FORT MYERS, Fla. – After a pair of road matches against top-50 opponents and a nearly two-week break from competition, the FGCU women's tennis team (4-3) returns to Fort Myers for a flurry of matches to be played at the FGCU Tennis Complex in the next 11 days.
 
The Eagles' five-match homestand begins with a dual against Xavier (4-6) Wednesday at 11 a.m. and is quickly followed by a match with Troy (3-8) Friday at the same time. After taking the weekend off, FGCU will then welcome Georgia Southern (9-2), #15 Duke (6-3, 1-0 ACC) and George Washington (7-4, 1-2 A-10) to Southwest Florida for a trio of matches the following week. The Eagles will take on Georgia Southern Monday, Mar. 13 at 5 p.m. before turning around to square off with the perennial powerhouse Blue Devils Wednesday, Mar. 15 at the same time. The homestand will then be capped off with a dual against the Colonials Saturday, Mar. 18 at 10 a.m.
 
Admission to all FGCU home matches is free, and fans are encouraged to bring their own seating as bleacher space is limited. Information on each match and the season as a whole can be found at the marketing table set up in between courts one and seven.
 
HOT START
After starting the season 1-1 and rattling off three straight wins against Southern Miss, Florida A&M and FAU, the Eagles posted its best five-match record since the 2006-07 season, which also registers as the team's best start in Division I program history. However, the Green and Blue are looking to get back on track after dropping a pair of tough road tests in its last two matches.
 
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
FGCU has dropped a trio of tough road matches against FSU, UCF and FIU – all of which currently appear or have appeared in the ITA top-50 at one point this season. However, the Eagles are 4-0 in neutral and home matches, highlighted by the Eagles first win against USF in program history to begin the dual season.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Faced with its third tough road match of the season against then #38 FIU, the Green and Blue were stymied in doubles action and couldn't swing the momentum in singles play as four of six matches were over in straight sets and the Eagles fell to the Panthers, 7-0.

With senior captain Breana Stampfli (Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago/St. Joseph's Convent) out of the match, Maja Ornberg (Kil, Sweden/De la Gardiegymnasiet, Lidkoping) and Bridget Forster (Boca Raton, Fla./Florida Virtual School) teamed up for the first time this season and were defeated by FIU's Ulyana Grib and Maryan Veksler, 6-1, in #2 doubles.

Minutes later, the Eagles' top doubles tandem of Julia Ascúa (Santa Fe, Argentina/Domingo G. Silva) and Julianna Curtis (Tampa, Fla./Allendale Academy) lost its third straight match after winning 12 in a row dating back to last season as they were defeated, 6-3, by Andrea Lazaro and Nina Nagode.

As singles play began, FIU maintained its momentum and claimed the match with a trio of straight-set victories. Ornberg was faced with the tall task of facing Lazaro, who was ranked as the #34 singles player in the country, in #1 singles and fell 6-1, 6-1. Playing a position higher than usual, Ascúa dropped her match to Veksler 6-3, 6-2 and the Panthers got to within a point of claiming the match. Both Lazaro and Veksler improved to 6-0 on the year with their wins. The clincher came in the #6 position as Nerma Caluk defeated Sofia Perez (Costa Rica/Florida Virtual School) in back-to-back frames. After falling 6-2 in the first set, Perez put up a fight in the second frame but ultimately came up short, 6-4.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
After the team's first three weeks of competition this season, FGCU had 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. Ornberg then 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 40-32 overall record (.556) 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.