FORT MYERS, Fla. – Facing a short-handed Lipscomb squad, the FGCU women's tennis team (13-4, 5-0 ASUN) cruised to a 6-1 win against the Bisons (5-16, 1-4 ASUN) and remained perfect in ASUN play Saturday night at the FGCU Tennis Complex.

The Eagles 13 wins are the most since going 14-8 during the 2014 season and tied for the fourth most in program history. Additionally, the team's six straight wins matches the program's all-time record previously set during the 2002 and 2004 seasons.

With the win, FGCU improves to 9-1 at home this season and has won 10 of its last 11 conference matches dating back to the beginning of last spring. 

"The girls played with focus tonight," said FGCU Head coach Courtney Vernon. "Our doubles are improving, and the girl are sticking to the plan. We are looking forward to getting back to work next week and facing UNF for the ASUN Championship next weekend."

As Lipscomb played the match with only five players, FGCU cruised to a quick win in doubles competition. The Eagles' freshmen duo of Sara Kelly (Naples, Fla./Florida Virtual School) and Bridget Forster (Florida Virtual School) defeated Lipscomb's Hannah Gamage and Thabile Tshatedi, 6-2, in #2 doubles.  

The Eagles' top tandem of Julia Ascúa (Santa Fe, Argentina/Domingo G. Silva) and Julianna Curtis (Tampa, Fla./Allendale Academy) led their match against the Dzyuba and Denise Buberl, who were 12-1 on the season and winners of six straight, before the freshmen combination sealed the cumulative doubles point.

As the match shifted into singles play, the Eagles continued to dominate conference competition with four wins to start the session, three of which came in straight sets. Laura Falceto Font (Zaragoza, Spain/El Pilar Maristas Zaragoza) and Forster extended their match win streaks to five with wins in the #4 and #5 positions, respectively. Forster defeated Jaclyn Findlay without allowing a single point, while Falceto Font remained perfect in conference play with a three-set win against Tshatedi.

Due to Lipscomb's forfeit in #6 singles, senior leader Breana Stampfli (Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago/St. Joseph's Convent) sealed the match with a 6-1, 6-1 win against Gamage in the #2 position. Ascúa also turned in a straight-set win against the Buberl in #3 singles.

Maja Ornberg (Kil, Sweden/De la Gardiegymnasiet, Lidkoping) battled with Lipscomb's Dzyuba, who had won 13 straight singles match entering the day, in #1 singles, but the FGCU freshman dropped both sets against her Bisons counterpart in a tiebreak, 7-3 and 7-2.

RESULTS VS. LIPSCOMB
Doubles
#1: Ascúa/Curtis (FGCU) vs. Dzyuba/Buberl (LIP): 4-3, unfinished
#2: Kelly/Forster (FGCU) def. Gamage/Tshatedi (LIP): 6-2
#3: FGCU def. LIP: Forfeit

Singles
#1: Dzyuba (LIP) def. Ornberg (FGCU): 6-7 (3), 6-7 (2)
#2: Stampfli (FGCU) def. Gamage (LIP): 6-1, 6-1
#3: Ascúa (FGCU) def. Buberl (LIP): 6-4, 6-3
#4: Falceto Font (FGCU) def. Tshatedi (LIP): 6-3, 2-6, 10-7
#5: Forster (FGCU) def. Findlay (LIP): 6-0, 6-0
#6: FGCU def. LIP: Forfeit
 
Order of Finish: Doubles (2, 1); Singles (5, 2, 3, 4, 1)

UP NEXT
With the ASUN Women's Tennis Regular Season Championship on the line, FGCU caps off its regular season schedule with a match against UNF (13-7, 5-0) Saturday, Apr. 15 at 3 p.m. The lone senior on the team, Stampfli, will be honored for her achievements during her four seasons at FGCU prior to the match.

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 49-33 overall record (.598) and 20-5 conference record (.800) 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.