FORT MYERS, Fla. – With its title defense in full swing, the FGCU men's tennis team returns home to continue Atlantic Sun play this weekend. Beginning Thursday, the Eagles (12-5, 2-0 A-Sun) welcome the NJIT Highlanders and the Spartans of USC Upstate to Southwest Florida. FGCU carries a 14-match conference winning streak into the weekend in addition to 11 consecutive wins at the FGCU Tennis Complex.

The Eagles and the Highlanders, the newest members of the A-Sun, are set for a 2 p.m. start Thursday at the FGCU Tennis Complex. When the Green and Blue meet the Spartans Saturday at 6 p.m., FGCU will host Country Club Day as the program attempts to set a new attendance record at the FGCU Tennis Complex. The club with the most members present will win a free exhibition from the FGCU men's tennis team. Admission to tennis matches are free at the FGCU Tennis Complex.

LAST TIME OUT
A pair of 4-3 victories sparked the Eagles to a 2-0 start in A-Sun play. FGCU was forced to wait until Friday (March 25) to begin the conference season after rain postponed its match against Lipscomb. When the conference-opener did get underway, the Green and Blue claimed the doubles point with wins at No. 1 and No. 3 doubles. Andres Alfonzo (Hollywood, Fla./Texas Christian University) and Ezequiel Cerrini (Sunny Isles Beach, Fla./Homeschool) won at No. 1 6-3 which was followed by a 6-4 win at No. 3 by Eduardo Alfonzo (Hollywood, Fla./Barry University) and Oliver Landert (Naples, Fla./Florida Virtual School/Florida).

Lipscomb tied the match with a singles win at No. 1, but Eduardo Alfonzo put FGCU back in front, winning 6-0, 6-3 at No. 4. Javier Fernandez (Ibiza, Spain/IES CTEIB) made it 3-1 before Landert clinched the win with a 6-4, 6-4 win at No. 5 singles. The Bisons closed the gap, winning the final two matches of the day to bring the final to 4-3.

A three-hour trip and yet another weather delay separated FGCU's match with Kennesaw State on Saturday. Unlike the dual against Lipscomb, the Green and Blue dropped the doubles point, falling behind 1-0 in the overall match.

Andres Alfonzo's win at No. 2 gave the Eagles their first point of the match after falling behind 2-0. Landert's victory at No. 5 evened up the match after the sophomore transfer stormed back from 5-1 down to win the second set 7-5. Following a loss at No. 1 that put FGCU on the brink of its first conference loss in two years, Cerrini dominated his third set, putting the match in the hands of Fernandez. As his fellow freshmen completed his victory, Fernandez dominated his third set, claiming three straight points to win 6-2.

SCOUTING THE HIGHLANDERS
NJIT dropped a 4-3 match to Stetson in its inaugural Atlantic Sun match, ending a six-match winning streak. Now at 8-3 overall and 0-1 in conference play, the Highlanders carry positive singles records in three of their six positions. It starts at No. 1 with Markus Schultz who is 8-3 in 2016. Andres Alban carries a 5-2 mark at No. 3 singles and is one of three players to appear at that position. As the lineup moves to No. 6, Zac Castagna and Richard Rangga have both seen success, with Castagna carrying a 3-1 mark and Rangga a perfect 5-0.

In doubles, NJIT has relied heavily on their pairings at No. 1 and No. 3. The No. 2 duos have combined for a 1-9 record but it's been offset by Arnaud Holl and Schultz tallying eight wins from the No. 1 position. The No. 3 position has been occupied by five pairings with a combined 6-4 record.

The Eagles and Highlanders have met twice previously, each earning a win. The two teams haven't met in a dual since 2010, a 4-3 win for NJIT. FGCU won the first-ever meeting 4-0 the year prior.

SCOUTING THE SPARTANS
USC Upstate kicked off A-Sun play with a 4-3 win over UNF but has since dropped a 4-3 decision to Stetson. The Spartans enter the weekend 5-11 overall and 1-1 in the A-Sun, good for third place. Ramon Simonetti has compiled four wins at the top spot in the lineup, as has Ankish Arora at No. 2. Jamie Yates has been the most successful performer at No. 3, winning five of his eight matches.

In doubles, the Spartans have used multiple combinations at every spot in the lineup. Arora and Simonetti have been the most successful at No. 1, tallying three wins in six attempts. Ignacio Garrdio and Lenhard Haupt have the same record at No. 2 while Yates and Tomas Berne are 2-0 from the same position.

The Spartans won the first five meetings against the Eagles but FGCU has since won four-straight matches. USC Upstate defeated FGCU in every meeting from 2008 to 2012 before FGCU began a run of four consecutive wins, including a 4-2 victory in the 2013 Atlantic Sun Championships.

UP NEXT
The Eagles face last season's runners-up, UNF Thursday (April 7) in Jacksonville. The match between FGCU and UNF begins at 6 p.m. in the lone match next week.

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 60-41 (.590) overall record and a 21-11 (.656) 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.