DELAND, Fla. – The fourth-seeded FGCU women's tennis team's (9-9) quest for its first ASUN Championship will begin Thursday morning in a 9 a.m. battle versus fifth-seeded Stetson at the Mandy Stoll Tennis Center.
This will mark the fourth-straight meeting that FGCU faces Stetson in its first match to begin the ASUN Tournament. Last season, the top-seeded Eagles were upset in the semifinals by the fourth-seeded Hatters, 4-3.
Live stats for the match can be found
here.
The entire bracket can be viewed
here.
Last Time Out
Following a three and a half hour weather delay, the Green and Blue downed Kennesaw State, 4-0, to end the regular season on Senior Night. After securing the doubles point, FGCU carried its momentum into singles play with a dominant outing.
Julia Ascúa (Santa Fe, Argentina/Domingo G. Silva) claimed the first victory for FGCU downing her counterpart with a pair of 6-1 sets on court No. 3.
Sara Kelly (Naples, FL/Virtual School) made it a 3-0 match on court No. 2 taking both her sets in 6-0 decisions.
Bridget Forster (Boca Raton, FL/Florida Virtual School) then officially gave the Eagles the match on court No. 5 with a 6-3, 6-0 triumph.
Matchup History
Despite trailing the all-time series 8-10 to Stetson, FGCU has captured six of the last eight matches. Most recently, the Eagles fell on the road to the Hatters in a 4-3 match on Mar. 30.
Scouting the Hatters
Stetson ended the regular season 12-8 overall, falling to Lipscomb, 5-2. Sophomore Danel Ashirova has been their No. 1 player in 2019, posting and overall 11-9 record, going 2-5 in ASUN play. Meanwhile, another sophomore in Vicky Geurinckx is 7-3 in her last 10 matches, playing primarily out of the No. 4 slot where she is 12-6 overall (4-3 in the ASUN).
In doubles play, the Hatters are led by Ashirova and junior Lucie Renault. The tandem boast an overall 12-6 record (11-6 on court No. 1) while posting a 4-2 mark in conference action.
Bracket Track
With a victory Thursday morning, FGCU would head into the semifinals with a matchup against top-seeded Liberty at 9 a.m. Friday morning. When both teams met in Fort Myers, Fla., on Mar. 17 during the regular season, the Eagles stormed back from a 3-1 deficit to defeat the Flames in a 4-3 final.
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 70-51 overall record (.579) and 31-8 conference record (.795) 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 76 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.
