BOCA RATON, Fla. – In its first dual match of the season, the FGCU women's tennis team travels across Alligator Alley to face FAU Wednesday morning in Boca Raton. FGCU and FAU are slated to meet at 11 a.m.

LAST TIME OUT
The Eagles welcomed five teams to Southwest Florida to kick off the spring at the FGCU Tennis Complex. The Eagles met the likes of South Carolina, Rice, Kansas, Ole Miss, and Denver in Fort Myers throughout the weekend, earning a massive doubles win on Day One.

Sofia Perez (Costa Rica/Florida Virtual School) and Bridget Forster (Boca Raton, Fla./Florida Virtual School) earned perhaps the biggest win of the weekend defeating #58 Anna Vrbenska and Tea Jandric of Ole Miss 6-4 to open the weekend. Perez and Forster later earned singles victories over Denver to conclude the first day of competition.

A pair of doubles wins over Kansas highlighted the second day. The team of Julia Ascúa (Santa Fe, Argentina/Domingo G. Silva) and Juliana Curtis (West Des Moines, Iowa/Allendale Academy) took down the Jayhawk pairing of Despoina Vogasari and Tatiana Nikolaeva while Maja Ornberg (Kil, Sweden/De la Gardiegymnasiet, Lidkoping) and Madison Gallegos (Denver, Colo./Colorado Connections Academy) earned a win over Nina Khmelnitchaia and Carla Pons Martorell.

The weekend then concluded with singles wins from Gallegos and Patricia Villar (Logrono, Spain/Bachillerato Santa Maria/Louisiana Monroe).

RECAPPING AN HISTORIC 2017 SEASON
FGCU's 2016-17 season was its most successful to date, claiming the ASUN regular season title for the first time in program history. Led by the ASUN Freshman of the Year Ornberg, FGCU went 6-0 in conference play and 15-5 overall. The Eagles' run to an NCAA Tournament fell short, however, as FGCU dropped a heartbreaking 4-3 decision to UNF in the final.

PRESEASON FAVORITES
The reigning regular season champions, the FGCU women finished the poll with 44 points matching the reigning ASUN Tournament champions UNF. However, the Ospreys received four first-place votes while the Eagles received three. FGCU and UNF finished the regular season as the top two teams and met in the tournament final, with the Ospreys narrowly defeating the Eagles 4-3.
 
Stetson (32 points) is expected to finish third according to the preseason poll, just ahead of Lipscomb (29). NJIT (25), Kennesaw State (14), and USC Upstate (8) round out the preseason poll.

SCOUTING FAU
The Owls enter the midweek dual with a 1-2 mark following a win over VCU and losses to Old Dominion and William & Mary. Aliona Bolsova and Natalia Boltinskaya, who both enter with 3-0 records at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, lead FAU in singles action. From there, however, the Owls are a combined 3-9 at the final four spots in the lineup.

In doubles, Jemi Aguilar and Bolsova are 1-1 at No. 1 while the Owls are a combined 1-4 at No. 2 and No. 3.

With a 5-2 victory over the Owls last season, the Eagles tied the all-time series 5-5. In addition, the Eagles have won five of the previous six matches.
 
 UP NEXT
FGCU opens its home dual schedule Sunday, Feb. 4 against FIU at 2 p.m.
 
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.