FORT MYERS, FL – With its non-conference slate in the books, the FGCU women's tennis team (6-7, 1-1 ASUN) will take on NJIT at 5 p.m. Saturday in its third ASUN clash of the month at the FGCU Tennis Complex.

Last Time Out  
The Eagles fell to Big 10 foe Wisconsin (11-2, 3-0 Big 10) Wednesday night by a score of 4-1. After a near four-hour weather delay, FGCU picked up doubles play after Patricia Villar (Logrono, Spain/Louisiana Monroe) and Sara Kelly (Naples, FL./Florida Virtual School) snagged a 6-3 victory on the second flight. Senior Julia Ascúa (Santa Fe, Argentina/Domingo G. Silva) and junior Maja Ornberg (Kil, Sweden/De la Gardiegymnasiet, Lidkoping) then sealed it for FGCU, producing a 7-6 win on the top court.

In singles play, the clinching point for Wisconsin arrived on court No. 3. Laura Falceto-Font (Zaragoza, Spain/El Pilar Maristas Zaragoza) and Villar both claimed a set in their respective matches before they would go unfinished.

ITA Top-50 Ranking
In the ITA/Oracle Women's Poll released on Feb. 26, the Eagles came in ranked at No. 50. It marked the first time in program history the Green and Blue received a spot inside the top-50.

ASUN Preseason Poll
The back-to-back ASUN regular-season champion Eagles collected 52 points and one first-place vote in the ASUN Coaches Poll released back in January. Atop the poll, conference newcomer Liberty and UNF each garnered 57 points apiece for a first-place tie. The Ospreys came away with four first-place votes compared to the Flames' three.

Lipscomb (37) was selected to finish fourth in the poll, ahead of Stetson (35) and NJIT (24). Kennesaw State (18) and the ASUN's second newcomer team this year North Alabama (8) rounded out the poll.

Scouting the Highlanders
NJIT comes into the Nest with a 12-3 record, going 1-0 in the ASUN so far. In singles play, freshman Joleta Budiman holds a 7-2 mark on the premier court while another freshman in Mouna Bouzgarrou has gone 7-1 on the second flight. In doubles action, the pairing of Budiman and sophomore Holly Matson boast a 12-2 record on court No. 1 as Bouzgarrou and senior Rafaella Sampaio are 9-1 on court No. 2.

This will be the fourth meeting between both programs as the Eagles took last season's match at the Nest, 6-1, to lead the all-time series, 3-0. 

ASUN Success
The Eagles continue to march ahead under the guidance of head coach Courtney Vernon in her sixth season at the helm. A three-time ASUN Coach of the Year, the Green and Blue have posted a 28-6 record over conference foes under Vernon.
 
Up Next
FGCU will hit the road and face Stetson (9-5, 0-1 ASUN) at 10 a.m. Saturday, Mar. 30.

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 67-49 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 35 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.