FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU women's tennis team (7-7, 2-1 ASUN) turned in a dominant performance over NJIT (12-4, 1-1ASUN), coming away with a 6-1 victory Saturday evening at the FGCU Tennis Complex.

"Tonight's match was very good for our us, we managed to come out and compete on every single court," said assistant coach Martina Frantova who was commenting for an ailing Courtney Vernon (head coach). "The girls were focused and tonight's match I believe is going to help their confidence moving forward. We're excited to get back to work in the next couple of days as we prepare for Stetson next week on the road."

In doubles play, the Green and Blue came away with the first point of the night with two 6-4 decisions. The pairing of Sara Kelly (Naples, Fla./Florida Virtual) and Patricia Villar (Logrono, Spain/Bachillerato Santa Maria/Louisiana Monroe) finished first on the second flight while Bridget Forster (Boca Raton, Fla./Florida Virtual School) and Sofia Perez (Alajuela, Costa Rica/Florida Virtual School) clinched it on court No. 3.

Transitioning into singles action, each of the Eagles' victories would be settled in straight sets. Forster claimed the first match on court No. 4 (6-3, 6-0) as Perez followed shortly on court No. 3 (6-4, 6-1). Villar secured the match on court No. 5, producing a 7-5, 6-2 win over NJIT's Mayar Eltony.

Maja Ornberg (Kil, Sweden/De la Gardiegymnasiet, Lidkoping) racked up the fourth individual triumph for the Eagles with a pair of 6-4 sets while Kelly registered FGCU's sixth point of the night, downing her counterpart also, 6-4 in each set.

The 6-1 win over the Highlanders marks the fourth time this season the Eagles have defeated an opponent by at least three points. Also, it's the second straight year FGCU takes down NJIT by a score of 6-1.

Up Next
FGCU is off until next Saturday, Mar. 30 where they will travel to Deland, Fla., to take on Stetson (9-6, 0-2 ASUN). The match is slated for a 10 a.m. first serve.

Singles Competition
1. Maja Ornberg (FGCU) def. Joleta Budiman (NJIT) 6-4, 6-4
2. Sara Kelly (FGCU) def. Mouna Bouzgarrou (NJIT) 6-4, 6-4
3. Sofia Perez (FGCU) def. Holly Matson (NJIT) 6-4, 6-1
4. Bridget Forster (FGCU) def. Advaita Saravanan (NJIT) 6-3, 6-0
5. Patricia Villar (FGCU) def. Mayar Eltony (NJIT) 7-5, 6-2
6. Shamika Dhar (NJIT) def. Laura Falceto-Font (FGCU) 7-5, 7-5

Doubles Competition
1. Maja Ornberg/Julia Ascua (FGCU) vs. Joleta Budiman/Holly Matson (NJIT) 6-5, unfinished
2. Sara Kelly/Patricia Villar (FGCU) def. Rafaella Sampaio/Mouna Bouzgarrou (NJIT) 6-4
3. Bridget Forster/Sofia Perez (FGCU) def. Mayar Eltony/Amanda Helminsky (NJIT) 6-4

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 68-49 overall record (.581) and 29-6 conference record (.829) 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.