CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Carrying a three-match winning streak, the FGCU men's tennis team (3-1) will look to keep the momentum as they travel to South Beach this weekend to take on Liberty University (4-1) Friday at 2 p.m. and No. 52 Miami (1-4) Saturday at 10 a.m. Both matches will be played at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center on the Miami Campus.
 
"We have a really challenging weekend coming up," said head coach CJ Weber. "Liberty is a school growing in reputation, and I am very excited to play someone from so far away that we normally would not get the opportunity to play. Miami is obviously a special match for me since I worked there before FGCU. That match is going to be a lot of fun and our players will certainly be pushed to the limit."
 
CHASING HISTORY
Senior co-captain Jordi Vives (Barcelona, Spain/IES Ferran Tallada/USC) is on the verge of becoming the most decorated player in program history. With 98 total wins (61 singles, 37 doubles), Vives needs only two more wins to be the first FGCU player to reach 100 total wins.  With 61 singles wins, Vives only needs two wins to become the new FGCU DI singles wins leader. The current DI singles record is held by former Eagles great and current assistant coach Dean Tsamas (62).
 
LAST TIME OUT
FGCU hosted a pair of quality opponents in FAU and Georgia Southern this past weekend. Playing against FAU on a beautiful Friday night, FGCU was fueled by a clutch performance from the junior duo of Lucas Vaz (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Colegio Fleming/Tulsa) and Ricky Ventura (Barcelona, Spain/University of Barcelona) in the No. 3 doubles slot. This was followed by five singles wins from No. 1 to No. 5 to give the Eagles a 6-1 victory over the Owls. The win also marked the third year in a row that FGCU defeated their cross-state rival.
 
Two days later, FGCU hit the baseline against Georgia Southern on a gorgeous Super Bowl Sunday afternoon. Playing with the absence of senior co-captain Tianyu Bao (Tianjin, China/Bayshore HS (Bradenton, Fla.)), the Eagles adjusted and swept all three doubles matches. They then went on to take the No. 1 to 5 singles slots to power through Georgia Southern with a score of 6-1 in a blistering two hours and 15 minutes.
 
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
After an undefeated weekend for the Eagles, sophomore Andres Alfonzo (Hollywood, Fla./Texas Christian University)  was named Atlantic Sun Conference Men's Tennis Player of the Week for the first time in his career. Alfonzo teamed with Austin Bates (Marietta, Ga./Pope HS) to shutout Robert Dubuque and Kian Mclean of FAU to claim the first doubles match, 6-0. Alfonzo rode the momentum into the singles portion to defeat Will Neuner in three sets. Two days later, Alfonzo and Bates won at No. 1 doubles over Georgia Southern's duo of Hoffman and Landin, 6-4. The Hollywood, Fla. native went on to win his singles match, 6-3, 6-2, to complete a perfect 4-0 week.
 
SCOUTING LIBERTY
Liberty University enters the contest with a record of 4-1 after defeating James Madison and Morehead State.  The Flames also defeated a pair of D-II institutions in King University and Bluefield State while their only defeat came at the hands of No. 3 Virginia.
 
Dillon Segur leads the Flames' singles lineup in the top slot with a 3-2 record. Sam Matheson and Egon Samaai also hold the same record in the No. 2 and No. 3 slots while also occupying the Flames' top doubles lineup with a record of 3-2.
 
SCOUTING MIAMI
No. 52 Miami is currently 1-4 on the spring season, their worst start in the last 15 years. After beating FAU 5-2 in their season opener, the Hurricanes dropped three straight matches to nationally ranked opponents in No. 70 UCF, No. 40 Drake and No. 61 Tulane.
 
ITA No. 56 Piotr Lomacki leads the Hurricane's singles lineup with a 2-2 record in the No. 1 singles slot. Lomacki is also currently ranked No. 734 in the Emirates Associations of Tennis Professionals (ATP) World Tour Ranking. Lomacki also serves as the Cane's primary No. 1 doubles team with Henruque Tsukamoto, going 2-1 on the season.
 
FGCU is 0-1 all-time against Miami. In the 2012-13 season, the Eagles took on the then No. 67 Hurricanes and dropped a 6-1 decision. Vives claimed the lone point for the Eagles from the No. 1 singles slot, beating Diego Soto 5-7, 6-1, 6-3.
 
NEXT UP
FGCU will drive up to the World Center of Racing as the Eagles take on Troy University on Feb. 13 at 11 a.m. and Bethune-Cookman on Feb. 14 at 11 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 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.