FORT MYERS, FL – Down 3-1 at one point, the FGCU women's tennis team (6-6, 1-1 ASUN) rallied back to down Liberty (7-6, 0-1 ASUN), 4-3, Sunday afternoon at the FGCU Tennis Complex.

"Today's conference match was a battle and Liberty is a very solid team," said head coach Courtney Vernon. "The ladies are growing each time we go out and compete and we're looking forward to getting back to work."

It was a competitive battle right from the beginning starting with doubles play. FGCU picked up the first win on court No. 3 as the pairing of Sara Kelly (Naples, Fla./Florida Virtual) and Patricia Villar (Logrono, Spain/Bachillerato Santa Maria/Louisiana Monroe) registered a 6-3 victory. Liberty though collected the next two wins, producing a pair of 7-6 decisions over the Green and Blue.

In singles action, the Flames took a 2-0 lead after a win on court No. 6, but senior Julia Ascúa (Santa Fe, Argentina/Domingo G. Silva) gave FGCU its first point with a straight-set win (6-4, 6-3) on court No. 3. The visitors jumped ahead by two (3-1), claiming court No. 2 but it would be their last point of the afternoon and the start of the Eagles' comeback.

Junior Maja Ornberg (Kil, Sweden/De la Gardiegymnasiet, Lidkoping) downed her counterpart 7-5, 6-3, moving her record to 8-4 overall on the premier court. Shortly after, senior Villar fought back after a 6-1 first set loss, only to win her next two sets 6-1, 6-2. With the match all knotted at 3-3, everyone's attention turned to court No. 4 where junior Sofia Perez (Alajuela, Costa Rica/Florida Virtual School) was in a third-set battle.

The Costa Rica native fell in her first set 6-4 but forced another game with a 6-3 second set victory. Behind 1-2 in the final set, Perez mounted a furious comeback as she saw her opponent's return shot go beyond the line, completing FGCU's come-from-behind 4-3 win.

It's the second time Perez has clinched a match for the Eagles this season. Against Houston (Fe. 15) on the road, she claimed a 6-1 win in the third set, also giving FGCU a 4-3 triumph.

Up Next
FGCU will face its second Big 10 opponent this season, taking on Wisconsin (10-2) at 5 p.m. Wednesday at the FGCU Tennis Complex. The Badgers are on a three-match win streak as they are off to a 3-0 in Big 10 action.

Singles competition
1. Maja Ornberg (FGCU) def. Ashley Bongart (LIBERTY) 7-5, 6-3
2. Kalani Soli (LIBERTY) def. Sara Kelly (FGCU) 7-6 (7-1), 6-0
3. Julia Ascúa (FGCU) def. Lara Soares (LIBERTY) 6-4, 6-3
4. Sofia Perez (FGCU) def. Maria Medina (LIBERTY) 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
5. Patricia Villar (FGCU) def. Grace Hashiguchi (LIBERTY) 2-6, 6-1, 6-2
6. Anna Dollar (LIBERTY) def. Laura Falceto-Font (FGCU) 6-4, 6-0
Order of finish: Singles (6,3,2,1,5,4)

Doubles competition
1. Lara Soares/Maria Medina (LIBERTY) def. Maja Ornberg/Julia Ascúa (FGCU) 7-6 (7-5)
2. Grace Hashiguchi/Kalani Soli (LIBERTY) def. Madison Gallegos/Sofia Perez (FGCU) 7-6 (7-3)
3. Sara Kelly/Patricia Villar (FGCU) def. Anna Dollar/Ashley Bongart (LIBERTY) 6-3
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1)

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 three-time ASUN Coach of the Year Courtney Vernon, who led the Eagles to back-to-back ASUN regular-season crowns in her fifth season in 2018. She has mentored her student-athletes into earning 56 ASUN All-Conference and All-Academic honors, including 2014, 2016 and 2017 ASUN Freshman of the Year as well as the 2016 and 2017 Scholar-Athlete of the Year and the 2018 Player of the Year. Vernon has led the Green and Blue to a 67-48 overall record (.582) and 28-6 conference record (.824) in her six years at FGCU. 

#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.

ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 75 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 11+ seasons at the Division-I level. Additionally, in just seven+ seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 34 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Seven FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport – including both men's and women's soccer again in 2018. In 2016-17, the Green and Blue posted a department-best 6th-place finish in the DI-AAA Learfield Directors' Cup and top-100 showing nationally, ahead of several Power-5 and FBS institutions. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.35 GPA in the classroom in the Spring, 2018 and had an ASUN Conference and State of Florida best five teams earn the NCAA's Public Recognition Award for their Academic Progress Rate in their sport.  The Eagles also served an all-time high 7,200 volunteer hours – being recognized as one of two runner-ups for the inaugural NACDA Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl.