JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Looking for the same magic as last year in the ASUN semi-finals, Javier Fernandez was in a battle with the score tied 3-3, but he fell as the Eagles dropped the final three singles matches as their season came to close. The Eagles conclude their season with a record of 9-12 going 3-3 in ASUN play.
 
"I'm extremely proud of this team today," said head coach CJ Weber. "This was honestly our best match of the year. The guys competed with a lot of attitude, grit, and fire, they were there for each other start to finish. I thought if we did that, we would win the match, but Stetson took it from us today. They played a great match and the W went their way this time."

The Eagles picked up the doubles point as Ezequiel Cerrini (Sunny Isles Beach, Fla./Homeschool) and Mateo Ruiz (Bucaramanga, Colombia/Oklahoma State) cruised to a 6-3 win in their doubles match on court #2. Shortly after, Oliver Landert (Naples, Fla./Florida Virtual School/Florida) and Marcelo Tebet (Londrina, Brazil/Colégio Anglo Americano) claimed a 6-3 victory to give FGCU an early 1-0 advantage. On court #3, the tandem of Austin Bates (Marietta, Ga./Pope HS) and Felipe Escobar (Pereira, Colombia/Liceo Frances de Pereira/TCU) were ahead 5-4 but the match would go down as unfinished.
 
Transitioning into singles competition, Stetson knotted to score at 1-1 after Cerrini fell (4-6, 4-6) on court #4, but Ruiz earned a 6-4, 7-5 win while his teammate Landert secured a 6-4, 7-5 victory to put the Eagles ahead 3-1. The Eagles then lost on both courts one and two as Escobar and Felipe Ramirez (Armenia, Colombia/Florida Virtual School) each lost their first set and then dropped a second set tiebreaker
 
With all the attention now turned to court #6, Fernandez (Ibiza, Spain/IES CTEIB) had a 5-4 lead in the third set tiebreaker but ended up losing serve at 5-5 all as his backhand return directed towards the net giving the Hatters the 4-3 win.

ALL TOURNAMENT TEAM
Lasse Muscheites, UNF - MVP
Sahil Deshmukh, UNF
Malik Bhatnagar, Stetson
William Shkrob, Stetson
Fermin Calvo Barcelo, Kennesaw State
Oliver Landert, FGCU

COMPLETE RESULTS
Doubles Results
 
1) Oliver Landert/Marcelo Tebet (FGCU) def. Colter DeCoste/Lunus Bergev (STET) 6-3,
2) Ezequiel Cerrini/Mateo Ruiz (FGCU) def. Malik Bhatnagar/ Agnus Bradshaw  (STET) 6-3
3) Austin Bates/Felipe Escobar (FGCU) vs. Loic Blanco/ Anotine Sanchez (STET) 4-2 DNF
Order of Finish: Doubles   (2,1)
 
Singles Results
1) Malik Bhatnagar (STET) def. Felipe Escobar (FGCU) FGCU) 6-2, 7-6 (10-8)
2) Loic Blano (STET) def. Felipe Ramirez (FGCU) 7-5, 7-6 (7-5)
3). Oliver Landert (FGCU) def. Angus Bradshaw (STET 7-6 (7-5), 6-3
4.) Antoine Sanchez (STET) def. Ezequiel Cerrini (FGCU)) 6-4,6-4
5). Mateo Ruiz (FGCU) def. Linus Bergevi (STET) 6-4, 7-5
6)  William Shkrob (STET) def. Javier Fernandez (FGCU) 6-3, 2-6, 7-5
 
Order of Finish: Singles (4,5,3,1,2,6)
 
CJ WEBER
 
FGCU is led by CJ Weber who has coached 29 ASUN All-Conference selections since joining the Green and Blue in 2011. In his seventh year, Weber has compiled a 83-68 (.549) overall record and a 32-17 (.694) record in ASUN play. In 2014-15, Weber guided the Eagles to their first-ever ASUN Championship and first-ever ASUN Regular Season title after a program-best 17 wins. In his third season, Weber led Jordi Vives to a No. 35 national ranking, a nation-leading 14-match unbeaten streak and the round of 32 in the 2014 NCAA Tournament - the program's first appearance. The Eagles completed consecutive perfect ASUN seasons in 2016 and back-to-back conference titles as well as a second-straight Coach of the Year honor for Weber. FGCU again won the ASUN Championship in 2017, advancing to its second NCAA Tournament.
 
FOLLOW ALONG
 
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#FEEDFGCU
 
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.