FORT MYERS, Fla. – In its first match of the 2020 season, the FGCU men's tennis team dropped a 7-0 decision to USF on Saturday night at the FGCU Tennis Complex. Though the Eagles (0-1) were unable to notch any points in the contest against the Bulls, seniors Felipe Ramirez and Marcelo Tebet each took their opposition into three sets.

Tebet (Londrina, Brazil/Colegio Anglo Americano) bounced back after a 6-2 loss in the first set and defeated USF's (1-0) Jakub Wojcik by the same score in the second set. Ultimately, Wojcik defeated Tebet 10-6 in the third frame. Ramirez (Armenia, Colombia/Florida Virtual School) won his opening set against Chase Ferguson 7-5 before Ferguson claimed a 6-2 win in the second set. The two battled back-and-forth in the final set, but Ferguson edged out a 12-10 victory.

"USF is a really great team," head coach CJ Weber said. "Their head coach has done a great job with their program and their talent runs really deep. They took care of business and made the match tough for us. We knew it was going to be really tough and I was hoping we could squeak out a few points at the end, but they put us away. We play tough non-conference games like this to expose our weaknesses and I'm excited to get back to work before next weekend."

The Bulls earned an early advantage in the match by claiming the doubles point. While USF grabbed wins on both courts three and two to clinch the point, the match featuring Ramirez and senior Feliksas Sakalauskas (Palanga, Lithuania/Virginia Tech) was knotted up at 4-4.

Both sophomore Carter Bradford and freshman Guglielmo Stefanacci earned spots in tonight's lineup, marking their debuts at the FGCU Tennis Complex. Bradford (Wesley Chapel, FL/George Mason) fell 6-3, 6-4 to Rithvik Bollipalli, while Stefanacci (Prato, Italy/International School of Florence) lost in straight sets (6-0, 6-2) to Ivan Yatsuk.

The Eagles will remain at the Nest to host a pair of matches against Georgia Southern (Jan. 17) and Florida A&M (Jan. 18) at the FGCU Tennis Complex next weekend. Both matches are slated for a 5 p.m. start time. FGCU owns a 4-2 all-time edge against the Georgia Southern Eagles and the history with the Rattlers favors the Green and Blue 7-3.

For complete coverage of FGCU men's tennis, follow the Eagles on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @FGCU_MTen and online at www.FGCUAthletics.com.

Results
Singles competition
1. Chase Ferguson (USF) def. RAMIREZ, Felipe (FGCU) 5-7, 6-1, 12-10
2. Jakub Wojcik (USF) def. TEBET, Marcelo (FGCU) 6-2, 2-6, 10-6
3. Pierre Luquet (USF) def. SAKALAUSKAS,Feliksas (FGCU) 6-1, 6-2
4. Antonio Muniz (USF) def. MACIEL, Pedro (FGCU) 6-3, 7-5
5. Ivan Yatsuk (USF) def. STEFANACCI,Guglielmo (FGCU) 6-0, 6-2
6. Rithvik Bollipalli (USF) def. BRADFORD, Carter (FGCU) 6-3, 6-4
Order of finish: (5, 4, 3, 6, 2, 1)

Doubles competition
1. Jakub Wojcik/Rithvik Bollipalli (USF) vs. RAMIREZ, Felipe/SAKALAUSKAS,Feliksas (FGCU) 4-4, unfinished
2. Chase Ferguson/Pierre Luquet (USF) def. TEBET, Marcelo/MACIEL, Pedro (FGCU) 6-4
3. Ivan Yatsuk/Sergio Gomez Montesa (USF) def. BRADFORD, Carter/STEFANACCI,Guglielmo (FGCU) 6-3
Order of finish: (3, 2)



CJ WEBER
FGCU is led by three-time ASUN Coach of the Year CJ Weber, who has coached 32 ASUN All-Conference selections since joining the Green and Blue in 2011. In his seventh year, Weber has compiled a 93-78 (.543) overall record and a 38-18 (.672) record in ASUN play. In 2014-15, Weber guided the Eagles to their first-ever ASUN Championship and first-ever ASUN Regular Season title after a program-best 17 wins. In his third season, Weber led Jordi Vives to a No. 35 national ranking, a nation-leading 14-match unbeaten streak and the round of 32 in the 2014 NCAA Tournament - the program's first appearance. The Eagles completed a perfect ASUN regular season in both 2015 and 2016, finishing with conference titles as well as a Coach of the Year honor for Weber. FGCU again won the 2017 ASUN Championship and made its second NCAA appearance. The Eagles returned to the mountaintop by claiming the 2019 regular season and tournament championships. Weber earned his third ASUN Coach of the Year honor and led the Green and Blue to their third trip to the NCAA Tournament. 

#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 80 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 12 seasons at the Division-I level. Additionally, in just eight seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 36 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 sixth-place finish in the DI-AAA Learfield Directors' Cup and top-100 showing nationally, ahead of several Power-5 and FBS institutions. In 2018-19, the Eagles had an ASUN and state of Florida best seven teams earn the NCAA's Public Recognition Award for their Academic Progress Rate in their sport. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.35 GPA in the classroom in the spring 2018 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for twenty consecutive semesters. The Eagles also served an all-time high 7,200 volunteer hours in 2017 – being recognized as one of two runners-up for the inaugural NACDA Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl.
 
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