regular season, the Eagles stormed back from a 3-1 deficit to defeat the Flames in a 4-3 final.
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 WTEN vs Stetson: A-SUN Conference Quarterfinals Preview
The fourth-seeded FGCU women's tennis team's (9-9) quest for its first A-SUN Championship will begin Thursday morning in a 9 a.m. battle versus fifth-seeded Stetson at the Mandy Stoll Tennis Center.
This will mark the fourth-straight meeting that FGCU faces Stetson in its first match to begin the A-SUN Tournament. Last season, the top-seeded Eagles were upset in the semifinals by the fourth-seeded Hatters, 4-3.
Last Time Out:
Following a three and a half hour weather delay, the Green and Blue downed Kennesaw State, 4-0, to end the regular season on Senior Night. After securing the doubles point, FGCU carried its momentum into singles play with a dominant outing.
Senior Julia Ascúa (9-7) claimed the first victory for FGCU downing her counterpart with a pair of 6-1 sets on court No. 3. Sophomore Sara Kelly (9-7) made it a 3-0 match on court No. 2 taking both her sets in 6-0 decisions. Junior Bridget Forster (5-1) then officially gave the Eagles the match on court No. 5 with a 6-3, 6-0 triumph.
A-SUN Awards and Accolades:
Prior to the tournament, the A-SUN Awards and accolades were presented Wednesday evening.
Ascúa was dubbed as the conference's Scholar-Athlete of the Year, in the process, she earned a spot on the All-Academic team for a third-straight season. She is the third Eagle in program history to receive such honor as Julianna Curtis (2017) and Elizabeth Means (2016) nabbed the award in back-to-back years for FGCU. Senior Ascúa snagged FGCU's third Scholar-Athlete of the Year award within the last four years. She takes home the honor owning an astonishing 3.93 GPA while pursuing a bachelor's in accounting. On the court this season for the Eagles, the Santa Fe native has played primarily out of the No. 3 slot, going 9-7 overall with a 3-2 mark in conference play. She's also added nine doubles victories on the premiere court with her teammate Ornberg.
Junior Maja Ornberg was a unanimous selection to the A-SUN First Team for a third-straight year while also being named to the All-Academic team for the first time in her career. FGCU's No. 1 player all season long, junior Ornberg collected First Team honors after going 11-6 overall this season with a 5-1 mark in A-SUN play. She capped off the regular season going 7-3 in her last 10 matches while teaming up with Ascúa for nine doubles victories overall, two in the conference. Last season, the junior was named the A-SUN Player of the Year, the first in program history.
Kelly rounded out the list of honorees for FGCU earning a spot on the Second Team. A Naples, Fla., product, sophomore Kelly was dubbed an A-SUN Second Team member. During the regular season, Kelly played all but one match on court No. 2, posting an overall 9-6 mark, going 5-2 in A-SUN competition. On the doubles side, she added 11 wins between courts Nos. two and three as four came in conference play.
"These ladies have been working hard all year," head coach Courtney Vernon said. "I'm glad that all their efforts have been acknowledged in this way."
Scouting the Hatters:
Stetson ended the regular season 12-8 overall, falling to Lipscomb, 5-2. Sophomore A-SUN Second Team member Danel Ashirova has been their No. 1 player in 2019, posting and overall 11-9 record, going 2-5 in A-SUN play. Meanwhile, another sophomore in Vicky Geurinckx is 7-3 in her last 10 matches, playing primarily out of the No. 4 slot where she is 12-6 overall (4-3 in the A-SUN).
In doubles play, the Hatters are led by Ashirova and junior Lucie Renault. The tandem boast an overall 12-6 record (11-6 on court No. 1) while posting a 4-2 mark in conference action.
Bracket Track:
With a victory Thursday morning, FGCU would head into the semifinals with a matchup against top-seeded Liberty at 9 a.m. Friday morning. When both teams met in Fort Myers, Fla., on Mar. 17 during the regular season, the Eagles stormed back from a 3-1 deficit to defeat the Flames in a 4-3 final.
Matchup History:
Despite trailing the all-time series 8-10 to Stetson, FGCU has captured six of the last eight matches. Most recently, the Eagles fell on the road to the Hatters in a 4-3 match on Mar. 30.
How to Keep Up:
Livestats will be available for all the matches.
Livestats Link: http://sidearmstats.com/stetson/tennis/xlive.htm
This will mark the fourth-straight meeting that FGCU faces Stetson in its first match to begin the A-SUN Tournament. Last season, the top-seeded Eagles were upset in the semifinals by the fourth-seeded Hatters, 4-3.
Last Time Out:
Following a three and a half hour weather delay, the Green and Blue downed Kennesaw State, 4-0, to end the regular season on Senior Night. After securing the doubles point, FGCU carried its momentum into singles play with a dominant outing.
Senior Julia Ascúa (9-7) claimed the first victory for FGCU downing her counterpart with a pair of 6-1 sets on court No. 3. Sophomore Sara Kelly (9-7) made it a 3-0 match on court No. 2 taking both her sets in 6-0 decisions. Junior Bridget Forster (5-1) then officially gave the Eagles the match on court No. 5 with a 6-3, 6-0 triumph.
A-SUN Awards and Accolades:
Prior to the tournament, the A-SUN Awards and accolades were presented Wednesday evening.
Ascúa was dubbed as the conference's Scholar-Athlete of the Year, in the process, she earned a spot on the All-Academic team for a third-straight season. She is the third Eagle in program history to receive such honor as Julianna Curtis (2017) and Elizabeth Means (2016) nabbed the award in back-to-back years for FGCU. Senior Ascúa snagged FGCU's third Scholar-Athlete of the Year award within the last four years. She takes home the honor owning an astonishing 3.93 GPA while pursuing a bachelor's in accounting. On the court this season for the Eagles, the Santa Fe native has played primarily out of the No. 3 slot, going 9-7 overall with a 3-2 mark in conference play. She's also added nine doubles victories on the premiere court with her teammate Ornberg.
Junior Maja Ornberg was a unanimous selection to the A-SUN First Team for a third-straight year while also being named to the All-Academic team for the first time in her career. FGCU's No. 1 player all season long, junior Ornberg collected First Team honors after going 11-6 overall this season with a 5-1 mark in A-SUN play. She capped off the regular season going 7-3 in her last 10 matches while teaming up with Ascúa for nine doubles victories overall, two in the conference. Last season, the junior was named the A-SUN Player of the Year, the first in program history.
Kelly rounded out the list of honorees for FGCU earning a spot on the Second Team. A Naples, Fla., product, sophomore Kelly was dubbed an A-SUN Second Team member. During the regular season, Kelly played all but one match on court No. 2, posting an overall 9-6 mark, going 5-2 in A-SUN competition. On the doubles side, she added 11 wins between courts Nos. two and three as four came in conference play.
"These ladies have been working hard all year," head coach Courtney Vernon said. "I'm glad that all their efforts have been acknowledged in this way."
Scouting the Hatters:
Stetson ended the regular season 12-8 overall, falling to Lipscomb, 5-2. Sophomore A-SUN Second Team member Danel Ashirova has been their No. 1 player in 2019, posting and overall 11-9 record, going 2-5 in A-SUN play. Meanwhile, another sophomore in Vicky Geurinckx is 7-3 in her last 10 matches, playing primarily out of the No. 4 slot where she is 12-6 overall (4-3 in the A-SUN).
In doubles play, the Hatters are led by Ashirova and junior Lucie Renault. The tandem boast an overall 12-6 record (11-6 on court No. 1) while posting a 4-2 mark in conference action.
Bracket Track:
With a victory Thursday morning, FGCU would head into the semifinals with a matchup against top-seeded Liberty at 9 a.m. Friday morning. When both teams met in Fort Myers, Fla., on Mar. 17 during the regular season, the Eagles stormed back from a 3-1 deficit to defeat the Flames in a 4-3 final.
Matchup History:
Despite trailing the all-time series 8-10 to Stetson, FGCU has captured six of the last eight matches. Most recently, the Eagles fell on the road to the Hatters in a 4-3 match on Mar. 30.
How to Keep Up:
Livestats will be available for all the matches.
Livestats Link: http://sidearmstats.com/stetson/tennis/xlive.htm
FGCU WTEN vs Kennesaw Recap
Following a three and a half hour delay due to wet courts from rain before the 5 p.m. start time, the FGCU women's tennis team (9-9, 4-3 A-SUN) blanked Kennesaw State (2-17, 1-6 A-SUN) 4-0 Saturday night at the FGCU Tennis Complex.
"I was pleased how the ladies came out in doubles and competed, they had a lot of energy," said head coach Courtney Vernon. "Having a three and a half hour delay is never easy but going into singles they kept the momentum up and got the job done. It was a good win to end the regular season especially on senior night."
Before the match, the Eagles honored its three seniors in Julia Ascúa, Laura Falceto-Font, and Patricia Villar. The team also recognized junior Bridget Forster as it is her last season of competition.
Right away the Eagles got out in front taking the doubles point. The No. 1 team of Ascúa and Maja Ornberg (9-7) cruised to a 6-0 win picking up their ninth doubles win of the season. Shortly after, sophomore Sara Kelly and Villar (10-2) claimed a 6-2 victory to secure the point for the Green and Blue.
In singles competition, Ascúa (9-7) claimed the first victory for FGCU downing her counterpart with a pair of 6-1 sets on court No. 3. Kelly (9-7) then made it a 3-0 match on court No. 2 taking both her sets in 6-0 decisions. Forster (5-1) then officially gave the Eagles the match on court No. 5 with a 6-3, 6-0 triumph to send the squad home with win heading into the A-SUN Tournament next week.
Singles competition
1. Maja Ornberg (FGCU) vs. Juliana Castellanos (KSU) 6-1, 4-1, unfinished
2. Sara Kelly (FGCU) def. Elle Baker (KSU) 6-0, 6-0
3. Julia Ascúa (FGCU) def. Zoe Wende (KSU) 6-1, 6-1
4. Patricia Villar (FGCU) vs. Aspen Jarrett (KSU) 5-6, unfinished
5. Bridget Forster (FGCU) def. Jessica Cantrell (KSU) 6-3, 6-0
6. Laura Falceto-Font (FGCU) vs. Brenna Reilly (KSU) 7-6 (7-3), unfinished
Order of finish: (3,2,5)
Doubles competition
1. Julia Ascúa/Maja Ornberg (FGCU) def. Aspen Jarrett/Jessica Cantrell (KSU) 6-0
2. Sara Kelly/Patricia Villar (FGCU) def. Emory Ann Phillips/Juliana Castellanos (KSU) 6-2
3. Laura Falceto-Font/Bridget Forster (FGCU) def. Zoe Wende/Brenna Reilly (KSU) 4-3
Order of finish: (1,2)
Up Next:
The fourth-seeded Eagles will take on fifth-seeded Stetson (12-8, 3-4 A-SUN) at 9 a.m. Thursday, Apr. 25 in the A-SUN Tournament which is being held on the Hatters' campus in DeLand, Fla.
"I was pleased how the ladies came out in doubles and competed, they had a lot of energy," said head coach Courtney Vernon. "Having a three and a half hour delay is never easy but going into singles they kept the momentum up and got the job done. It was a good win to end the regular season especially on senior night."
Before the match, the Eagles honored its three seniors in Julia Ascúa, Laura Falceto-Font, and Patricia Villar. The team also recognized junior Bridget Forster as it is her last season of competition.
Right away the Eagles got out in front taking the doubles point. The No. 1 team of Ascúa and Maja Ornberg (9-7) cruised to a 6-0 win picking up their ninth doubles win of the season. Shortly after, sophomore Sara Kelly and Villar (10-2) claimed a 6-2 victory to secure the point for the Green and Blue.
In singles competition, Ascúa (9-7) claimed the first victory for FGCU downing her counterpart with a pair of 6-1 sets on court No. 3. Kelly (9-7) then made it a 3-0 match on court No. 2 taking both her sets in 6-0 decisions. Forster (5-1) then officially gave the Eagles the match on court No. 5 with a 6-3, 6-0 triumph to send the squad home with win heading into the A-SUN Tournament next week.
Singles competition
1. Maja Ornberg (FGCU) vs. Juliana Castellanos (KSU) 6-1, 4-1, unfinished
2. Sara Kelly (FGCU) def. Elle Baker (KSU) 6-0, 6-0
3. Julia Ascúa (FGCU) def. Zoe Wende (KSU) 6-1, 6-1
4. Patricia Villar (FGCU) vs. Aspen Jarrett (KSU) 5-6, unfinished
5. Bridget Forster (FGCU) def. Jessica Cantrell (KSU) 6-3, 6-0
6. Laura Falceto-Font (FGCU) vs. Brenna Reilly (KSU) 7-6 (7-3), unfinished
Order of finish: (3,2,5)
Doubles competition
1. Julia Ascúa/Maja Ornberg (FGCU) def. Aspen Jarrett/Jessica Cantrell (KSU) 6-0
2. Sara Kelly/Patricia Villar (FGCU) def. Emory Ann Phillips/Juliana Castellanos (KSU) 6-2
3. Laura Falceto-Font/Bridget Forster (FGCU) def. Zoe Wende/Brenna Reilly (KSU) 4-3
Order of finish: (1,2)
Up Next:
The fourth-seeded Eagles will take on fifth-seeded Stetson (12-8, 3-4 A-SUN) at 9 a.m. Thursday, Apr. 25 in the A-SUN Tournament which is being held on the Hatters' campus in DeLand, Fla.
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 WTEN @ North Alabama Recap
The FGCU women's tennis team (8-8, 3-2 A-SUN) played in reverse at the UNA Varsity Tennis Courts as they defeated A-SUN newcomer North Alabama (5-14, 0-4 A-SUN) 6-1.
"North Alabama battled hard today against us," said head coach Courtney Vernon. "With the match being moved to today, the ladies got off the plane, warmed up for about 20 minutes and then played a match. I love their spirits and the opportunities they see even when they are uncomfortable and I'm thankful for this group. We're looking forward to practicing for two days in preparation for Lipscomb Saturday."
What I mean by FGCU played in reverse, I mean both teams agreed to play singles first before doubles due to impending weather. Originally, the matchup was scheduled to be play Thursday, April 4.
The Lions took an early as the Eagles forfeited their first matchup at #6 singles, but that didn't stop the other five matches that were underway.
It didn't take long for junior Maja Ornberg (10-5) to tie the score for the Eagles as she defeated freshman Payton Andrews 6-1, 6-3 at #1 singles. Senior Julia Ascua (8-6) would follow with a 6-0, 7-5 win over senior Claudia Arroyo before senior Patricia Villar (5-3) followed with a 6-4, 6-3 win over junior Nina Linke.
With the score 3-1 FGCU, senior Laura Falceto-Font (4-8) had no trouble in battling senior Nele Seitz as the native of Zaragoza, Spain won in straight sets by a score of 7-5, 6-3.
Sophomore Sara Kelly (7-7) fought hard in a three-set match. After dropping the first set, the Naples native was able pull away in the third set over freshman Sydney Flesch by a score of 6-7, 6-3 1-0 (10-6).
In doubles, despite forfeiting at #3 doubles, the Eagles would claim the final point as Ascua and Ornberg (8-6) defeated Arroyo and Andrews 6-0 at #1 doubles before Villar and Kelly (9-2) defeated Linke and freshman Megan Humphreys 6-3 at #2 doubles.
Up Next:
The Eagles head to Nashville to face Lipscomb (13-4, 2-1 A-SUN) at noon on Saturday April 5.
"North Alabama battled hard today against us," said head coach Courtney Vernon. "With the match being moved to today, the ladies got off the plane, warmed up for about 20 minutes and then played a match. I love their spirits and the opportunities they see even when they are uncomfortable and I'm thankful for this group. We're looking forward to practicing for two days in preparation for Lipscomb Saturday."
What I mean by FGCU played in reverse, I mean both teams agreed to play singles first before doubles due to impending weather. Originally, the matchup was scheduled to be play Thursday, April 4.
The Lions took an early as the Eagles forfeited their first matchup at #6 singles, but that didn't stop the other five matches that were underway.
It didn't take long for junior Maja Ornberg (10-5) to tie the score for the Eagles as she defeated freshman Payton Andrews 6-1, 6-3 at #1 singles. Senior Julia Ascua (8-6) would follow with a 6-0, 7-5 win over senior Claudia Arroyo before senior Patricia Villar (5-3) followed with a 6-4, 6-3 win over junior Nina Linke.
With the score 3-1 FGCU, senior Laura Falceto-Font (4-8) had no trouble in battling senior Nele Seitz as the native of Zaragoza, Spain won in straight sets by a score of 7-5, 6-3.
Sophomore Sara Kelly (7-7) fought hard in a three-set match. After dropping the first set, the Naples native was able pull away in the third set over freshman Sydney Flesch by a score of 6-7, 6-3 1-0 (10-6).
In doubles, despite forfeiting at #3 doubles, the Eagles would claim the final point as Ascua and Ornberg (8-6) defeated Arroyo and Andrews 6-0 at #1 doubles before Villar and Kelly (9-2) defeated Linke and freshman Megan Humphreys 6-3 at #2 doubles.
Up Next:
The Eagles head to Nashville to face Lipscomb (13-4, 2-1 A-SUN) at noon on Saturday April 5.
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