KENNESAW, Ga. – Coming off of a difficult match against a highly touted No. 59 Minnesota team, the FGCU women's tennis team (2-9) travels to the Peach State and Palmetto State to take on Kennesaw State and USC Upstate to open the Atlantic Sun Conference schedule.  The match against Kennesaw State is on Friday, Mar. 20, at a time to be determined while the match against USC Upstate will be held on Saturday, Mar. 21, at 10 a.m.
 
The match against Kennesaw State was originally slated for Thursday, Mar. 19, at 10 a.m., but inclement weather in the area forced a schedule change.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Eagles started strong behind an impressive doubles victory in the No. 1 matchup.  The sister duo of Elizabeth and Sarah Means (Wesley Chapel, Fla./Wiregrass Ranch HS) dismantled the Gophers tandem of Tereza Brichacova and Paula Rincon Otero of Minnesota by a score of 8-2.   Ultimately, the Gophers battled their way to victory in the No. 2 an 3 doubles matchups to claim the first point of the match.
 
In singles action, the Green and Blue's bright spot again came in the form of one of the Means sisters. Elizabeth Means took down Minnesota's Maja Vujic in the No. 5 slot.  Vujic claimed the first set 3-6 before Means stormed back to take the last two matches by scores of 6-3 and 6-2, respectively.
 
The final score was 6-1 in favor of the Gophers as they rolled to their sixth consecutive victory.  Their streak includes notable victories over opponents such as Wisconsin, Marquette and Iowa State.
 
Johanna Sterkel (Schwetzingen, Germany/Carl-Theodor-Schule HS) has been the primary No. 3 and 4 singles player for the Eagles, and leads the team in individual wins with a 7-3 record. The junior has been a strong force in the middle of the Eagles' lineup as the Schwetzingen, Germany native has wins over opponents from UCF, Georgia State, No. 59 USF and No. 9 Miami. During her contest against the No. 9 Hurricanes, Sterkel defeated Yolimar Ogando 7-6, 7-5 in the No. 3 slot. Sterkel was engaged in a closely contested first set which had to be decided by a tiebreaker. Sterkel then rose to the occasion to win the tiebreaker 7-0. In the second set both players did not miss a beat as the score was leveled at 5-5. At the crucial moment, Sterkel did not drag the set into another tiebreaker, as the junior claimed two games in a row to a 7-5 second set win.
 
SCOUTING THE OWLS
Kennesaw enters Thursday's bout against the Eagles with a record of 1-7.  They earned their first victory of the season in a recent match with Austin Peay.  In the outing, the Owls rolled to a 6-1 victory behind the efforts of Virginie Stein.  The senior is 10-10 in singles outings this year in addition to helping the No. 1 doubles pairing to a 4-2 record alongside fellow senior Jana Hueckinghaus.
 
Last seasons matchup between these two squads saw the Eagles dominate the courts en route to a 6-1 victory. 
 
SCOUTING THE SPARTANS
USC Upstate comes into the weekend with a record of 2-9. The Spartans two wins came against Baldwin Wallace and Slippery Rock, both by a 7-0 score.
 
Isabel Von Stryk enters the weekend with nine-straight single match wins and has an overall record of 9-. Von Stryk pairs with Nona Ruppert for doubles action, and the tandem leads the Spartans with a 7-2 record.
 
During last season's contest between the two the Eagles leave Spartanburg, S.C. with a 7-0 victory.
 
NEXT UP
FGCU will take the show back to The Nest as the Eagles welcome Lipscomb on Thursday, Mar. 26, at 10 a.m. and Northern Kentucky Saturday, Mar. 28, at 5 p.m.
 
COURTNEY VERNON
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.
 
#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 women's tennis, follow us on Twitter @FGCU_WTEN and visit www.FGCUAthletics.com where full recaps and results will be available at the end of each day.
 
#FEEDFGCU
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 awaren