FORT MYERS, Fla. – At the end of a back-and-forth battle with Georgia Southern, the FGCU men's tennis team came out on the losing side of a 4-3 result on Friday night at the FGCU Tennis Complex. The teams traded points all night, but it was ultimately the match on court three, which featured senior Feliksas Sakalauskas (Palanga, Lithuania) that proved to be the deciding factor in the clash between the opposing Eagles.

Things were knotted up between the teams at 3-3 apiece, forcing the final result to be decided by Sakalauskas and his opponent Alexandros Roumpis. Roumpis earned a 6-3 victory in the first set before Sakalauskas battled back to a 6-2 win in set two. In the final frame, Roumpis defeated the FGCU (0-2) senior 7-5.

"We knew it was going to be a really tough battle," head coach CJ Weber said. "Georgia Southern fights really hard and I think from the start to the finish, they competed with really good attitudes. Ultimately, I think that's why they got the win tonight."

The Eagles started off the night on a high note, as the duo of sophomore Carter Bradford (Wesley Chapel, Fla.) and freshman Guglielmo Stefanacci (Prato, Italy) clinched the doubles point for the home team. The heroics from the young pair were set up by an FGCU win on the first court via the team of seniors Felipe Ramirez (Armenia, Colombia) and Sakalauskas.

Ramirez carried the winning momentum into singles play, which he opened up with a straight-set victory (6-2, 6-0) over Georgia Southern's Murphy McCullough on the top court. The visiting team quickly responded with a win on court four that trimmed down the Green and Blue lead to 2-1.

Another triumph for Georgia Southern knotted things up at two-all, as Bradford fell to Valentin Dun on court five. Freshman Juan Lopez (Gachancipa, Colombia) responded to the push with a 6-3, 6-4 victory at the fifth flight that put the Eagles back on top.

The Statesboro Eagles prevented FGCU from clinching the win by coming out on top of a 7-5, 6-3 result on the second court, setting the stage for the match between Sakalauskas and Roumpis.

While the overall result did not favor FGCU, the night was still highlighted by Bradford, Stefanacci and Lopez who all tallied their first collegiate points as Eagles.

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. You can also sign up to have news on FGCU men's tennis or other programs delivered directly to your inbox by visiting www.fgcuathletics.com/email.

Results
Singles competition
1. RAMIREZ, Felipe (FGCU) def. Murphy McCullough (GS) 6-2, 6-0
2. Pascal Wagemaker (GS) def. TEBET, Marcelo (FGCU) 7-5, 6-3
3. Alexandros Roumpis (GS) def. SAKALAUSKAS,Feliksas (FGCU) 6-3, 2-6, 7-5
4. Jonathan Morales (GS) def. MACIEL, Pedro (FGCU) 6-3, 6-2
5. Valentin Dun (GS) def. BRADFORD, Carter (FGCU) 6-4, 6-1
6. LOPEZ, Juan (FGCU) def. Neil Kandhai (GS) 6-3, 6-4
Order of finish: (1, 4, 5, 6, 2, 3)
 
Doubles competition
1. RAMIREZ, Felipe/SAKALAUSKAS,Feliksas (FGCU) def. Murphy McCullough/Santiago Suarez (GS) 6-4
2. Jonathan Morales/Pascal Wagemaker (GS) def. TEBET, Marcelo/MONTES, Juan (FGCU) 6-4
3. BRADFORD, Carter/STEFANACCI,Guglielmo (FGCU) def. Alexandros Roumpis/Neil Kandhai (GS) 7-6 (7-4)
Order of finish: (1, 2, 3)



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 93-79 (.540) 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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