FORT MYERS, Fla. – After a weekend off from competition, the FGCU men's tennis team (1-1) welcomes a pair of challenging opponents to The Nest as it hosts cross-state rival Florida Atlantic under the lights of the FGCU Tennis Complex on Friday at 5 p.m., then Sun Belt foe Georgia Southern on Sunday at Noon.
 
The Eagles will host their first of six home matches under the lights this season at the FGCU tennis complex when they play the Owls. Fans are encouraged to come out to the match and cheer on the home team as they look for their second win of the young season.
 
FGCU is 2-5 all-time against FAU, and 2-1 in head coach CJ Weber's era. The Eagles visited the Owls last season and left with a powerful 6-1 win. The Green and Blue earned the doubles point, then gutted out five gruesome singles victories from the No. 1 to No. 5 slots.
 
"Our match against FAU is always a fun and entertaining one for the fans," Weber said. "We are hoping to have a great crowd out at our first evening match of the year. The match will be highly competitive, as our rivalry with FAU continues to build."
 
Scouting FAU
Led by second-year head coach Ricardo Gonzalez, the Boca Raton-based school is currently 1-2 in the spring season. The Owls earned an upset win over No. 70 UCF with a score of 4-1 in their season opener which was their first win over a ranked opponent in the last six years. Since then FAU dropped a pair of contests against No. 22 USF and No. 52 Miami.
 
The Owls' singles lineup is led by Andrei M-Kougoucheff and Will Neuner. During the contest against UCF, both players earned pivotal wins to secure the Owls' upset win. M-Kougoucheff and Neuner are also Owls' everyday No. 1 doubles team as their only victory came from No. 52 Miami's Christian Langmo and Wilfredo Gonzalez 7-6.
 
The Green and Blue will follow up their first home match of the season against FAU with another home tilt against the Eagles of Georgia Southern.
 
FGCU is 1-2 all-time against Georgia Southern. During their last contest, the Green and Blue claimed a 5-2 decision at The Nest. The victory was also Weber's first-ever collegiate win as a head coach, and the beginning of his decorated head coaching career.
 
"We're excited to be hosting Georgia Southern on our opening weekend as well," said Weber. "The boys are very excited to play on our courts all weekend in front of our fans."
 
Scouting Georgia Southern
The Eagles of Georgia Southern own a record of 1-2 on the season. Georgia Southern opened up the season with a pair of losses against ACC foe Georgia Tech and Atlantic Sun member Kennesaw State. The Eagles earned their first win of the season last Sunday with a 6-1 decision over Alabama State.
 
Ristomatti Lanne leads the Georgia Southern singles lineup in No. 1 slots, going 2-1 over the past two weekends, highlighted by his victory over Eduardo Segura of Georgia Tech 1-6, 7-5, 6-1. On the doubles court, Kyle Hoffman and Jose Eduardo Landin Lopez occupy the No. 1 doubles slot with a record of 2-1.
 
Chasing History
Vives and Bao are on a quest to become the most decorated players in FGCU men's tennis history. Two-time Atlantic Sun First Team All-Conference selection and reigning Atlantic Sun Player of the Year, Vives has won 59 singles matches in his fourth semester of competition for the Eagles. A former A-Sun Freshman of the Year, an A-Sun Second Team All-Conference selection and reigning A-Sun First Team All-Conference selection, Bao has won 51 singles matches for the Eagles. The current D-I era record is held by current assistant coach and former great Dean Tsamas with 62, and the all-time record is held by Richard Stempnowski with 67 from FGCU's D-II era.
 
LAST TIME OUT
FGCU opened up the spring slate two weekends ago with a trip to the capital of the Sunshine State, facing No. 35 Florida State and FAMU. After dropping the doubles point, the Eagles were plagued with slow starts from all singles as the Seminoles claimed the first set in five out of six matches. Just 24 hours removed from their season-opening loss, the Eagles responded with a dominating 7-0 win over FAMU. The Rattlers were unable to play their full lineup as they were short one player due to illness, giving the Eagles a 1-0 advantage. FGCU was led by Tianyu Bao (Tianjin, China/Bayshore HS (Bradenton, Fla.)) and Jordi Vives (Barcelona Spain/IES Ferran Tallada/USC) who both claimed wins on the singles and doubles court respectively.
 
Next Up
The Eagles will take a road trip to South Beach on Feb. 6 to take on Big South foe Liberty with the time still to be announced, and No. 52 Miami on Feb. 7. at 10 a.m.
 
CJ WEBER
FGCU is led by CJ Weber, who has coached 10 A-Sun All-Conference selections since joining the Green and Blue in 2011. In his third season, Weber guided Jordi Vives to a No. 35 national ranking, a nation-leading 14-match unbeaten streak and the round of 32 in the 2014 NCAA Tournament – the program's first appearance. His teams have continually posted winning records and finished the 2014 season a Division-I best third in the conference with 12 wins.
 
#WINGSUP
Fans are encouraged to download the brand-new Wings Up mobile app in conjunction with SuperFanU. The fully-customized loyalty-rewards platform allows fans to check in at each of FGCU's sporting events to earn points throughout the school year toward exclusive prizes that can't be offered anywhere else.
 
FOLLOW ALONG
For complete coverage of FGCU men's tennis at the FGCU Spring Invite, follow us on Twitter @FGCU_MTEN and visit www.FGCUAthletics.com where full recaps and results will be available at the end of each day.