FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU men's tennis team (3-6) was successful in doubles play but dropped a 4-3 overall decision against VCU (10-5) Friday afternoon at the FGCU Tennis Complex.

"Today was unfortunately another one that didn't go our way," head coach CJ Weber said. "We really had our chances in this one, but VCU did a great job of hanging on and continuing to fight. They made us put them away, and we just couldn't quite do it. This is a tough loss, but we'll pick ourselves up and give it another shot on Sunday."

Despite VCU claiming the first doubles match of the afternoon, the Eagles were able to secure wins on both courts No. 1 and 3. On court No. 1, Felipe Escobar (Pereira, Colombia/Liceo Frances de Pereira/TCU) and Mateo Ruiz (Bucaramagna, Colombia/Oklahoma State) bested their VCU counterparts 6-3, while Marcelo Tebet (Londrina, Brazil/Colégio Anglo Americano) and Felipe Ramirez (Armenia, Colombia/Florida Virtual School) toppled their competitors by the same score over on court No. 3. The triumphant effort in doubles play gave the Green and Blue an early 1-0 lead.

The singles competition held a majority of the action in this afternoon's match. All six courts went into three sets, a true testament of the back-and-forth nature of today's play. Ramirez recorded the first individual win for the home team, producing a 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 result on court No. 2. The Rams grabbed their first point of the day on court No. 3, cutting the home team's lead in half.

On court No. 5, Tebet came up with a 6-0, 0-6, 7-5 victory that extended the Eagles' lead to its maximum. VCU claimed three straight victories on the fourth, first and sixth courts en route to their team triumph.

"I was particularly proud of Marcelo today," Weber said. "He's put in a lot of daily hard work and commitment, and I felt today's match was a great reflection of the mental and physical work he's put in. He's really beginning to play some great tennis and I'm very proud of him."

RESULTS
Singles competition:
1. Arvid Noren (VCU) def. Juan Montes (FGCU) 4-6, 7-6, 6-3
2. Felipe Ramirez (FGCU) def. Rayane Stable (VCU) 6-1, 3-6, 6-4
3. Philip Mobius (VCU) def. Felipe Escobar (FGCU) 4-6, 6-3, 6-1
4. Inigo Torre Martin (VCU) def. Feliksas Sakalauskas (FGCU) 4-6, 6-4, 6-4
5. Marcelo Tebet (FGCU) def. Timo Zgraggen (VCU) 6-0, 0-6, 7-5
6. Inaki Rivero Crespo (VCU) def. Javier Fernandez (FGCU) 7-6, 5-7, 6-1

Doubles competition:
1. Felipe Escobar/Mateo Ruiz (FGCU) def. Javier Amantegui/Rayane Stable (VCU) 6-3
2. Arvid Noren/Inigo Torre Martin (VCU) def. Feliksas Sakalauskas/Juan Montes (FGCU) 6-2
3. Marcelo Tebet/Felipe Ramirez (FGCU) def. Philip Mobius/Inaki Rivero Crespo (VCU) 6-3

Up Next 
FGCU will continue its home swing with a match against the George Washington Colonials at noon on Sunday, March 10 at the FGCU Tennis Complex.

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 86-74 (.537 overall record and a 32-18 (.640) 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.