DELAND, Fla. – The FGCU women's tennis team (11-9) clawed back from a 3-0 hole to top Liberty (15-7) 4-3 in the semifinal match Friday afternoon at the Mandy Stoll Tennis Center.

With the win, the Eagles advance to their fourth ASUN Championship final (2015-17) where they will meet a familiar foe in second-seeded UNF. FGCU has matched up with the Ospreys in all three previous finals appearances.

"Today was a huge battle against Liberty," said head coach Courtney Vernon. "[Liberty] competes very hard and it was fun watching the ladies never give up. They had so much courage today and we're looking forward to tomorrow's championship match."

In doubles competition, Liberty got the upper hand claiming court No. 3 in a 6-0 decision, before taking the top court 6-2 en route to the 1-0 advantage transitioning into singles.

The Flames made it a 3-0 margin with wins on courts Nos. 2 and 3, both in straight sets. The FGCU comeback began on court No. 6 where Bridget Forster (Boca Raton, Fla./Florida Virtual School) gave FGCU's first point of the afternoon. After dropping her first set 4-6, the Boca Raton native reeled off a 7-6 second-set win and topped it off taking the final set 6-3. Senior Patricia Villar (Logrono, Spain/Louisiana Monroe) kept the momentum going as she also battled it out in three sets. Villar claimed the first set 6-1 but would fall in the second, 3-6.  Trailing 2-3 at one point in the third, she eventually pulled away from her counterpart for a 7-6 third set.

Junior Sofia Perez (Alajuela, Costa Rica/Florida Virtual School) raised eyebrows all around the Mandy Stoll Tennis Center as she tied the match 3-3. Falling 7-5 in her first set, the Costa Rican bounced back with a 6-4 second set victory. The Eagles were one point away from being sent home as Perez stared at a 2-5 deficit. Unfazed, she stormed back to make 5-5, eventually capturing the third set in a 7-6 thriller.

This shifted everyone's attention to the premiere court where junior Maja Ornberg (Kil, Sweden/De la Gardiegymnasiet, Lidkoping) put on the finishing touches to the comeback. She took her first set 6-1, but Liberty produced the same score in the second set to send it to a third. Ahead 6-5 and facing serve, Ornberg produced six return shots, her last being a drop shot that was served back into the net for the FGCU victory.

When both teams met in Fort Myers, Fla., on Mar. 17 during the regular season, the Eagles rallied back from a 3-1 deficit to defeat the Flames in a 4-3 final.

Since the Division I era (2007-08), FGCU has now mounted four comeback wins when trailing 3-0 – Stetson 2012, FAU & UNF 2018, and Liberty 2019. This is the first time the Green and Blue have completed such feat in postseason play.

Singles competition
1. Maja Ornberg (FGCU) def. Ashley Bongart (LIBERTY) 6-4, 1-6, 7-5
2. Kalani Soli (LIBERTY) def. Sara Kelly (FGCU) 6-0, 6-1
3. Lara Soares (LIBERTY) def. Julia Ascúa (FGCU) 7-6, 6-4
4. Sofia Perez (FGCU) def. Maria Medina (LIBERTY) 5-7, 6-4, 7-5
5. Patricia Villar (FGCU) def. Alexandra Almborg (LIBERTY) 6-1, 3-6, 7-6
6. Bridget Forster (FGCU) def. Anna Dollar (LIBERTY) 4-6, 7-6, 6-3

Doubles competition
1. Lara Soares/Maria Medina (LIBERTY) def. Maja Ornberg/Julia Ascúa (FGCU) 6-2
2. Grace Hashiguchi/Kalani Soli (LIBERTY) vs. Patricia Villar/Sara Kelly (FGCU) 4-1, unfinished
3. Anna Dollar/Ashley Bongart (LIBERTY) def. Bridget Forster/Sofia Perez (FGCU), 6-0

Order of finish: Doubles (3,1); Singles (2,3,6,5,4,1)

Up Next
FGCU will square off against rival UNF (16-7) in the championship final at noon Saturday afternoon. The final will be broadcasted on ESPN +.

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 72-51 overall record (.582) and 31-8 conference record (.795) in her six years at FGCU.

#FEEDFGCU
FGCU Athletics sponsors events in November and April 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.