TAMPA, Fla. – The FGCU men's tennis team will open its 2019 campaign on the road for a third-straight year as the Eagles head up I-75 to take on USF Saturday afternoon at 2 pm.
LIVE STATS
FGCU finished the 2018 campaign 9-12 overall, going 3-3 in ASUN action. After taking home the ASUN Championship in 2017, resulting in the program's second NCAA Tournament appearance, the Eagles are poised heading into 2019.
Including a pair of 2018 ASUN Second Team members in
Javier Fernandez (Ibiza, Spain/IES CTEIB) and
Felipe Ramirez (Armenia, Colombia/Florida Virtual School), the Eagles bring back five of their six-man singles lineup. Also added to the mix was a pair of Power-Five transfers in
Juan Montes (Pereira, Colombia/TCU) and
Feliksas Sakalauskas (Palanga, Lithuania/Virginia Tech).
This past fall,
Felipe Escobar (Pereira, Colombia/TCU) and
Mateo Ruiz (Bucaramanga, Colombia/Oklahoma State) made FGCU history as the first doubles tandem to receive an entry into the Oracle ITA National Championships in November.
PRESEASON COACHES POLL
FGCU was slotted No. 2 with 52 points as UNF finished ahead of the Eagles with 63 points and seven first-place votes. Liberty (47) was picked third as the Flames took the final first-place vote.
Stetson (43) placed fourth as Lipscomb (34), Kennesaw State (25), NJIT (16) and North Alabama (8) capped off the poll.
SCOUTING THE BULLS
USF finished its 2018 season with a 10-16 overall record, going 2-3 in the American Athletic Conference (AAC). Seeded fifth in the AAC Tournament, the Bulls made a run into the title match, ultimately falling to Tulane, 4-3.
The Bulls roster this season includes six newcomers which helped USF land the No. 15-ranked recruiting class in the nation according to Tennis Recruiting Network. Alberto Barroso-Campos returns for his senior season as he captured 11 wins between courts one and two last season. Barroso-Campos is currently ranked No. 43 in singles play. Junior Jakub Wojcik collected a team-best 11 victories in singles last season while also adding 13 wins in doubles.
UP NEXT
FGCU will head to Phoenix, Ariz., on Jan. 25 as the Eagles will take on Grand Canyon and Sacramento State on Jan. 26. Both noon time matches.
FOLLOW ALONG
For complete coverage of FGCU men's tennis follow us on Twitter & Instagram @FGCU_MTEN and visit www.FGCUAthletics.com where full recaps and results will be available at the end of the competition.
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.
