FLORENCE, Ala.  – The FGCU women's tennis team (8-8, 3-2 ASUN) downed North Alabama (5-14, 0-4 ASUN) Wednesday afternoon, 6-1, at the UNA Varsity Tennis Courts.

"North Alabama battled hard today against us," said head coach Courtney Vernon. "With the match being moved to today, the ladies got off the plane, warmed up for about 20 minutes and then played a match. I love their spirits and the opportunities they see even when they are uncomfortable and I'm thankful for this group. We're looking forward to practicing for two days in preparation for Lipscomb Saturday."

Due to impending weather in the Florence area, the match which was originally scheduled for Thursday morning was moved to Wednesday afternoon. In the process, the teams would start off first with singles play. Giving up court No. 6 due to a forfeit, FGCU was put in a whole right away but fought back to claim the remaining five courts.

Maja Ornberg (Kil, Sweden/De la Gardiegymnasiet, Lidkoping) produced FGCU's first win claiming a 6-1, 6-3 decision on the top court. Soon after, Julia Ascúa (Santa Fe, Argentina/Domingo G. Silva) broke the tie with 6-0, 7-5 victory out of the No. 3 slot. Patricia Villar (Logrono, Spain/Bachillerato Santa Maria/Louisiana Monroe) made it a 3-1 match claiming two close sets (6-4, 6-3) as the match was officially clinched on court No. 5 by Laura Falceto-Font (Zaragoza, Spain/El Pilar Maristas Zaragoza) in a 7-5, 6-3 triumph. Sara Kelly (Naples, Fla./Florida Virtual) added FGCU's fifth point as her match was the only to be decided in a tiebreaker for the third set (6-7, 6-3 1-0 (10-6)).

In doubles action, the top tandem of Ornberg and Ascúa finished first, producing a 6-0 victory as Villar and Kelly secured the doubles point and the final 6-1 score with a 6-4 outcome on court No. 2.

Singles Competition
1. Maja Ornberg def. Payton Andrews, 6-1, 6-3
2. Sara Kelly def., Sydney Flesch, 6-7, 6-3, 1-0 (10-6)
3. Julia Ascúa  def. Claudia Arroyo, 6-0, 7-5
4. Patricia Villar def, Nina Linke, 6-4, 6-3
5. Laura Falceto-Font def. Nele Seitz, 7-5, 6-3
6. Megan Humphreys def, FGCU, forfeit.

Doubles Competition
1. Maja Ornberg/Julia Ascúa def. Claudia Arroyo/Payton Andrews, 6-0
2. Sara Kelly/Patricia Villar def. Nina Linke/Megan Humphreys, 6-3
3. Sofia Perez/Bridget Forster vs Nele Seitz/Sydney Flesch, no result

Up Next  
FGCU is back in action on the road taking on Lipscomb (13-4, 2-1 ASUN) at noon this Saturday.

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 69-50 overall record (.581) and 30-7 conference record (.829) 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 75 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.