TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A confident and energetic FGCU men's tennis team took to the courts and came away with a 5-2 win over Florida A&M Saturday afternoon. The Eagles evened up their overall record at 1-1 while the Rattlers fell to 0-5. The win also witnessed the first career win for newcomer Pedro Carle and the first spring dual wins for Mateo Ruiz.

"I'm happy for the guys rebounding well from yesterday," said head coach CJ Weber. "We played with a lot of energy and executed many things which were our focus for the day. Pedro (Carle) won his first match as an Eagle on the doubles court, and Mateo (Ruiz) got his first doubles and singles dual match wins as well. We look forward to coming back home for a little home stretch to put on some shows in front of our fans."

Looking to bounce back from a loss to open the season, FGCU grabbed an immediate lead after the match was delayed for the second-straight day due to weather. Leading the charge in doubles play, Ruiz (Bucaramanga, Colombia/Oklahoma State) and Oliver Landert (Naples, Fla./Florida Virtual School/Florida) made quick work of Illya Skoromnyy and Hasem Hasona at No. 2 with a 6-0 win. The win was the first dual doubles win for Ruiz, who would later replicate that same feat in singles play.

Shortly after play finished on Court 2, Javier Fernandez (Ibiza, Spain/IES CTEIB) and Carle (Daireaux, Argentina/College of the Desert) secured the doubles point with a 6-1 win at No. 3 over Karlyn Small and Jalen Evans. The win was the first career victory for Carle, who joined the Eagles at the beginning of the spring semester.

Ruiz ensured the visitors continued to play with high energy as the newcomer won his match at No. 5 6-1, 6-2 for his first career dual singles win. Despite a loss at No. 2, where Walner Espinoza defeated Ezequiel Cerrini (Sunny Isles Beach, Fla./Homeschool) 6-2, 6-2, Fernandez put FGCU on the brink of its first win of the year with a 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 4.

The Green and Blue did not have to wait long as Landert defeated Nani 6-1, 6-3 at No. 3 shortly after. Andres Alfonzo (Hollywood, Fla./Florida Virtual School/Texas Christian University) then secured his first win at the top spot this season, claiming a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Karlyn Small.

Carle won his first set 6-3 over Courage Okungbowa at No. 6, only for the Rattler to come back and win the next two sets for the 5-2 final.

UP NEXT
The Eagles welcome back their alumni Jan. 28 for an alumni match prior to the FGCU basketball doubleheader. The match is slated for a 1 p.m. start.

Following the alumni match, the current squad begins a series of four-straight matches at the FGCU Tennis Complex with a match against Bethune-Cookman Feb. 3 at 6 p.m. The Green and Blue welcome FAU the next day for another 6 p.m. start.  

FULL RESULTS
DOUBLES
1) Alfonzo/Cerrini (FGCU) vs. Espinoza/Nani (FAMU) 4-2, Unfinished
2) Landert/Ruiz (FGCU) def. Skoromnyy/Hasona (FAMU) 6-0
3) Fernandez/Carle (FGCU) def. Small/Evans (FAMU) 6-1
SINGLES
1) Alfonzo (FGCU) def. Small (FAMU) 6-3, 6-4
2) Espinoza (FAMU) def. Cerrini (FGCU) 6-2, 6-2
3) Landert (FGCU) def. Nani (FAMU) 6-1, 6-3
4) Fernandez (FGCU) def. Skoromny (FAMU) 6-2, 6-2
5) Ruiz (FGCU) def. Evans (FAMU) 6-1, 6-2
6) Okungowa (FAMU) def. Carle (FGCU) 3-6, 7-6, 10-6
Order of Finish: Doubles (2, 3), Singles (5, 2, 4, 3, 1, 6)

CJ WEBER
FGCU is led by CJ Weber who has coached 23 ASUN All-Conference selections since joining the Green and Blue in 2011. In his fifth year, Weber has compiled a 65-43 (.602) overall record and a 26-11 (.694) record in ASUN 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. The Eagles completed consecutive perfect ASUN seasons in 2016 and back-to-back conference titles as well as a second-straight Coach of the Year honor for Weber.
 
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.
 
#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.