NASHVILLE, Tenn. – With its non-conference slate now in the rearview mirror, the FGCU women's tennis team (4-7) has its sight set on defending its regular-season conference title as the Eagles travel north for a pair ASUN opening matches.

The Eagles were originally scheduled to take on Lipscomb Thursday at 10 a.m. although, with the threat of rain in the Nashville area, the match has been moved forward to 12 p.m. and will be played indoors at Ensworth High School.  Following Thursday's match, the Green and Blue will travel to Kennesaw State to take on the Owls in a match slated for 11 a.m. on Saturday. Live stats for this match can be found here.

MATCH HISTORY
FGCU has had great success against both ASUN opponents as the Eagles are 11-0 all-time against Lipscomb and 9-2 versus Kennesaw, winning the last six matches. FGCU faced both conference foes to start ASUN action a year ago at home, as the Eagles claimed a 7-0 win over the Owls, before taking down the Bisons, 6-1.

SCOUTING THE BISONS
Lipscomb is currently 7-9 overall with a 1-0 mark in ASUN play after taking down Kennesaw State last weekend 5-2.  After falling to #3 Ole Miss, the Bisons went on a three-match winning streak but have dropped its last two of three dual matches including a loss to then #37 Tennessee.

Kateryna Popova has been the primary #1 singles player as she has posted an 11-2 record and is off to a 1-0 start in conference. Along with their conference-opening win last weekend, the tandem of Denise Buberl and Viktoriya Dzyuba have combined to go 3-0 out of the #1 spot. Meanwhile, Madeleine Brooks and Dzyuba are 3-1 in the #2 slot.

SCOUTING THE OWLS
Kennesaw State is 1-11 overall, 0-1 in ASUN play after falling to Lipscomb. Despite their record, the Owls have competed in close contests, dropping six matches by three points or less. When it comes to singles competition, the Owls are led by Alexandra Mercado who is 4-4 this season on court #1.

In doubles play, Mercado has teamed up with Laura Hopton to go 2-3 in the #1 spot while Elle Baker and Kennedy Craig are 1-0 on court #3.

ASUN SUCCESS
After claiming their first regular-season crown in program history last season, the Eagles continue to march ahead under the guidance of head coach Courtney Vernon in her fifth season at the helm. A two-time ASUN Coach of the Year, the Green and Blue have posted a 21-5 record over conference foes under Vernon and have advanced to three-straight ASUN Championship Finals. 

Laura Falceto Font (Zaragoza, Spain/El Pilar Maristas Zaragoza) will look to keep her streak intact as she finished 6-0 last season in conference play, while Julia Ascúa (Santa Fe, Argentina/Domingo G. Silva) finished 6-0 in ASUN action.

After being named the ASUN Freshman of the Year in 2017 –  becoming the third Eagle in the last four years and second straight to earn the recognition –  Maja Ornberg (Kil, Sweden/De la Gardiegymnasiet, Lidkoping) is 8-3 overall this year in dual action, going 5-1 in the #1 position. 

LAST TIME OUT
Facing a 1-0 deficit after dropping the doubles point, the Eagles soon saw USF's lead swell to 3-0 before snagging victories over the next three of four matches ultimately falling by one point, 4-3. Trailing 3-0 after doubles, Bridget Forster (Boca Raton, Fla./Florida Virtual School) and Ornberg won on court six and one to make it a one-point match, before USF clinched court two. FGCU saw another victory come its way with Sofia Perez (Alajuela, Costa Rica/Florida Virtual School) downing Nicole Dzenga in a third set final of 6-1. 

PRESEASON FAVORITES
The Eagles 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 returns home on Thursday, Apr. 5 to take on NJIT for its ASUN home-opener at 5 p.m. and will remain at The Nest to host USC Upstate on Saturday, Apr. 7 also at 5 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 55-41 overall record (.600) and 21-5 conference record (.808) in her four years at FGCU.