MIAMI, Fla. – The FGCU women's tennis team (4-2) is faced with a tough road match for the second straight weekend as the Eagles travel across Alligator Alley to take on #38 FIU (5-1) Friday at 1 p.m. at the FIU Tennis Courts.
 
After starting the season 1-1, the Green and Blue went on a three-match win streak to improve to 4-1, which was not only the best start to a season since the 2006-07 season, but also the best start in Division I program history. However, FGCU's streak was recently snapped at UCF last weekend, and the Eagles will look to rebound against a FIU team that has caused them trouble in the past. 
 
Live stats for tomorrow's match will be available on fiusports.com, and admission for those traveling to Miami is free.
 
MATCH HISTORY
FGCU is 1-4 in its all-time series against cross-state foe FIU with its lone win coming as the Eagles defeated the Panthers, 4-3, during the 2012-13 season. Most recently, the two teams kicked off the 2015-16 dual season with a match at the FGCU Tennis Complex, and FIU emerged victorious by a 4-0 margin. Along with competing in dual matches in five of the last six seasons, the Eagles and Panthers regularly compete during the fall season at the Bedford Cup, FGCU Fall Invite and FIU Fall Invite.
 
SCOUTING FIU
Off to a 5-1 start with its lone loss at #1 Florida, the Panthers appeared at #38 in the latest installment of the ITA's national rankings. FIU started the season with a 6-1 win against San Jose State and followed it with a shutout win against USF at the ITA Kickoff Classic. The following day, FIU dropped its match against the #1 Gators. Since then, the C-USA foe has won three straight contests against St. John's (4-1), Columbia (4-3) and Middle Tennessee (7-0).
 
In singles play, the Panthers have yet to lose a match in the top-two positions. Andrea Lazaro is off to a 5-0 start in the #1 position, while teammate Maryna Veksler is also 5-0 in #2 singles. Thanks to her hot start to the season, Lazaro is currently ranked by the ITA as the #34 women's singles player in the country after being tabbed as high as #29 earlier this spring. Dating back to the fall, she is 11-3 and has picked up three wins against nationally ranked opponents.
 
In doubles action, Lazaro has teamed up with Nina Nagode in the top spot, and the duo has started the season 4-1. Behind the top tandem, Veksler and teammate Ulyana Grib have posted a 3-1 record in the #2 position, and the Panthers are 9-5 in dual matches as a team.

LAST TIME OUT
FGCU traveled to Lake Nona, Fla., to take on UCF at the brand new USTA National Campus and suffered a 6-1 loss to the homestanding Knights.
 
FGCU, who defeated UCF for the first time in program history a season ago, was locked in a 1-1 tie with the Knights after dropping the doubles point and winning the first singles match of the afternoon. However, the Eagles were stymied from there and fell in the five remaining singles matches.
 
After splitting the doubles decisions on courts two and three, the Eagles' top tandem of Julia Ascua (Santa Fe, Argentina/Domingo G. Silva) and Julianna Curtis (Tampa, Fla./Allendale Academy) battled back from a 5-3 deficit to force a tiebreak. However, UCF's Monica Matias and Courtney Cesarini, who had only dropped one match leading into the day, prevailed and claimed the point for the Knights in a tiebreak, 7-3.
 
Freshman Sara Kelly (Naples, Fla./Florida Virtual School) won her third straight singles match with a straight-set win against UCF counterpart Nicole Jimenez. However, the Green and Blue couldn't continue the momentum and its three-match win streak was snapped by the Knights.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
In four weeks of competition this spring, FGCU has already set a single-season record with three ASUN Women's Tennis Player of the Week awards. Stampfli was the first to earn the recognition after securing the matching-clinching win against USF to start the dual season, marking the second time in her career she received the weekly award. Two weeks later, Laura Falceto Font (Zaragoza, Spain/El Pilar Maristas Zaragoza) took home the award for the first time in her career after clinching FGCU's comeback against Southern Miss. Most recently, Ornberg earned the honor after going 4-0 in singles and doubles action in a pair of wins for the Eagles and securing FGCU's fourth straight win against FAU.
 
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 reining ASUN Co-Coach of the Year Courtney Vernon, whose third season under the helm saw the Eagles finish in a program-best second place in the regular season conference standings and advance to their second consecutive Atlantic Sun Championship Final. She has mentored her student-athletes into earning a total of 29 ASUN All-Conference honors, including the 2014 and 2016 ASUN Freshman of the Year and 2016 Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Vernon has led the Green and Blue to a 40-31 overall record (.563) and 15-5 conference record (.750) in her three 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.