NASHVILLE, Tenn. – In a match that started outdoors but was completed inside due to rain, the FGCU women's tennis team (7-7, 1-0) got its conference season off to a good start with a 5-2 win against Lipscomb (10-4, 0-1) Thursday in Nashville, Tenn. With the win, the Eagles improved their perfect mark against the Bison to 10-0.
 
After getting off to a slow start and dropping the doubles point to a Lipscomb team that entered the match with a 21-8 record in doubles competition, the Eagles came from behind to win five of six singles matches and get off to a 1-0 start in A-Sun play.
 
"The girls competed well today under challenging conditions," said FGCU head coach Courtney Vernon. "We started the match outside and had to move indoors due to rain, but the girls welcomed the challenge and got the job done. We're looking forward to playing Kennesaw State on Saturday."
 
In doubles competition, Julia Ascua (Santa Fe, Argentina/Domingo G. Silva) and Julianna Curtis (Tampa, Fla./Allendale Academy) continued to lead the way as they earned a 6-1 win against Lipscomb's Hannah Gamage and Danielle Kinnen to improve to 8-2 overall and 7-1 in the No. 2 position. However, the Bison were able to win the remaining two matches and claim the cumulative point over the Eagles. Katarina Kandyba and Hanna VIctorsson defeated Laura Falceto Font (Zaragoza, Spain/El Pilar Maristas Zaragoza) and Elizabeth Means (Washington, D.C./Wiregrass Ranch HS) in the No. 3 position before Melissa Kromer and Laura Kent downed Breana Stampfli (Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago/St. Jospeh's Convent) and Joselyn Treyes Albarracin (Guayaquil, Ecuador/InterAmerican Academy) in the top spot.
 
FGCU then claimed the early momentum from Lipscomb in singles play as the Eagles won five of six matches. Stampfli and Treyes Albarracin won a pair of straight-set decisions against Gamage and Kandyba in the No. 1 and No. 2 positions, respectively, before Lipscomb tied the score, 2-2, as Victorsson defeated Curtis in No. 4 singles.
 
The match, which was pushed up an hour and a half in order to avoid potential inclement weather, was then suspended and the two teams were forced to finish the competition indoors.
 
However, the Eagles didn't let the break in play do the same to their momentum as they won each of the three remaining matches to earn the road win. Means got FGCU back out in front with a 7-6 (5), 7-5 win in the No. 5 position, and Ascua then sealed the deal by defeating Kent in a three-set match in No. 2 singles. With the match already decided, Falceto Font also continued to play well as she dropped the first set but came from behind to defeat Kinnen in the final match of the afternoon. Falceto Font extended her match win streak to five while Ascua is right on her heels at four.
 
THURSDAY RESULTS
Doubles
No. 1 Doubles: Kromer/Kent (Lipscomb) def. Stampfli/Treyes Albarracin (FGCU): 6-3
No. 2 Doubles: Ascua/Curtis (FGCU) def. Gamage/Kinnen (Lipscomb): 6-1
No. 3 Doubles: Kandyba/Victorsson (Lipscomb) def. Falceto Font/Means (FGCU): 6-2
 
Singles
No. 1 Singles: Stampfli (FGCU) def. Gamage (Lipscomb): 6-1, 6-2
No. 2 Singles: Treyes Albarracin (FGCU) def. Kandyba (Lipscomb): 6-3, 6-2
No. 3 Singles: Ascua (FGCU) def. Kent (Lipscomb): 6-2, 3-6, 6-3
No. 4 Singles: Victorsson (Lipscomb) def. Curtis (FGCU): 7-5, 6-4
No. 5 Singles: Means (FGCU) def. Kromer (Lipscomb): 7-6 (5), 7-5
No. 6 Singles: Falceto Font (FGCU) def. Kinnen (Lipscomb): 4-6, 6-1, 6-2
 
Order of Finish: Doubles (2, 3, 1); Singles (1, 2, 4, 5, 3, 6)
 
UP NEXT
The Eagles travel four hours southeast to face Kennesaw State (1-11) Saturday at 10 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 31-27 overall record (.534) and 11-4 conference record (.733) 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.