ATLANTA – The FGCU Men's Tennis team now has a date to look forward to with regards to collegiate competition, as the ASUN released its upcoming slate on Thursday morning. The Eagles, led by 10th-year head coach CJ Weber, will kick off conference play on March 19 with a road contest against UNF.

The ASUN release also announced that the league will be split into North and South Divisions. The North Division will be comprised of Bellarmine, Lipscomb, Liberty and North Alabama, while the Eagles, Kennesaw State, Stetson and UNF will play in the South Division.

"We're very excited that our conference has been creative enough to figure out a great way to maintain a conference schedule for this year," three-time ASUN Coach of the Year Weber said. "Although we won't be playing everybody in the conference, it will keep many of our conference rivalries alive, and it will be a great, adjusted way to figure out who the best team in the conference is. I'm very excited for this opportunity for our team this year, and it will be awesome to have another chance at a title run after our season was cut short a year ago. This is something that our players are very much looking forward to and it motivates our training on a daily basis."

In addition to marking the start of conference play, the opener between the Eagles and the Ospreys will be a rematch of the 2019 ASUN Men's Tennis Championship Final. FGCU bested UNF by a score of 4-2 after current assistant coach Marcelo Tebet clinched the winning point on his court. The victory marked the third time in Green & Blue history that the team had taken home the ASUN Championship.

After facing off against the Ospreys, the Eagles will remain on the road in order to take on Kennesaw State in a neutral site match at Stetson's Mandy Stoll Tennis Center on March 20. FGCU holds an 8-4 all-time edge over the Owls, which includes the team's most recent triumph in 2019 (4-1 FGCU).
The Green & Blue will then return to Fort Myers for a match against Stetson on March 27. The competition will be held at the FGCU Tennis Complex, where the team has a 152-80 advantage over visiting programs.

The match against the Hatters, which marks the halfway point in the conference schedule, will be followed up with another neutral site contest against Kennesaw State. The Eagles and the Owls will play each other for the second time on April 2, this time competing on the UNF Tennis Courts. FGCU will have a tight turnaround after Friday's competition, as the team is set to head to DeLand the next day and face off against Stetson.

FGCU's final match of the regular season will be held on April 10 at home at the FGCU Tennis Complex and will feature one last clash between the Eagles and the Ospreys. Though the history between the two programs favors UNF 11-6, FGCU has won three of the last five regular-season meetings.

Further information regarding the non-conference schedule, as well as the ASUN Men's Tennis Championship, will be released as details become finalized. The ASUN has also stated that its men's tennis slate is still subject to further change.

The full schedule is listed below, with home contests marked in bold:

March 19 – at UNF
March 20 – vs Kennesaw State (neutral site at Stetson)
March 27 – vs Stetson
April 2 – vs Kennesaw State (neutral site at UNF)
April 3 – at Stetson
April 10 – vs UNF
Start times are TBA.

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.

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 97-82 (.541) 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. 

E.A.G.L.E. CAMPAIGN
IT TAKES A TEAM to achieve our newest goal - a $10 million campaign to address student-athlete needs in continued academic success, life skills, mental health, nutrition, and strength and conditioning as well as departmental needs in facility expansion and improvement as well as mentoring and leadership training for coaches and staff. The name embodies our mission and the purpose of the E.A.G.L.E. Campaign - Eagle Athletics Generating Lifetime Excellence. Join Our Team and pledge your gift today to help the Eagles of tomorrow!
 
#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 82 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 13 seasons at the Division-I level. Additionally, in just nine 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 3.43 GPA in the classroom in the spring 2020 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 22 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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