DELAND, Fla. – The fourth-seeded FGCU women's tennis team (10-9) defeated host Stetson (12-9), 4-0, to advance to the ASUN semifinals at 9 a.m. Friday morning against top-seeded Liberty.
"The ladies had a lot of fun competing today and we will take that same mentality into tomorrow's match," head coach
Courtney Vernon said. "We're going to take it point-by-point as we expect a battle from Liberty so we look forward to the opportunity."
After being bounced by the Hatters in the 2018 ASUN Tournament and in their regular season matchup this year, the Eagles avenged both losses starting with strong doubles play. The tandem of
Bridget Forster (Boca Raton, FL/Florida Virtual School) and
Sofia Perez (Alajuela, Costa Rica/Florida Virtual School) cruised to a 6-2 win on court No. 3. Soon after, ASUN Second Teamer
Sara Kelly (Naples, FL/Virtual School) teamed up with
Patricia Villar to produce their 12th overall doubles win of the season with a 6-2 score to put FGCU up 1-0 going into singles.
The 2019 ASUN Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Julia Ascúa (Santa Fe, Argentina/Domingo G. Silva) claimed the Green and Blue's first victory in singles play recording a 6-3, 6-1 triumph on court No. 3. Following her was teammate and ASUN First Teamer
Maja Ornberg (Kil, Sweden/De la Gardiegymnasiet, Lidkoping). The junior collected her 12th win overall on the top court over Stetson's Lucie Renault with a 6-2, 6-4 final line.
Officially clinching the match for the Eagles was Villar on court No. 5. The Spain native came out on top in her first set in a tough 7-5 battle and saw herself in a 3-3 tie in the second, before pulling away in a 6-3 final.
Singles competition
1.
Maja Ornberg (FGCU) def. Lucie Renault (STET) 6-2, 6-4
2.
Sara Kelly (FGCU) vs. Danel Ashirova (STET) 7-5, 5-4, unfinished
3.
Julia Ascúa (FGCU) def. Brooke Milner (STET) 6-3, 6-1
4.
Sofia Perez (FGCU) vs. Vicky Geurinckx (STET) 6-1, 4-6, 4-1, unfinished
5.
Patricia Villar (FGCU) def. Danielle Peele (STET) 7-5, 6-3
6.
Bridget Forster (FGCU) vs. Alexe Viaud (STET) 6-4, 5-7, 2-5, unfinished
Doubles competition
1.
Maja Ornberg/
Julia Ascúa (FGCU) vs. Danel Ashirova/Lucie Renault (STET) 5-4, unfinished
2.
Patricia Villar/
Sara Kelly (FGCU) def. Vicky Geurinckx/Brooke Milner (STET) 6-2
3.
Bridget Forster/
Sofia Perez (FGCU) def. Megan Horwitz/Alexe Viaud (STET) 6-2
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (3,1,5)
Up Next
FGCU takes on 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 71-51 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.
