FORT MYERS, Fla. – The final run-up before the start of conference play has begun as the FGCU men's tennis team plays three home matches this week.
The Eagles begin the week Tuesday at 6 p.m. against South Alabama before welcoming George Washington Thursday at 6 p.m. The week then concludes with a match against UCF Sunday at noon.
All matches at the FGCU Tennis Complex are free to attend.
THE GREEN AND BLUE
FGCU split a pair of home matches last weekend, defeating Xavier 5-2 before falling to ETSU 4-0.
Sam Chaffin (Tampa, Fla./Wharton HS) secured the win over Xavier for the Eagles at No. 6. The Eagles also got wins from
Oliver Landert (Naples, Fla./Florida Virtual School/Florida),
Felipe Ramirez (Armenia, Colombia/Florida Virtual School), and
Mateo Ruiz (Bucaramanga, Colombia/Oklahoma State) as the Eagles looked to regain their confidence.
Still shorthanded, FGCU dropped a tough doubles point to ETSU and went on to lose 4-0 to conclude the week. The Eagles split the first two doubles matches but dropped the third in a tiebreak to fall behind 1-0. The Buccaneers went on to win the first three singles matches to bring FGCU to 4-5 on the year.
SCOUTING THE JAGUARS
The #29 South Alabama Jaguars are coming off a loss to UCF Sunday, ending a 15-match winning streak. Now 16-3, the Jaguars are led by No. 82 Tuki Jacobs who is 20-4 on the year along with an 8-1 record at No. 1 singles. Juan Cruz Soria has lost just once this spring, carrying a 14-1 combined record at No. 1 and No. 2.
The Eagles are 0-2 all-time against the Jaguars, including a close 4-3 loss last season in Tallahassee when South Alabama was #73 in the nation.
SCOUTING THE COLONIALS
George Washington comes to Florida on a four-match winning streak and with a 9-4 overall record. The Colonials face FAU, Connecticut and South Alabama in Boca Raton earlier in the week before travelling to Fort Myers. Julius Tverijonas has featured at the top spot almost the entire season, posting a 6-4 record. At No. 2, Chris Fletcher and Chris Reynolds are a combined 8-5 with Fletcher also holding a 6-1 record at No. 3
FGCU has never faced George Washington in a dual match.
SCOUTING THE KNIGHTS
UCF is 9-5 this season including the previously mentioned win over South Alabama. The Knights have winning records at five of the six singles positions, highlighted by an 8-3 record at No. 1 and an 8-1 record at No. 5. Korey Lovett has played every match at No. 1 for the 8-3 record, while the remainder of the Knights have featured at multiple positions. Harrison Richmond is 4-1 at No. 3, accounting for most of the success in that spot in the lineup.
FGCU is 0-6 all-time in dual matches against UCF. The Eagles have lost 4-3 in each of the last two seasons.
UP NEXT
The Eagles begin their ASUN title defense March 23 at Stetson.
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 67-49 (.600) 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.
