FORT MYERS, Fla. – Competition concluded Monday at the FGCU Spring Invite as the FGCU women's tennis team faced Rice in singles. The Eagles earned two victories on the day as the Green and Blue now prepare for dual play.
"This weekend was a great opportunity for the ladies," said head coach
Courtney Vernon. "We are so grateful that these teams came to town and we got to compete all weekend with some of the top-ranked schools in the country. I am excited about these ladies; they're working very hard and I saw each of their games improve this weekend. We are looking forward to Wednesday when we start preparing for FAU."
FGCU received wins from
Patricia Villar (Logrono, Spain/Bachillerato Santa Maria/Louisiana Monroe) and
Madison Gallegos (Denver, Colo./Colorado Connections Academy) against the Owls. The newcomer Gallegos, who dropped her first set 2-6, stormed back to win a lengthy second set 7-5 before winning the third set quickly, 6-3 against Anna Bowtell.
Villar, who had won her first set 6-4 could not seal the match win in the second as Sofie Moenster came back to win a grueling second set 7-6. In the third, Villar rallied twice early before pulling away late to claim the match 10-6.
Elsewhere on the courts,
Julia Ascúa (Santa Fe, Argentina/Domingo G. Silva) fell 6-4, 6-4 to Wendy Zhang and
Maja Ornberg (Kil, Sweden/De la Gardiegymnasiet, Lidkoping) lost 6-0, 6-2 to Lindsey Hodge. In other final two matches,
Sofia Perez (Costa Rica/Florida Virtual School) dropped a 6-1, 6-0 decision to Michaela Haet while
Laura Falceto Font (Zaragoza, Spain/El Pilar Maristas Zaragoza) suffered a 6-1, 6-1 defeat to Priya Niezgoda.
UP NEXT
FGCU opens its dual schedule against FAU Jan. 24 in Boca Raton at 11 a.m.
COMPLETE FGCU RESULTS
Wendy Zhang (Rice) def.
Julia Ascúa (FGCU) 6-4, 6-4
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 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 51-34 overall record (.600) and 21-5 conference record (.808) in her four 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.
