FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU men's tennis team (3-4, 1-0 ASUN) will travel to Orlando this Wednesday, March 6 to take on No. 36 Penn State as part of the USTA National Campus Collegiate Series. The match against the Nittany Lions is scheduled to begin at noon.

According to its website, the USTA National Campus Collegiate Series began in 2018 to provide schools a way to compete in a high-intensity dual match in a memorable setting. The match experience is highlighted by music, a PA announcer, scoreboards, live streaming, chair umpires and more.

"This is an important matchup for us on the year," head coach CJ Weber said. "Penn State is a quality program from a quality conference and we are looking forward to the battle."

Last Time Out
After falling in doubles play, the Eagles nearly rallied back but ultimately suffered a 4-3 loss against Charlotte at the FGCU Tennis Complex on Sunday, Feb. 24.
Feliksas Sakalauskas (Palanga, Lithuania/Virginia Tech) and Juan Montes (Pereira, Colombia/TCU) started off doubles play with a 6-4 victory on court No. 2, but the 49ers won at both courts No. 1 and 3 to claim the doubles point.

Charlotte secured the first point in singles competition, but the Green and Blue responded with two wins of their own. Felipe Ramirez (Armenia, Colombia/Florida Virtual School) battled to claim a three-set victory at No. 2 singles and Marcelo Tebet (Londrina, Brazil/Colegio Anglo Americano) defeated his competitor at court No. 6. Javier Fernandez' (Ibiza, Spain/IES CTEIB) win at No. 5 singles evened the score between the teams 3-3, leaving the match to come down to the last point available at the No. 1 court. Montes took his competitor into three sets but ultimately Luca Keist earned the final point for the 49ers.

Scouting the Nittany Lions
Penn State enters Wednesday's match with a 6-4 overall record and a 0-1 mark in the Big Ten after falling to No. 1 Ohio State 4-1 last Friday, March 1.
The doubles team of Constant De La Bassetiere and Gabriel Nemeth is currently ranked at No. 7 and boasts a 15-6 record. De La Bassetiere ranks No. 91 as an individual and is 2-0 this season against nationally-ranked opponents.

The Nittany Lions defeated the Eagles' most recent opponent Charlotte on Feb. 8. Penn State claimed the doubles point and all but one of the singles matches en route to its 6-1 victory over the 49ers.

Up Next 
The Green and Blue will return to the FGCU Tennis Complex to take on the VCU Rams at 2 p.m. on Friday, March 8. Friday's competition marks the first of a seven-match home swing for the Eagles.

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 86-72 (.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.