TAMPA, Fla. – The FGCU women's tennis team (4-6) will compete in its final non-conference match Saturday afternoon facing USF in preparations for the start of ASUN action next week.

"We are looking forward to competing tomorrow," said head coach Courtney Vernon. "The ladies have been working hard and we are grateful to get one more match in before conference play next week."

Last removed from its match 11 days ago against Notre Dame, the Eagles are coming off a seven-match homestand at The Nest in which they faced the likes of four different Power-Five programs including one nationally ranked opponent in then #17 Tennessee.

In singles competition this spring, Maja Ornberg (Kil, Sweden/De la Gardiegymnasiet, Lidkoping) is 7-2 overall in dual play, boasting a 4-1 record out of the No. 1 position.  On the doubles side, the tandem of Julianna Curtis (West Des Moines, Iowa/Allendale Academy) and Laura Falceto Font (Zaragoza, Spain/El Pilar Maristas Zaragoza) have displayed stellar play going 4-1 in dual play seeing the most action out of the No. 2 slot.

SCOUTING THE BULLS
USF is 9-7 overall, including a 4-1 mark in AAC play and the Bulls are currently riding a seven-match win streak. On the singles side, USF has three different players that have notched nine wins or more in dual play led by Nicole Dzenga who is 11-3, competing mostly out of the No. 4-6 spots.

When it comes to doubles the pairing of Dzenga and Vanja Klaric are 10-6 overall, 6-2 in the No. 2 position and have won their last five matches.

LAST TIME OUT
After falling on court one in doubles, the Eagles claimed victories on courts two and three to go up 1-0 on Notre Dame. Madison Gallegos (Denver, Colo./Colorado Connections Academy)  and Patricia Villar (Logrono, Spain/Bachillerato Santa Maria/Louisiana Monroe) picked up a tough 7-5 battle and seconds later, Curtis and Font clinched on court two also notching a 7-5 triumph.

Transitioning into singles, FGCU had difficulty shaking off Notre Dame's fast start. The Irish's first win came on court six to tie the match then soon after won in straight sets on court three for the lead. From there, two matches later, the visitors clinched on court five 6-4, 6-0 as the Eagles eventually fell to ND 6-1.

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.

UP NEXT
FGCU commences ASUN play on the road with two matches in three days. First, the Eagles will take on Lipscomb on Thursday, Mar. 29 at 10 a.m. followed by Kennesaw State on Saturday, Mar. 31 at 11 a.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 55-40 overall record (.600) and 21-5 conference record (.808) in her four years at FGCU.