PHOENIX, Ariz. – The FGCU men's tennis team (1-2) collected its first win of the year, claiming a 5-2 victory over Sacramento State (0-2) Saturday afternoon at the GCU Tennis Complex.

"Today was a battle," said head coach CJ Weber. "Sacramento State pushed us to the end, but I was happy with how the guys battled back and came through in the end. It's always fun competing against new programs, so I really enjoyed the test and it was a great first win for us."

The Eagles took the early lead against the Hornets coming up with two wins in doubles play. Ezequiel Cerrini (Buenos Aires, Argentina/Homeschool) teamed up with Marcelo Tebet (Londrina, Brazil/Colegio Anglo Americano) to produce a 6-2 win on court No. 2. The clinching point would come on the top court as Felipe Escobar (Pereira, Colombia/TCU) and Mateo Ruiz  (Bucaramanga, Colombia/Oklahoma State) sealed the point in a close 7-6 battle.

Holding onto a 1-0 advantage, Juan Montes (Pereira, Colombia/TCU) racked up another point for the Eagles coming up with a 6-4, 6-2 triumph on court No. 2. Senior Ruiz made it a 3-0 match, registering a 7-5, 6-1 win on court No. 6. The Hornets would claim a victory on court No. 5, but the Green and Blue put the match away coming away with a pair of three-set match victories. On court No. 3, Cerrini came out on top 7-6, 0-6, 6-3, while Feliksas Sakalauskas (Palanga, Lithuania/Virginia Tech) downed Hermont Legaspi 7-6, 0-6, 6-3 for FGCU's fifth and final point.

UP NEXT
FGCU returns back to Fort Myers for its home-opener against FAU on Saturday, Feb. 9. The match is slated for a 5 pm start.

Doubles competition
1. Felipe Escobar/Mateo Ruiz (FGCU) def. Mikus Losbergs/Dom Miller (SAC) 7-6
2. Ezequiel Cerrini/ Marcelo Tebet (FGCU) def. Donald Hall/ Josh Snowdon-Poole (SAC) 6-2
3. Felipe Ramirez/ Juan Montes (FGCU) vs. Louis Chabut/ Hermont Legaspi (SAC) 6-6 (4-2), unfinished

Singles competition
1. Mikus Losbergs (SAC) def. Felipe Ramirez (FGCU) 6-4, 5-7, 1-0 (10-6)
2. Juan Montes (FGCU) def. Dom Miller (SAC) 6-4, 6-2
3. Ezequiel Cerrini (FGCU) def. Louis Chabut (SAC) 4-6, 6-2, 6-0
4. Feliksas Sakalauskas (FGCU) def. Hermont Legaspi (SAC) 7-6, 0-6, 6-3
5. Johannes Gjerdaker (SAC) def. Marcelo Tebet (FGCU) 2-6, 6-4, 6-4
6. Mateo Ruiz (FGCU) def. Donald Hall (SAC) 7-5, 6-1

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 an 84-70 (.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.