DELAND, Fla. – The FGCU women's tennis team (7-8, 2-2 ASUN) dropped a 4-3 road match to Stetson (10-6, 1-2 ASUN) Saturday afternoon at the Mandy Stoll Tennis Courts.

"First, congratulations to Stetson," said head coach Courtney Vernon. "We will continue to grow a lot from days like these and we won't miss another opportunity to learn from each challenge we face."

FGCU fell behind early dropping the doubles point to the Hatters on courts No. 1 and No. 2. On the second flight, the pairing of Sofia Perez (Alajuela, Costa Rica/Florida Virtual School) and Bridget Forster (Boca Raton, Fla./Florida Virtual School) was slightly edged 7-6 in the clinching point for the home side.

Transitioning into singles action, the Eagles reeled off three straight wins to jump ahead of the Hatters. Forster claimed the first victory, collecting a 6-2, 6-1 decision on court No. 5. Shortly after, Sara Kelly (Naples, Fla./Florida Virtual) broke the tie with a 6-4, 6-1 win on court No. 2. Maja Ornberg (Kil, Sweden/De la Gardiegymnasiet, Lidkoping) then extended the Green and Blue's lead to 3-1, registering a 6-0, 6-2 victory on the top flight.

From here, Stetson claimed the last three matches, two of which went into third sets, as the final point arrived on court No. 4. It marks just the second time this season FGCU suffers a loss that resulted in a 4-3 final, in the process, it halted a seven-match win streak against the Stetson.  

Singles competition
1. Maja Ornberg (FGCU) def. Danel Ashirova (STET) 6-0, 6-2
2. Sara Kelly (FGCU) def. Lucie Renault (STET) 6-4, 6-1
3. Brooke Milner (STET) def. Sofia Perez (FGCU) 6-4, 6-2
4. Vicky Geurinckx (STET) def. Patricia Villar (FGCU) 0-6, 6-4, 6-4
5. Bridget Forster (FGCU) def. Danielle Peele (STET) 6-2, 6-1
6. Alexe Viaud (STET) def. Laura Falceto-Font (FGCU) 6-0, 2-6, 6-4
Order of finish: Singles (5,2,1,3,6,4)

Doubles competition
1. Danel Ashirova/Lucie Renault (STET) def. Patricia Villar/Sara Kelly (FGCU) 6-3
2. Brooke Milner/Vicky Geurinckx (STET) def. Sofia Perez/Bridget Forster (FGCU) 7-6
3. Alexe Viaud/Megan Horwitz (STET) def. Laura Falceto-Font/Maja Ornberg (FGCU) 6-5, unfinished
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2)

Up Next
FGCU will play two road matches in three days facing North Alabama (5-11, 0-3 ASUN) at 10 a.m on Apr. 4 and then turnaround and head to Lipscomb (13-4, 2-1 ASUN) for a noon match on Apr. 6.

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 68-50 overall record (.581) and 29-7 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.