KENNESAW, Ga. – In its Atlantic Sun Conference opener against Kennesaw State, the FGCU men's tennis team struggled in the doubles contests, but showed its might in the singles action to defeat the Owls, 5-2, at the Fair Oaks Tennis Center Wednesday night.
 
With the victory, the Eagles improve to 10-5 (1-0 A-Sun) while the Owls drops to 5-7 (0-1 A-Sun).
 
"We got off to a slow start today, but then we turned it around and played some really good singles," head coach CJ Weber said. "We need to keep that energy and determination throughout the entire conference season. It feels good to start the conference season with a W."
 
The match against Kennesaw State was originally slated for Thursday, Mar. 19, at 1 p.m., but inclement weather moving into the area forced a change in the schedule.
 
FGCU was unable to adjust early on to the schedule change in the doubles contest as the Eagles dropped two quick matches in the No. 1 and 3 slots. The junior duo of Ricky Ventura (Barcelona, Spain/University of Barcelona) and Lucas Vaz (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Colegio Fleming/Tulsa) were up 7-4 in the No. 2 slot, but the contest was suspended after Kennesaw State clinched the doubles point.
 
FGCU, which dropped the doubles point during the contest against Kennesaw State last spring season, is no stranger to fighting from behind as the Eagles stormed back, winning five-straight points from the No. 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6 slots, all in straight sets.
 
Ventura launched the first shot for the Eagles with a dominating performance of his own, beating Manuel Castellanos in the No. 3 slot with a score of 6-2, 6-2. Ventura's game was on point the entire contest, leaving no chance of comeback from his opponent, to give FGCU a 2-1 lead.
 
Senior co-captain Jordi Vives (Barcelona, Spain/IES Ferran Tallada/USC) joined Ventura with a quick win of his own after a dominating 6-2, 6-4 score over Simon Pritchard in the No. 1 slot. During last year's contest between the two, Vives bested Pritchard in a grueling 7-5, 7-6 decision, but this time Vives made sure to swiftly defeat his opponent to earn his 70th career singles win.
 
Redshirt junior Michael Beiler (Palm Harbor, Fla./Dunedin HS) gave the Eagles a commanding 3-1 lead after a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Jorge Wilton in the No. 6 slot. Wilton's crafty style of tennis troubled Beiler in the beginning of the match, but Beiler figured out a game plan and stuck to it the entire match to earn his first A-Sun victory in two years. Beiler's last win against an A-Sun opponent came in the quarterfinal round during the 2013 A-Sun Tournament against Jamie Yates of USC Upstate.
 
Clinching the Eagles win for the second match in a row was senior co-captain Tianyu Bao (Tianjin, China/Bayshore HS (Bradenton, Fla.)), earning a 6-4, 7-5 score over Jake Bouchillon in the No. 4 slot. Over the course of the match Bao was on top of his game, but Bouchillon challenged him with his consistent style of play. However, Bao, the reigning A-Sun Player of the Week, made sure to stay focused as he pulled off a narrow win for the Eagles.
 
Rounding out the day for the Eagles was junior Eduardo Alfonzo (Valencia, Venezuela/Barry University), winning 6-4, 6-4 in the No. 5 slot against David Durham of Kennesaw State. Engaged in a closely contested match, Alfonzo was clutch once again to pick up his second win in a row.
 
"Definitely not the start we were hoping for in doubles, but I am proud of the guys for the way they responded in singles," added assistant coach Dean Tsamas. "The first conference match of the year always has a different aura and it feels good to have that first win under our belts especially in the fashion we did given the short native schedule change. We are looking forward to a couple days off of competition to prepare for Upstate and bring a 2-0 conference start back to The Nest."
 
FGCU will now take two days off before traveling to Spartanburg to take on USC Upstate on Saturday, Mar. 21, at 2 p.m.
 
FINAL RESULTS
 
FGCU: 5 Kennesaw State: 2
 
DOUBLES
1. Drew Wendel/David Durham (KSU) def. Jordi Vives/A. Alfonzo (FGCU). 8-4
2. Ricky Ventura/Lucas Vaz (FGCU) vs. (KSU), 7-4, DNF
3. Simon Pritchard/Jorge Wilton (KSU) def. Tianyu Bao/Austin Bates (FGCU). 8-4
 
SINGLES
1. Jordi Vives (FGCU) def. Simon Pritchard (KSU). 6-2, 6-4
2. Alejandro Valencia (KSU) def. Andres Alfonzo (FGCU). 6-7, 6-3, 10-4
3. Ricky Ventura (FGCU) def. Manuel Castellanos (KSU). 6-2, 6-2
4. Tianyu Bao (FGCU) def. Jake Bouchillon (KSU). 6-4, 7-5
5. Eduardo Alfonzo (FGCU) def. David Durham (KSU). 6-4, 6-4
6. Michael Beiler (FGCU) def. Jorge Wilton (KSU). 6-3, 6-4
 
Order of finish: doubles (3,1) singles (3,1,6,4,5,2)
 
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
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FOLLOW ALONG
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