DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Coming off a pair of losses to start the spring season, the FGCU women's tennis team responded in a big way as they earned their first dual win of the season by a 5-2 margin versus Bethune-Cookman on Saturday, marking their eighth straight against the Wildcats.
 
"The girls played some good matches today and we were able to take away a lot of things we need to continue to work on," said FGCU head coach Courtney Vernon. "We're looking forward to getting home and getting back to work on Monday in anticipation of UCF on Saturday."
 
Vernon mixed up the lineup for the Eagles and it paid off as FGCU swept the in-state opponent in doubles action. The upperclassmen tandem of Breana Stampfli (Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago/St. Joseph's Convent) and Elizabeth Means (Washington, D.C./Wiregrass Ranch HS) teamed up for the first time this season in No.2 doubles and made quick work of the Wildcat duo as they defeated Ancia Ifill and Hilary Hanton, 6-1. Later, Julia Ascúa (Santa Fe, Argentina/Domingo G. Silva) and Alexandra Landert (Zurich, Switzerland/Seton Hall), who was competing in her first match this spring, took down Matea Roki and Karen Romero, 6-2, in No. 3 doubles to claim the point. Joselyn Treyes Albarracin (Guayaquil, Ecuador/InterAmerican Academy) and Julianna Curtis (Tampa, Fla./Allendale Academy) were entered in the No. 1 doubles slot for the first time this season and earned a 7-5 win over Mina Matsuba and Alejandra Vidal.
 
FGCU carried the momentum from doubles play into singles action as Treyes Albarracin dropped only one game of her match en route to a dominating 6-0, 6-1 win against Hanton to give the Eagles a 2-0 advantage. Roki then defeated Means (6-3, 6-0) to put the Wildcats on the board and draw within one of FGCU. However, it was three straight wins for the Green and Blue that put the match away. Curtis took down Vidal (6-4, 6-2) in No. 6 singles, while Ascúa defeated Ifill (6-2, 7-5) in the No. 3 slot to earn the match-claiming point and Falceto Font earned a win against Romero (6-4, 6-3) in No. 5 singles. In the final match of the day, Stampfli claimed the first set but couldn't hold on as she ultimately dropped a hard-fought, three-set match to Matsuba (4-6, 6-1, 7-6).
 
SATURDAY RESULTS
Doubles
No. 2 Doubles: Stampfli/Means (FGCU) def. Ifill/Hanton (B-CU): 6-1
No. 3 Doubles: Ascúa/Landert (FGCU) def. Roki/Romero (B-CU): 6-2
No. 1 Doubles: Curtis/Treyes Albarracin (FGCU) def. Matsuba/Vidal (B-CU): 7-5
 
Singles
No. 4 Singles: Treyes Albarracin (FGCU) def. Hanton (B-CU): 6-0, 6-1
No. 2 Singles: Roki (B-CU) def. Means (FGCU): 6-3, 6-0
No. 6 Singles: Curtis (FGCU) def. Vidal (B-CU): 6-4, 6-2
No. 3 Singles: Ascúa (FGCU) def. Ifill (B-CU): 6-2, 7-5
No. 5 Singles: Falceto Font (FGCU) def. Romero (B-CU): 6-4, 6-3
No. 1 Singles: Matsuba (B-CU) def. Stampfli (FGCU): 4-6, 6-1, 7-6

UP NEXT
The Green and Blue will return to Fort Myers and the FGCU Tennis Complex as they face their fourth-straight in-state opponent in UCF on Saturday, Feb. 6 at 11 a.m.
 
FOLLOW ALONG
For up-to-date 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.
 
HEAD COACH COURTNEY VERNON
FGCU's women's tennis team is led by Courtney Vernon, whose second season under the helm saw the Eagles finish third in the conference standings with the program's first-ever appearance in the Atlantic Sun Championship Final. She has produced nine A-Sun All-Conference selections and the 2014 A-Sun Freshman of the Year. She has led the Green and Blue to a 25-22 overall record (.532) and 10-4 conference record (.714) in her two years at FGCU.
 
SUPPORT THE CAUSE 
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.