FORT MYERS, Fla. – Competing for the first time as the 2017 ASUN Regular Season Champions, No. 1 FGCU (14-4, 6-0 ASUN) will square off with No. 4 Stetson (7-13, 3-3 ASUN) in the ASUN Championship Semifinals for the third straight season Saturday at 12 p.m. at the FGCU Tennis Complex.

Admission to all tournament matches is free, and fans are encouraged to bring their own seating as bleacher space is limited. Information about each match and the tournament as a whole can be found at the marketing table set up in between courts one and seven.
 
Additionally, fans unable to make it to the FGCU Tennis Complex can follow Saturday's action via live stats. An updated championship bracket following Friday's quarterfinal matches can also be found here.
 
The winner of the match between the Eagles and Hatter will advance to Sunday's championship and take on the winner of No. 2 UNF and No. 3 NJIT, who will also square off at 12 p.m. Saturday. The ASUN Women's Championship is scheduled for 10 a.m. and will be streamed on ESPN3.
 
TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Entering the weekend in search of its first ASUN Tournament Championship in program history, the Eagles have advanced to two straight championship finals and have appeared in the semifinals in all four seasons under head coach Courtney Vernon. After falling to ETSU, 4-1, in the 2014 semifinals, FGCU made its way to the first championship match in program history in 2015 and fell, 4-1, to UNF. The Eagles then earned the No. 2 seed for the first time in program history in 2016 and advanced to their second straight championship match where they again met UNF and lost, 4-2.
 
MATCH HISTORY
Stetson holds an 8-5 advantage in the all-time series with FGCU, but the Eagles have gotten the best of the Hatters in five of the last six matches. The two teams met at the start of the 2017 conference season in DeLand, Fla., and FGCU secured a 6-1 win against the homestanding Hatters.
 
Additionally, FGCU capped off the 2016 regular season with a 6-1 win against Stetson at the FGCU Tennis Complex and turned around the following week to defeat the Hatters, 4-1, in the ASUN Championship Semifinals. It was the second straight year the Eagles ended the Hatters' season by a 4-1 margin in the conference semifinals.
 
SCOUTING THE HATTERS
Stetson made its way to Saturday's match by defeating No. 5 Lipscomb, 4-2, Friday afternoon. The Hatters enter the semifinal matchup with a 7-13 overall record and wrapped up the regular season with a 3-3 mark in conference play to finish fourth in the league.
 
The Hatters are led by ASUN First Team All-Conference member Arijana Korac, who wrapped up the regular season with a 4-2 record against conference opponents and won her final three matches of the season. Lucie Renault earned Second Team All-Conference honors in #3 singles after securing a team-best 12 dual match wins and going 4-2 in ASUN play, while Alexe Viaud received the recognition in #6 singles. Renault and Sofia Ferding also earned All-Freshman Team honors.
 
ASUN SUCCESS
After snapping UNF's 30-match conference win streak and claiming its first ASUN Championship in program history last weekend, FGCU extended its season-long win streak to seven matches and capped off the regular season a perfect 6-0 in ASUN play. In four seasons under Vernon, FGCU has reached new heights in conference play as the Eagles are 21-5 against ASUN opponents and are looking to advance to the third straight ASUN Championship Final this Sunday. Dating back to the beginning of ASUN play a season ago, FGCU is 11-1 in regular season matches against conference opponents with its lone loss coming by a 4-3 margin to UNF a season ago.
 
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
FGCU has been tough to beat at home this season as the Eagles are 10-1 at the familiar confines of the FGCU Tennis Complex. The Eagles started the season 3-0 in Fort Myers, highlighted by the team's first win against USF in program history to begin the dual season, and capped off a five-match homestand during March with a 4-1 record. The Green and Blue registered wins against defending Big East Tournament champion Xavier, Troy, Georgia Southern and George Washington with their lone loss of the season came at the hands of then #18 Duke. With three conference home wins this season, FGCU has won six straight conference home matches with its last loss coming to the Ospreys in 2015.

ASUN AWARDS
FGCU was once again well represented as the ASUN Postseason Honors and Awards were announced at the annual ASUN Tennis Championship Banquet Thursday evening. Highlighting the 15 total all-conference and all-academic honors for the Green and Blue, Vernon was named the first outright ASUN Coach of the Year after sharing the honor with former UNF coach Audra Cohen a season ago. First-year standout Maja Ornberg (Kil, Sweden/De la Gardiegymnasiet, Lidkoping) was named the ASUN Freshman of the Year – becoming the third Eagle in the last four years and second straight to earn the recognition – while Julianna Curtis (Tampa, Fla./Allendale Academy) took home FGCU's second consecutive Scholar-Athlete of the Year award.
 
Along with her ASUN Freshman of the Year honors, Ornberg was named one of three unanimous First Team All-Conference selections and was joined on the team by Bridget Forster (Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago/St. Joseph's Convent) and Julia Ascúa (Santa Fe, Argentina/Domingo G. Silva). It was the second straight season both Stampfli and Ascúa earned first-team honors. Laura Falceto Font (Zaragoza, Spain/El Pilar Maristas Zaragoza) was named Second Team All-Conference in #4 singles, while Ornberg and Stampfli earned the recognition in #2 doubles. Additionally, Ornberg and Sara Kelly (Naples, Fla./Florida Virtual School) were named unanimous selections to the ASUN All-Freshman Team and were joined on the team by fellow freshman Bridget Forster (Boca Raton, Fla./Florida Virtual School).
 
Lastly, as the Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Curtis was a unanimous selection to the ASUN All-Academic Team – marking her second straight season on the list – and was joined by Falceto Font – also a unanimous selection – and Ascúa, who were both in their first seasons of eligibility for the honor.
 
FGCU was the lone program to have multiple representatives on each of the All-Conference First Team and Second Team as well as the All-Freshman team and All-Academic Team. The Eagles' three First Team All-Conference recognitions was a new program record, while their three All-Freshman Team and All-Academic Team members tied the most in program history.
 
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 two-time ASUN Coach of the Year Courtney Vernon, whose fourth season under the helm saw the Eagles claim their first ASUN Championship in program history. She has mentored her student-athletes into earning a total of 43 ASUN All-Conference and All-Academic honors, including the 2014, 2016 and 2017 ASUN Freshman of the Year as well as the 2016 and 2017 Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Vernon has led the Green and Blue to a 50-33 overall record (.602) and 21-5 conference record (.808) in her three-plus 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.