JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Trailing 3-2, the FGCU men's tennis team relied on a senior and a freshman Thursday night to keep not only its Atlantic Sun winning streak alive, but its hopes for an outright A-Sun title intact. Lucas Vaz and Ezequiel Cerrini captured the final two points for FGCU, with the latter securing the match win, to give FGCU the 4-3 win over the No. 71 UNF Ospreys. The Green and Blue have now won 17-straight conference matches and stand at 15-5 in 2016 and 5-0 in the A-Sun while UNF falls to 8-11 and 3-2 in conference play.

The win over the No. 71 Ospreys was also the first win over a ranked opponent this season.

"I feel speechless after this match," said head coach CJ Weber. "UNF did a great job providing an awesome environment and I'm so happy we can have these opportunities in the A-Sun. The guys were incredibly disciplined to overcome those distractions. And for the match to come down to Ezequiel, and for him to play the way he did at the end of the match during his first season as an Eagle is just unreal. I'm a very proud and happy coach. The team will be ready for the last match of the year against Stetson at home. I hope we can pack the house for our seniors for that one."

FGCU had led after doubles play but the Ospreys took the first two singles matches to take a 2-1 lead. After a win at No. 5 for FGCU, UNF tallied another win to put the home side one win away from clinching the match. Vaz (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Colegio Fleming/Tulsa) would not be denied, winning his match at No. 6 to tie the match. The senior had filled in for an injury for the third time in as many matches while earning his third win. With the weight of a potential championship on his shoulders, Cerrini (Sunny Isles Beach, Fla./Homeschool) held a 5-3 lead in his third set at No. 3 only for Julian Bradley to tie the match. Cerrini would force a tiebreak and come from behind to clinch the match.

"This was definitely one of the best, if not the best experiences of my life," Cerrini said. "I was able to dictate and gut out the match because I was waiting for this moment the whole season. I want to congratulate my teammates for the fight they put up and the support I got from them. I wouldn't have been able to do it without them."

The evening did not start well for FGCU, with the Ospreys winning the No. 1 doubles match. Jack Findel-Hawkins and Bradley defeated Cerrini and Andres Alfonzo (Hollywood, Fla./Texas Christian University) 6-3, but the top-pairing was picked up by No. 2 and No. 3.

Eduardo Alfonzo (Hollywood, Fla./Barry University) and Javier Fernandez (Ibiza, Spain/IES CTEIB) teamed up for the first time and defeated Andrey Alawi and Lasse Muscheites 6-4 to put the doubles point on the shoulders of Vaz and Ricky Ventura (Barcelona, Spain/University of Barcelona). The seniors did not disappoint, putting FGCU in the overall lead with a 7-5 win at No. 2.

As the rivalry switched to singles play, the match remained close. UNF grabbed first-set wins on four courts but Andres Alfonzo and Fernandez kept the Ospreys from overtaking all the momentum.

After dropping is first set 6-1, Eduardo Alfonzo fell 6-2 in the second to Sahil Deshmukh at No. 4 as the overall match evened at 1-1. The Ospreys then took a 2-1 lead when Muscheites defeated Ventura 6-2, 7-6 at No. 2.

One of two freshmen representing the Green and Blue in the match stepped up early in singles to even up the match. After winning his first set at No. 5 6-3, Fernandez closed out his match with a 6-4 win in the second set.

The Eagles would be pushed to the brink moments later, when No. 100 Findel-Hawkins bounced back from a 6-3 first set loss to Andres Alfonzo. The junior Alfonzo looked to close out the nationally-ranked Findel-Hawkins but the Osprey No. 1 took the second and third sets 6-2 to give UNF a 3-2 edge in the match.

Vaz and Cerrini remained on the courts for FGCU at No. 6 and No. 3, respectively. The senior was forced to come from behind after losing his first set 6-3 to force a third set with a 6-4 win in the second set. Vaz led 2-0 early in the decisive game but Alawi and Vaz were eventually tied after eight games. The Eagle battled, taking the next two to win 6-4, tying the overall match at 3-3.

"It was one of the best feelings of my life," Vaz said. "The match was really close and the crowd was annoying but again our team was able to play our best tennis. I am really happy I was able to help this team. Also, I'm proud of Ezequiel and Javier; those guys are ready for anything."

Cerrini fell 6-3 to open his match against Bradley but tallied a 6-4 win to force a third set. The freshman led 5-3 but would find himself trailing 6-5 after Bradley, the reigning A-Sun Player of the Week, stormed back. Cerrini however held serve, hitting an ace to force a tiebreaker. The Florida-native led 4-3 in the tiebreaker but again was forced to come from behind after Bradley took a 5-4 lead. After winning the next point, Cerrini won two more points to win the tiebreaker 7-5 and clinch the match.  

UP NEXT
With the win, the Eagles can now win an outright A-Sun regular season title for the second-straight season Saturday against Stetson. On a night the Eagles will honor seniors Eduardo Alfonzo, Vaz, and Ventura, FGCU welcomes its in-state rivals for a 6 p.m. start at the FGCU Tennis Complex.

FULL RESULTS
DOUBLES
1) Findel-Hawkins/Bradley (UNF) def. Cerrini/A. Alfonzo (FGCU) 6-3
2) Vaz/Ventura (FGCU) def. Deshmukh/Deautriell (UNF) 7-5
3) E. Alfonzo/Fernandez (FGCU) def. Alawi/Muscheites (UNF) 6-4
SINGLES
1) Findel-Hawkins (UNF) def. A. Alfonzo (FGCU) 3-6, 6-2, 6-2
2) Muscheites (UNF) def. Venuta (FGCU) 6-2, 7-6 (7-5)
3) Cerrini (FGCU) def. Bradley (UNF) 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5)
4) Dehmukh (UNF) def. E. Alfonzo (FGCU) 6-1, 6-2
5) Fernandez (FGCU) def. Deautriell (UNF) 6-3, 6-4
6) Vaz (FGCU) def. Alawi (UNF) 3-6, 6-4, 6-4
Order of Finish: Doubles (1, 3, 2), Singles (4, 2, 5, 1, 6, 3)

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 63-41 (.605) overall record and a 25-11 (.694) 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.