JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Coming off its first-ever Atlantic Sun Regular Season title, the FGCU men's tennis team (15-5, 6-0 A-Sun) will begin its quest for the postseason title on Saturday, Apr. 18, at 5 p.m. at the North Florida Tennis Complex. The top-seeded Eagles will face the winner of the quarterfinal match between No. 4 Stetson and No. 5 Kennesaw State.
 
"This weekend is a new challenge for us," head coach CJ Weber said. "It is another opportunity for us to move toward our goals. We will focus on staying true to the principles we have been developing all season long.
 
SCOUTING KENNESAW STATE
Fifth-seeded Kennesaw State, led by former Arkansas assistant coach Ricardo Rincon, comes into the weekend with an overall record of 7-11 (2-4 A-Sun).
 
A-Sun First Team All-Conference member Simon Pritchard leads the Owls' singles lineup with an 11-6 (3-3 A-Sun) record in the No. 1 slot. Over the course of the year Pritchard posted some big wins for Kennesaw State, highlighted by an upset win over Georgia Tech's Christopher Eubanks, who ranks 62nd in the latest ITA National Singles Rankings. On the doubles court, Drew Wendel and David Durham own the No. 1 doubles slot, going 7-8 on the season.
 
FGCU faced Kennesaw State in its A-Sun opener at the Fair Oaks Tennis Center in Marietta, Ga. The Eagles dropped the doubles point, but stormed back to win five out of six singles matches to win the contest, 5-2.
 
SCOUTING STETSON
Stetson will make its eighth-straight A-Sun Tournament appearance as it capped off the regular season with an 11-9 (3-3 A-Sun) record.
 
A-Sun First Team All-Conference member and A-Sun Freshman of the Year Loic Blanco leads the Hatters' squad with a 14-4 (5-1 A-Sun) record, mainly from the No. 2 and 3 slots. Blanco has also won eight out of his last 10 matches on the doubles court. Blanco and A-Sun Second-Team All-Conference member Laurynas Antropikas paired together for the majority of the season, going 5-5.
 
FGCU paid a visit to DeLand, Fla., to take on Stetson in its regular-season finale this past weekend. Both teams were short on personnel, but it was the Eagles who came out on top, defeating the Hatters, 5-2, to close out the A-Sun season undefeated.
 
FGCU was on a roll in the doubles contest, winning the top two slots with ease. Coming into the singles contest, Stetson forfeited its No. 6 singles slot, giving the Eagles a 2-0 lead. FGCU maximized the opportunity, clinching the match with two wins in No. 1 and No. 4 slot, and eventually winning the match at 5-2.
 
A-SUN HONORS
FGCU had a total of six players win A-Sun All-Conference awards, highlighted by senior co-captain Jordi Vives (Barcelona, Spain/IES Ferran Tallada/USC) being named Player of the Year for the second-consecutive season. Vives, joined by fellow senior co-captain Michael Beiler (Palm Harbor, Fla./Dunedin HS) and junior Ricky Ventura (Barcelona, Spain/University of Barcelona) were named to the First Team All-Conference Team. Senior co-captain Tianyu Bao (Tianjin, China/Bayshore HS (Bradenton, Fla.)) and freshman Austin Bates (Marietta, Ga./Pope HS) were named Second Team Singles All-Conference, while junior Eduardo Alfonzo (Valencia, Venezuela/Barry University) and Vives were tabbed to the Second Team Doubles All-Conference. Bates also earned a spot on the A-Sun All-Freshman Team.
 
Head coach CJ Weber collected his first A-Sun Coach of the Year award after guiding the Eagles to a perfect 6-0 A-Sun record this spring. A former Eastern Illinois standout who spent five years as the assistant coach at University of Miami, took his talent from South Beach to The Nest in the fall of 2011 and made an improbable turnaround for the Green and Blue who finished 3-18 (1-9 A-Sun) in the spring of 2011, to a legitimate conference-title contender in three short years.
 
• 2012 season: 7-10 (4-5 Atlantic Sun). First-ever A-Sun Tournament bid.
• 2013 season: 11-11 (4-4 Atlantic Sun). First-ever A-Sun Tournament win over fifth-seeded USC Upstate in the quarterfinal round, 4-2.
• 2014 season: 12-10 (6-2 Atlantic Sun).. Program-record six conference wins. Defeated No. 6 Mercer in the quarterfinal round in the A-Sun Tournament.
• 2015 season: 15-5 (6-0 A-Sun). DI record 15 wins. Upset wins over then-No. 71 Miami (4-1) and then-No. 72 UC Irvine (4-3). Led Eagles to first-ever A-Sun       regular season title.
 
COMING IN HOT
FGCU, winners of its last nine matches, comes into this weekend with full force, thanks to its strong singles line up:
 
• Vives: 17-2, nine-match win streak.
• Bao: 13-5, 8-2 in last 10 matches.
• Beiler: 10-3, 7-2 in last 10 matches (one match was unfinished).
• Bates: 6-2, 3-0 in A-Sun.
• Eduardo Alfonzo: 7-9, 4-1 in A-Sun action.
• Ventura: 13-5, 6-3 in last 10 matches (one match was unfinished).
 
¡VAMOS!
FGCU's all-time singles and overall wins leader, Vives is arguably the most decorated tennis player from FGCU. A two-time A-Sun Player of the Year who missed the entire fall season due to an injury, Vives regained his dominating form quickly in the spring as the Barcelona, Spain, native compiled an impressive 17-2 mark in the No. 1 slot, including a perfect 6-0 record in the A-Sun. After dropping the season opener against ITA No. 98 Ben Lock of No. 32 FSU, Vives went on an eight-match win streak. After losing his  second match of the year against Tobias Galskov of No. 70 UC Santa Barbara on Mar. 5, Vives went on a nine-match win streak leading into this weekend.
 
THE DOUBLES MAYOR
Bao, FGCU's winningest doubles player and one of just three players to win a combination of 100 matches, is right behind Vives as one of the program's most successful players. A native of Tianjin, China, Bao is currently 13-5 (5-1 A-Sun) on the spring season. Bao has clinched matches for the Eagles against USC Upstate, No. 72 UNF and Stetson.
 
WHO IS HE? MIKEY B!
A former A-Sun All-Freshman Team member, Beiler spent much of his first three years fighting against injuries. This season Beiler was determined to make a difference as the senior from Palm Harbor, Fla., served as a vital part of FGCU's success. Sitting at the tail of the lineup, Beiler is holding a 10-3 record, including a perfect 6-0 A-Sun record
 
NEXT UP
If FGCU wins its semifinal round the Eagles will play for the title of the A-Sun Championship on Sunday, Apr. 19, at 1 p.m. Impending weather in the area could force matches to be moved to Monday, Apr. 20.
 
CJ WEBER
FGCU is led by CJ Weber, who has coached 16 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
 
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