FORT MYERS, Fla. – The weather of Southwest Florida played in favor of the FGCU men's tennis team in a 6-1 win over conference newcomers NJIT Thursday afternoon. The Eagles (13-5, 3-0 Atlantic Sun) never trailed in the match to secure their 15th-consecutive win in Atlantic Sun play as well as their 12th-straight win at the FGCU Tennis Complex. The Highlanders meanwhile continue their search for their first conference win, falling to 8-4 overall and 0-2 in the A-Sun.

With temperatures nearing 90 degrees, the Eagles produced authoritative doubles wins at No. 1 and No. 3 and carried that confidence into singles to remain perfect in Atlantic Sun play.

"Today we did a great job of getting on top early and not letting go," said head coach CJ Weber. "I'm particularly proud of Lucas (Vaz) and Javi (Fernandez). Lucas played a mentally disciplined match and Javi closed out a guy when he was really struggling physically. As a unit, we looked good and I'm happy we got another win." 

The No. 3 doubles pairing of Oliver Landert (Naples, Fla./Florida Virtual School/Florida) and Eduardo Alfonzo (Hollywood, Fla./Barry University) set the tone early for the Green and Blue, racing out to a 3-0 lead as the No. 1 and No. 2 pairings battled to 2-1 advantages. As the top two teams continued to fight, Landert and the senior Alfonzo cruised to a 6-0 win on Court 3 over Jan Cimrman and Zac Castagna. As the attention turned to Courts 1 and 2, the Eagles took a 1-0 lead with a win at No. 1. Ricky Ventura (Barcelona, Spain/University of Barcelona) and Lucas Vaz (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Colegio Fleming/Tulsa) snapped a five-match losing skid, turning a 2-1 lead into a 6-2 victory against Markus Schultz and Arnaud Holl. The seniors led 3-2 then took control of the match to give FGCU a 1-0  lead after doubles.

"I'm very proud of today's victory," Ventura said. "All three teams played really good in doubles and we were able to jump on this team from the first point. We never settled and accomplished our goal."

Vaz was the first to close out his singles match after a late lineup change, winning his first set comfortably 6-2 over Richard Rangga. With all six courts in tight contests, Vaz gave the Eagles a burst of energy with a 6-1 win in his second set to put FGCU in front in the overall match 2-0. Ventura finished shortly after his doubles partner, closing out his second set 6-4 after dominating his first set 6-1 against Cimrman.

"Today was a great day for our team," Vaz said. "The conditions were really tough, it was very hot and humid, but we were able to play well and fight hard. This match was good for me because I had confidence from doubles and I was able to play the way I wanted to in singles. Now we have to get ready for USC Upstate on Saturday."

Leading 3-0, Javier Fernandez (Ibiza, Spain/IES CTEIB) clinched his second-straight match, but in less dramatic fashion than what was required on Saturday. The freshman was matched against Lukas Zvikas and after outlasting the Highlander 7-5 in the first set, he bested him once again 6-1 in the second to clinch the match at No. 5.

The lone defeat on the day for FGCU came at No. 1 singles. Andres Alfonzo (Hollywood, Fla./Texas Christian University) dropped a 6-2, 6-4 decision to Schultz but was picked up shortly after with a win at No. 3 from his older brother. The elder Alfonzo was forced to a tiebreaker in his first set but emerged victorious 7-6 (7-3). In a much less stressful second set, Alfonzo won his third-straight match with 6-2 second set victory against Albert Alban.

Landert ended the afternoon on a high note for the Green and Blue, grinding out a 7-5 win in the opening set before securing his seventh-straight victory behind a 6-2 win in the second set over Holl.

UP NEXT
The Eagles host Country Club Day at the FGCU Tennis Complex Saturday at 6 p.m. against USC Upstate. FGCU is hoping to set a new attendance record against the Spartans while continuing their positive trends both at home and during conference play. The club with the most members in attendance will win an exhibition match from the Eagles.

FULL RESULTS
DOUBLES
1) Ventura/Vaz (FGCU) def. Schultz/Holl (NJIT) 6-2
2) A. Alfonzo/Fernandez vs. Alban/Rangga (NJIT) DNF
3) Landert/E. Alfonzo (FGCU) def. Cimrman/Castagna (NJIT) 6-0
SINGLES
1) Schultz (NJIT) def. A. Alfonzo (FGCU) 6-2, 6-4
2) Ventura (FGCU) def. Cimrman (NJIT) 6-1, 6-4
3) E. Alfonzo (FGCU) def. Alban (NJIT) 7-6 (6-3) 6-2
4) Landert (FGCU) def. Holl (NJIT) 7-5, 6-2
5) Fernandez (FGCU) def. Zvikas (NJIT) 7-5, 6-1
6) Vaz (FGCU) def. Rangga (NJIT) 6-2, 6-1
Order of Finish: Doubles (3, 1), Singles (6, 2, 5, 1, 3, 4)

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 61-41 (.598) overall record and a 23-11 (.676) 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.