ATALNTA, Ga. – The FGCU women's tennis team (1-3) dropped a tough contest on Saturday afternoon against Middle Tennessee (5-2) by a score of 7-0. The Eagles battled through several tightly contested matchups but in the end, the Blue Raiders proved to be too much.

"We were very challenged today," said head coach Courtney Vernon. "Middle Tennessee competed better than us on the courts today. We have the opportunity to grow from what we experienced, and we look forward to competing tomorrow against Georgia State."

The duo of Elizabeth and Sarah Means (Wesley Chapel, Fla./Wiregrass Ranch HS) battled against the Blue Raiders pair of Tiffany William and Darya Shulzhanok in the No. 1 slot, picking up a pair of victories before the match was called with the duo trailing 4-2 after the doubles point was clinched in favor of Middle Tennessee. Each of the remaining two doubles matches were decided by scores of 6-1.

Sophomore Breana Stampfli (Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago/St. Joseph's Convent) played a closely contested match into a third set against Jesse Grace in the No. 3 slot, but could not seal the deal and lost by a score of 0-6, 6-2, 6-2. Julianna Curtis (Tampa, Fla./Allendale Academy) battled Nayara Moraes deep into the first set before falling 7-5 then would struggle to keep up in the second, going down 6-1. Elizabeth Means struggled in the first set against Darya Shulzhanok, falling 6-3 but would challenge the Blue Raider in the second set, forcing a tie break at 6-6 but would 7-0 in the breaker.

The Green and Blue return to the courts tomorrow morning at 8 a.m. against Georgia State.

For complete coverage of FGCU women's tennis follow us on Twitter at @FGCU_WTEN and visit www.FGCUAthletics.com where full recaps and results will be available.

FGCU is led by Courtney Vernon, whose inaugural campaign saw the Eagles finish third in the conference standings with a Division-I best 14 wins overall in 2013-14. She has produced five A-Sun All-Conference selections and the 2014 Freshman of the Year.

FGCU Athletics sponsors events throughout the year to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry (www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry) and the Harry Chapin Food Bank (www.harrychapinfoodbank.org), FGCU Athletics' charities of choice. For more information, including how to make a contribution, please visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.

RESULTS:

SINGLES:
Tiffany William (MTSU) def. Sarah Means (FGCU) 6-2, 6-2
Darya Shulzhanok (MTSU) def. Elizabeth Means (FGCU) 6-3, 7-6 (0)
Jesse Grace (MTSU) def. Breana Stampfli (FGCU) 0-6, 6-2, 6-2
Giulia Squadrin (MTSU) def. Johanna Sterkel (FGCU) 6-4, 6-2
Brittany Huxley (MTSU) def. Candela Munoz Giron (FGCU) 6-1, 6-1
Nayara Moraes (MTSU) def. Julianna Curtis (FGCU) 7-5 6-1

DOUBLES:
Tiffany William/Darya Shulzhanok (MTSU) def. Elizabeth Means/Sarah Means (FGCU) 4-2
Brittany Huxley/ Nayara Moraes (MTSU) def. Johanna Sterkel/Breana Stampfli (FGCU) 6-1
Giulia Squadrin/Jesse Grace (MTSU) def. Alex Landert/ Julianna Curtis (FGCU) 6-1