RALEIGH, N.C. – Entering the dual with a three-match win streak, the FGCU women's tennis team fell behind early and was ultimately defeated by the No. 65 N.C. State Wolfpack, 7-0, Saturday morning at the J.W. Isenhour Tennis Center.
 
With the loss, FGCU fell to 3-3 on the season, dropping their first dual match since Jan. 29, while N.C. State improved to 5-1. The trend of doubles competition playing a deciding factor in the match continued as they Eagles are now 0-3 in matches during which they lost the point and 3-0 when winning the doubles point.
 
"N.C. State challenged us today," said FGCU head coach Courtney Vernon. "We have a lot we can take away from this match and improve upon. We have three matches this upcoming week and are looking forward to getting back and working hard to improve."
 
For the first time since their second match of the season at USF on Jan. 29, FGCU dropped the doubles point as the Wolfpack claimed a pair of 6-1 matches. The N.C. State tandem of Bianca Moldovan and Joanna Nalborska defeated FGCU's Elizabeth Means (Washington, D.C./Wiregrass Ranch HS) and Alexandra Landert (Zurich, Switzerland/Seton Hall) in No. 2 doubles. Later, Martina Frantova and Tayla Stenta took down Julia Ascua (Santa Fe, Argentina/Domingo G. Silva) and Julianna Curtis (Tampa, Fla./Allendale Academy), who were off to a 2-0 start since becoming a doubles team, in the No. 1 position. The Eagles' duo of Laura Falceto Font (Zaragoza, Spain/El Pilar Maristas Zaragoza) and Breana Stampfli (Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago/St. Joseph's Convent) held a 4-2 advantage over their N.C. State counterparts, but the match was not completed after the Wolfpack already claimed a pair of doubles matches.
 
FGCU was outmatched in singles competition as the Green and Blue dropped all six matches, with five occurring in straight sets. N.C. State quickly pushed their lead to 3-0 as Wiktorin defeated Landert by a score of 6-2, 6-0 in No. 6 singles while Moldovan registered a 6-1, 6-2 win over Means in No. 3 singles. The Wolfpack then claimed the match as Frantova, the No. 57 singles player in the country, downed Stampfli by a score of 6-2, 6-3 in the No. 1 position. After dropping the first set, 6-1, Ascua made a comeback effort but ultimately came up short as she lost a hard-fought second set, 7-5, in No. 2 singles. Lastly, in their respective matches in the No. 4 and No. 5 positions, Curtis and Falceto Font both put up valiant, first-set effort but didn't have the stamina to get it going in the next frame. Stenta defeated Curtis with a score of 7-5, 6-1 while Falceto Font won the first set against Rebol in a tiebreak but ultimately dropped the final match of the day by a margin of 6-7 (4), 6-2, 10-6.
 
SATURDAY RESULTS
Doubles
No. 1 Doubles: Frantova/Stenta (N.C. State) def. Ascua/Curtis (FGCU): 6-1
No. 2 Doubles: Moldovan/Nalborska (N.C. State) def. Means/Landert (FGCU): 6-1
No. 3 Doubles: Falceto Font/Stampfli (FGCU) led Wiktorin/Rebol (N.C. State): 4-2 (DNF)
 
Singles
No. 1 Singles: Frantova (N.C. State) def. Stampfli (FGCU): 6-2, 6-3
No. 2 Singles: Nalborska (N.C. State) def. Ascua (FGCU): 6-1, 7-5
No. 3 Singles: Moldovan (N.C. State) def. Means (FGCU): 6-1, 6-2
No. 4 Singles: Stenta (N.C. State) def. Curtis (FGCU): 7-5, 6-1
No. 5 Singles: Rebol (N.C. State) def. Falceto Font (FGCU): 6-7 (4), 6-2, 10-6
No. 6 Singles: Wiktorin (N.C. State) def. Landert (FGCU): 6-2, 6-0
 
Order of Finish: Doubles (2, 1, 3); Singles (6, 3, 1, 2, 4, 5)
 
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 27-23 overall record (.540) 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.