RALEIGH, N.C. – Coming off the program's first win against in-state rival UCF and boasting a 2-2 record this spring, the FGCU women's tennis team returns to the court with a pair of out-of-state road matches this weekend. The Eagles travel to Raleigh, N.C., to take on Elon (1-5) on Friday at 1:30 p.m., followed by a date with No. 67 N.C. State (4-1) on Saturday at 10 a.m.
 
"We're looking forward to traveling to Raleigh to play Elon and N.C. State," said FGCU head coach Courtney Vernon. "The girls have been working hard to prepare for a couple of tough road matches and are ready to compete this weekend."
 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
This weekend's road trip to North Carolina marks the Eagles' first matchup in program history with both Elon and N.C. State.
 
Elon is off to a 1-5 start this season with losses against four nationally-ranked opponents, including a pair of top-10 teams in No. 2 North Carolina and No. 7 Duke. Most recently, the Phoenix earned their first win of the season as they swept the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs, 7-0, in Winston-Salem, N.C., on Saturday, Feb. 13. Individually, Erica Braschi leads Elon with a 3-3 dual-match record in the No. 2 and No. 3 positions. In doubles competition, Braschi has paired with Taylor Casey to post a 2-2 record.
 
No. 67 N.C. State is 4-1 this spring with their lone loss of the season coming at No. 13 LSU. The Wolfpack are 3-0 at home with wins against East Carolina, William & Mary and VCU. Most recently, they defeated Louisiana-Lafayette, 4-3. N.C. State is led Martina Frantova, who was rated in the latest ITA rankings as the No. 57 singles player in the country and the No. 6 player in the Carolina Region. The Wolfpack are vulnerable in doubles competition as they have posted a 7-7 overall record with no duo earning more than one win in the early season.
 
LAST TIME OUT
FGCU came from behind to defeat in-state rival UCF, 4-3, on Saturday, Feb. 6, marking the first time in program history the Eagles earned a victory against the Knights.
 
UCF entered the dual-match with a perfect record and had only dropped a total of three games in doubles competition all season. However, the Green and Blue came out and jumped all over UCF as they won a pair of lopsided matches to claim the doubles point against the in-state foe. The FGCU duo of Julia Ascúa (Santa Fe, Argentina/Domingo G. Silva) and Julianna Curtis (Tampa, Fla./Allendale Academy) defeated UCF's Cortney Cesarini and Natalia Serrano, 6-1, in No. 2 doubles. Minutes later, Breana Stampfli (Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago/St. Joseph's Convent) and Joselyn Treyes Albarracin (Guayaquil, Ecuador/InterAmerican Academy) teamed up to take down Sophia Baptista and Emilia Granstrom, 6-2, in No. 1 doubles.
 
The momentum quickly turned at the start of singles play as UCF claimed the first three matches to take a 3-1 lead. However, FGCU never wavered as they fought to win the final three matches of the afternoon and earn the dual-match victory in dramatic fashion. With her back against the wall in No. 4 singles, Treyes Albarracin responded from a first-set loss to claim the second set in a tiebreak and ultimately win the match to keep the Eagles alive. Then, with the match tied 3-3, Stampfli came from behind to defeat Caroline Eberhart in the final two sets of No. 1 singles competition and helped lead FGCU to its first-ever victory against the Knights. The Trinidad and Tobago native earned A-Sun Player of the week honors for her match-clinching performance.
 
UP NEXT
Following their two-match swing in the Tar Heel State, FGCU will return to Fort Myers for seven-straight home matches, starting with a dual against Eastern Michigan on Tuesday, Feb. 23 at 5 p.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 26-22 overall record (.542) 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.