FORT MYERS, Fla. – After opening the Atlantic Sun Conference slate with a pair of convincing wins over Kennesaw State and USC Upstate, the FGCU women's tennis team (4-9, 2-0 A-Sun) will look to stay hot, welcoming Lipscomb (9-7, 0-1 Atlantic Sun) on Thursday, Mar. 26, at 10 a.m., Northern Kentucky (5-7) Saturday, Mar. 28, at 5 p.m., and UTSA (9-9) Sunday, Mar. 29, at 10 a.m.
 
After taking on then-No. 61 Georgia State, then-No. 59 USF, No. 67 Syracuse, No. 65 Middle Tennessee State, No. 59 Minnesota, No. 34 FSU and No. 9 Miami early this season, FGCU has faced seven total nationally ranked opponents. No other team in the Atlantic Sun Conference has faced a more challenging schedule.
 
The match against Lipscomb will be a PINKOUT match. The Eagles are encouraging all fans to wear pink and will be accepting donations for the Susan G. Koman Foundation. Informational material will be available at the marketing table. FGCU will also be selling pink t-shirts for $10 and pink "Wings Up For the Cure" pins can be purchased for a donation of any amount, with all proceeds going to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
 
LAST TIME OUT
FGCU paid a visit to the Peach State and the Palmetto State to take on Kennesaw State and USC Upstate and came back to The Nest with a pair of convincing wins.
 
The Eagles took on the Owls this past Friday at the Fair Oaks Tennis Center in Marietta, Ga. The match was originally slated for Thursday, Mar. 19, at 10 a.m., but inclement weather in the area forced the schedule change to Friday. FGCU was engaged in a tight No. 1 doubles match, but the No. 2 and 3 slots were playing well, dropping a total of two games in two matches. FGCU continued its dominance in the singles action, winning five points from the No. 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 slots.
 
One day later, FGCU traveled to USC Upstate to take on the Spartans and left with a 6-1 decision. Once again the Eagles' No. 2 and 3 doubles were on point, dropping only two games in two matches. In the singles, FGCU claimed five points from the No. 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6 slots to improve the A-Sun record to 2-0.
 
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 9-3 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. This past weekend against Kennesaw State and USC Upstate, Sterkel once again delivered for the Eagles in dominating fashion, going 2-0 in both singles and doubles action. In Sterkel's 50 total games played this past weekend, she only dropped ten of them. For her effort this past week, Sterkel was named A-Sun Women's Tennis Player of the Week Wednesday morning.
 
SCOUTING LIPSCOMB
Lipscomb enters Thursday's contest with a 9-7 record, the Bisons dropped their A-Sun opener at home against UNF before beating Evansville and former A-Sun member and current Ohio Valley foe Belmont.
 
Hannah Gamage leads the Bisons' singles with a 4-4 record in the challenging No. 1 slot, while Laura Kent and Melissa Kromer pair up in the No. 1 doubles slot, going 2-3.
 
FGCU is 7-0 all time against Lipscomb, and every contest between the two has been dominant for the Eagles as the Green and Blue has not dropped more than two points against the Bisons. During the contest between the two last year, FGCU once again jumped out to an early start, and finished the contest with a 6-1 score.
 
SCOUTING NORTHERN KENTUCKY
Northern Kentucky travels down to Florida with a 5-7 record. The Norse will take on Bethune-Cookman and Stetson before taking on FGCU. NKU has boasted a trio of big wins against Southern Missouri State, Northern Iowa and Hartford.
 
Hailey Shanahan occupies the Norse's top singles slot, going 3-7, while Danielle Donahue owns a team-best record of 4-2 in the No. 4 slot. Donahue and Shanahan also team up in the No. 1 doubles slot, going 3-4.
 
FGCU is 2-0 against NKU. During their last contest, FGCU visited NKU and left with a 5-2 win. NKU claimed the doubles point, but FGCU stormed back to take five singles wins to secure a big road win.
 
SCOUTING UTSA
UTSA is 9-9 on the season, as the Roadrunners bested North Texas this past weekend before falling to Middle Tennessee. UTSA will take on FIU this Friday, Mar. 27 before taking on FGCU.
 
Jacobea Junger is the Roadrunners' primary No. 1 singles player with a 6-5 record, while M. Rosell Canudas also saw playing time in the No. 1 slot, going 5-1. Nicole Karaklis also has a 5-1 record in the No. 3 slot. Jacobea Junger is UTSA's primary No. 1 doubles player with a 6-4 record with two different partners.
 
NEXT UP
Seniors Sarah Means (Wesley Chapel, Fla./Wiregrass Ranch HS) and Candela Munoz Giron (Alicante, Spain/Troy) will play at The Nest for the Eagles for two more matches as the Eagles welcome UNF on Senior Day, Saturday, Apr. 4 and Marquette on Sunday, Apr. 5, both matches are slated for a 10 a.m. start time.
 
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.