FORT MYERS, Fla. – With only two conference foes remaining the FGCU men's tennis team now focuses on securing a bid to the upcoming ASUN Conference Championships. The Eagles currently sit in a tie for third, one game behind second and an automatic bye into the semifinals.

FGCU returns home for its final two ASUN matches, against Kennesaw State and Lipscomb, while jockeying for position for the upcoming tournament. The Eagles and Owls are slated for a 6 p.m. start Thursday, coinciding with the women's match against the Owls.

The Eagles' conference finale opposite Lipscomb is set to begin at 6 p.m. Saturday.

All matches at the FGCU Tennis Complex are free to the public. Seating is limited and fans are encouraged to bring their own seats.

THE GREEN AND BLUE
FGCU had to come from behind to defeat USC Upstate and bounce back from its first conference loss in more than three calendar years. Fortunes were against the Green and Blue two days later however, as FGCU fell 4-3 to NJIT to fall to 2-2 in conference play and 6-10 overall.

The Eagles received strong performances from Ezequiel Cerrini (Sunny Isles Beach, Fla./Homeschool), Felipe Ramirez (Armenia, Colombia/Florida Virtual School), and Javier Fernandez (Ibiza, Spain/IES CTEIB) last weekend and every member of the trio enters the week 3-1 in ASUN play over the Spartans.

That group helped FGCU overcome an early deficit to defeat USC Upstate last week and nearly did the same against NJIT. Both Cerrini and Ramirez leveled the match for FGCU at various stages before Andres Alfonzo (Hollywood, Fla./Florida Virtual School/Texas Christian University) secured the victory.

Against the Highlanders all three earned victories however, those would be the only three wins for FGCU on the afternoon, falling 4-3.

Fernandez has been the most consistent player for FGCU all season, posting 18 wins with Cerrini behind him with 12.

SCOUTING THE OWLS
Tied with FGCU at 2-2 in ASUN play, the Owls enter the week with a 10-7 overall record following consecutive losses to UNF and Stetson. Only one other player in the ASUN has more singles wins at No. 1 than KSU's Simon Pritchard. The junior has recorded nine wins from the top spot this spring but has split his four matches thus far in conference action. Fernando Calvo Barcelo has been a major lift for the Owls this season, earning three wins at No. 3 in ASUN play to lead the conference at that position.

The pairing of Lucas de Torres and Pritchard are one of only two undefeated doubles teams during conference play, carrying a 4-0 record into the week. Overall, the duo has won nine of their 10 matches to carry Kennesaw State.

The Eagles are 6-2 all-time against the Owls including a dramatic 4-3 win last season in Kennesaw for FGCU's fourth-straight win over KSU.

SCOUTING THE BISONS
Lipscomb travels to Boca Raton Friday on a three-match losing streak before competing in Fort Myers Saturday. At 1-3 in the ASUN and 5-10 overall, the Bisons present a strong challenge at the top of the lineup in Rob Mitchell. The ASUN Player of the Week recently broke into the ITA top 125 at #118 and is the only top-singles player with a perfect 4-0 record in ASUN play to bring his overall spring record to 6-4. Each of the next three spots in the lineup are .500 or better on the year for Lipscomb, highlighted by Alejandro Manzanares' 5-1 record at No. 2.

The No. 3 duo of Thais Minet and George Wong have had the most success of any doubles team, coming to Fort Myers with a 4-1 record.

FGCU maintains a 6-3 record all-time against Lipscomb after defeating the Bisons 4-3 last season in Nashville.

UP NEXT
FGCU concludes its regular season slate with a home match against Memphis. The Eagles and Tigers are scheduled to meet Saturday, April 15 at 6 p.m.

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 70-53 (.600) overall record and a 28-13 (.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.