DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – On a rainy afternoon at the City Island Tennis Courts, the FGCU men's tennis team (2-3) earned a 4-0 sweep over the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats (0-2). The Saturday afternoon victory marked the Eagles' first shutout of the year.

The trio of senior Felipe Ramirez (Armenia, Colombia), senior Feliksas Sakalauskas (Palanga, Lithuania), sophomore Pedro Maciel (Belo Horizonte, Brazil) all won their singles matches to propel FGCU to the win. Though the match started almost three hours late due to weather delays, the team was not deterred.

"Today was a day that we could have easily been distracted by the weather delay, as well as some weird conditions," head coach CJ Weber said. "We overcame all of our challenges and I believe our team took a very business-oriented mind to this match. Overall, this was a great weekend for us and I believe it is the beginning of something great for this team."

FGCU's victory was boosted by an early win in singles play. The duo of sophomore Juan Montes (Pereira, Colombia) and senior Marcelo Tebet (Londrina, Brazil) got things started with a 6-1 win on the second court. Sophomore Carter Bradford (Wesley Chapel, Fla.) and Guglielmo Stefanacci (Prato, Italy) then provided a point-clinching performance on court three with a 6-2 triumph.

Maciel was the first to pick up a win in singles play, taking his opponent down in straight sets at the fifth flight. Ramirez put the team on the point of clinching the match with a 6-0, 6-4 win on the top court and was quickly followed by a 6-3, 6-3 triumph via Sakalauskas at court three to secure the victory.

Since the weather in the area was still fairly inclement, both Weber and Bethune-Cookman's head coach agreed to not play out the other matches.
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 (FGCUM) def. Victor Castro (BCU) 6-0, 6-4
2. Gerhard Sullwald (BCU) vs. MONTES, Juan (FGCUM) 5-7, 4-1, unfinished
3. SAKALAUSKAS,Feliksas (FGCUM) def. Phillip Lynch (BCU) 6-3, 6-3
4. Nicolas Rodriguez (BCU) vs. STEFANACCI,Guglielmo (FGCUM) 6-7 (0-5), 1-2, unfinished
5. MACIEL, Pedro (FGCUM) def. Joaquin Bianchi (BCU) 6-2, 4-1, retired
6. Joshua Cadiz (BCU) vs. BRADFORD, Carter (FGCUM) 6-0, 6-3, 0-3, unfinished
Order of finish: (5, 1, 3)

Doubles competition
1. Victor Castro/Gerhard Sullwald (BCU) vs. SAKALAUSKAS,Feliksas/RAMIREZ, Felipe (FGCUM) 5-4, unfinished
2. MONTES, Juan/TEBET, Marcelo (FGCUM) def. Nicolas Rodriguez/Joaquin Bianchi (BCU) 6-1
3. BRADFORD, Carter/STEFANACCI,Guglielmo (FGCUM) def. Phillip Lynch/Joshua Cadiz (BCU) 6-2
Order of finish: (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 95-80 (.542) 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 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.
 
--FGCUATHLETICS.COM--