ORLANDO, Fla. – After seeing its four-match winning streak come to an end, the FGCU men's tennis team won a pair of matches Saturday, defeating both Texas-Arlington and Connecticut. The Green and Blue took down the Mavericks 4-3 before dominating singles play against the Huskies, claiming a 6-1 victory.

FGCU vs. UTA
FGCU (7-3) dropped the first doubles match of the morning at No. 2, with Andres Alfonzo (Hollywood, Fla./Texas Christian University) and Javier Fernandez (Ibiza, Spain/IES CTEIB) losing to Daniel Armengol and Jhonathan Gonzalez 6-2. The match quickly evened up however, as Lucas Vaz (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Colegio Fleming/Tulsa) and Ezequiel Cerrini (Sunny Isles Beach, Fla./Homeschool) won their No. 1 doubles match 6-2 over Carlos Arbiza and Pablo Colvee. Eduardo Alfonzo (Hollywood, Fla./Barry University) and Oliver Landert (Naples, Fla./Florida Virtual School/Florida) clinched the doubles point with a 7-5 (7-5) win over Mario Muniesa and Guanarteme Nuez at No. 3 doubles.

Andres Alfonzo kept the momentum going for FGCU, claiming his No. 1 singles match over Gonzalez 6-3, 6-4. Ventura pushed the lead to 3-0 FGCU, defeating Nuez 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 at No. 2 singles.

"I'm proud of my teammates and how we played today after losing a tough match against UCF," Ventura said.

The overall match evened up at 3-3, as Eduardo Alfonzo, Cerrini and Fernandez lost their matches at No. 3, No. 4 and No. 5 singles, respectively.
The match was decided at the No. 6 position, where Landert had been forced to a third set. The sophomore had won the first set 7-5 but fell in the second set 6-4. In the third, Landert made quick work of Colvee, securing the win for FGCU 6-1.

"What a match," said head coach CJ Weber. "This was one of the most competitive matches I've ever been a part of. I wish we could have played this match at home because this was dramatic. I couldn't be happier for Oli to be able to clinch this match. We've been working on many things with him the last couple weeks and it was put to the test in the third set today when he was the last person on. This kid is an animal and I can't wait to keep working with him for the next three years."

"We had a great team win today," Landert said. "I felt an incredible bond with the team in my third set and that moment will bring us together even more. I'm really happy to have clinched the match. It means a lot to be able to come out and win against a stellar team."

FGCU vs. Connecticut
FGCU was forced to come from behind following losses at No. 1 and No. 3 doubles. The duo of Landert and Chris Perrigan (Tallahassee, Fla./Maclay HS) fell 6-4 to Justin Warren and Hank Hill at No. 3 in the first completed match of the afternoon. The No. 2 pairing of Andres Alfonzo and Fernandez gave FGCU a chance to earn the doubles point, defeating Zac McEntee and Arnaud Vanlentin 6-3 but Vaz and Cerrini fell at No. 1 doubles to Jacob Spreyer and Christopher Toner 6-4.

When the match turned to singles play, FGCU dominated all six pairings to win the match 6-1. Vaz put the Eagles back on track at No. 6 singles, defeating Valentin 6-2, 6-2. Landert then put FGCU in front, defeating McEntee 6-0, 6-3 from the No. 5 position.

Fernandez pushed FGCU to the brink of clinching the match with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Hill at No. 4 singles and the Green and Blue secured their seventh win of the season when Cerrini defeated Warren 6-2, 6-4 from the No. 3 spot.

Eduardo Alfonzo won his No. 2 match 6-4, 6-4 over Toner and his brother Andres claimed the No. 1 match 6-2, 6-2 over Spreyer to end the day.

"This was a really challenging weekend," Weber added. "We played a lot of tennis is 28 hours and the guys got stronger and learned more about themselves. We're looking forward to two days off and then we'll focus on FAMU."

UP NEXT
The Eagles return home to face Florida A&M Saturday at 5 p.m.

Results
FGCU vs. UT-Arlington
Doubles
1) Vaz/Cerrini (FGCU) def. Arbiza/Colvee (UTA) 6-2
2) Armengol/Gonzalez (UTA) def. A. Alfonzo/Fernandez (FGCU) 6-2
3) E. Alfonzo/Landert (FGCU) def. Muniesa/Nuez (UTA) 7-6 (5)
Singles
1) A. Alfonzo (FGCU) def. Gonzalez (UTA) 6-3, 6-4
2) Ventura (FGCU) def. Nuez (UTA) 6-2, 4-6, 6-3
3) Muniesa (UTA) def. E. Alfonzo (FGCU) 7-5, 6-2
4) Arbiza (UTA) def. Cerrini (FGCU) 7-6, 7-5
5) Armengol (UTA) def. Fernandez (FGCU) 7-5, 6-4
6) Landert (FGCU) def. Colvee (UTA) 7-5, 4-6, 6-1
Order of Finish: Doubles (2, 1, 3), Singles (1, 2, 3, 5, 4, 6)

FGCU vs. Connecticut
Doubles
1) Spreyer/Toner (UConn) def. Vaz/Cerrini (FGCU) 6-4
2) A. Alfonzo/Fernandez (FGCU) def. McEntee/Valentin (UConn) 6-3
3) Warren/Hill (UConn) def. Landert/Perrigan (FGCU) 6-4
Singles
1) A. Alfonzo (FGCU) def. Spreyer (UConn) 6-2, 6-2
2) E. Alfonzo (FGCU) def. Toner (UConn) 6-4, 6-4
3) Cerrini (FGCU) def. Warren (UConn) 6-2, 6-4
4) Fernandez (FGCU) def. Hill (UConn) 6-1, 6-3
5) Landert (FGCU) def. McEntee (UConn) 6-0, 6-3
6) Vaz (FGCU) def. Valentin (UConn) 6-2, 6-2
Order of Finish: Doubles (3, 2, 1), Singles (6, 5, 4, 3, 1, 2)

FOLLOW ALONG
For complete coverage of FGCU men's tennis follow us on Twitter @FGCU_MTEN and visit www.FGCUAthletics.com where full recaps and results will be available at the end of each day of competition.
 
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 fifth year, Weber has compiled a 54-40 (.574) overall record and a 20-11 (.645) record in A-Sun play. In 2014-15, Weber guided the Eagles to their first-ever Atlantic Sun Championship and first-ever Atlantic Sun Regular Season title after a program-best 17 wins. In his third season, Weber led 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.
 
#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 awareness.