FLORENCE, AL. – Due to impending weather in the Florence area, the FGCU women's tennis team's (7-8, 2-2 ASUN) match versus UNA has been moved to 3 p.m. (EDT) Wednesday afternoon. The Eagles are still slated to take on Lipscomb at noon this Saturday in Nashville, TN.
Last Time Out
FGCU is coming off a 4-3 road loss to Stetson last Saturday. The Eagles reeled off three straight singles wins to jump ahead of the Hatters after falling behind in doubles. Junior
Bridget Forster (Boca Raton, Fla./Florida Virtual School) claimed the first victory, collecting a 6-2, 6-1 decision on court No. 5. Shortly after, sophomore
Sara Kelly (Naples, Fla./Florida Virtual) broke the tie with a 6-4, 6-1 win on court No. 2. Junior
Maja Ornberg (Kil, Sweden/De la Gardiegymnasiet, Lidkoping) then extended the Green and Blue's lead to 3-1, registering a 6-0, 6-2 victory on the top flight. From here, the home side secured the comeback winning the final three matches, one of which went into three sets.
ASUN Preseason Poll
The back-to-back ASUN regular-season champion Eagles collected 52 points and one first-place vote in the ASUN Coaches Poll released back in January. Atop the poll, conference newcomer Liberty and UNF each garnered 57 points apiece for a first-place tie. The Ospreys came away with four first-place votes compared to the Flames' three.
Lipscomb (37) was selected to finish fourth in the poll, ahead of Stetson (35) and NJIT (24). Kennesaw State (18) and the ASUN's second newcomer team this year North Alabama (8) rounded out the poll.
ASUN Standings
1. UNF – 12-6, 3-0
2. Liberty – 10-6, 3-1
3. Lipscomb – 13-4, 2-1
4. FGCU – 7-8, 2-2
T-5. NJIT – 12-5, 1-2
T-5. Stetson – 10-6, 1-2
T-5. KSU – 2-13, 1-2
8. UNA – 5-13, 0-3
Scouting the Lions
UNA is 5-13 overall going 0-3 in ASUN action. Freshman Payton Andrews has collected two wins this season, playing mostly out of the No. 1 slot. Meanwhile, in doubles play, Andrews has teamed up with senior Claudia Arroyo for a pair of wins on court No. 3.
This will be the first meeting between both programs.
Scouting the Bisons
Lipscomb holds an overall 13-4 record with a 2-1 mark in ASUN play. Senior Vika Dzyuba leads the way on the top court with an overall mark of 12-3 as she is currently on a three-match win streak. In doubles action, Dzyuba has paired with sophomore Kate Popova for an 11-4 record on court No. 1. They are 9-1 in their last 10 matches.
FGCU leads the all-time series against Lipscomb, 11-0.
Up Next
FGCU will close out the regular season facing Kennesaw State at 5 p.m. Saturday, Apr. 13 on Senior Day.
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 68-50 overall record (.581) and 29-7 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.
