WILMINGTON, N.C. – Though it claimed the early doubles point, the FGCU men's tennis team (3-5) was unable to hold on to the momentum as it dropped a 4-3 decision to UNC Greensboro (2-2) in a neutral site match on Saturday afternoon.

"Today was a really tough battle," head coach CJ Weber said. "I felt like UNCG played a tough match and made us feel really uncomfortable. Overall, we played a great match but the result just didn't go our way today. We'll keep working and improving."

Earning points against the Spartans was tough from the start, as doubles play was decided by the final court. While UNCG picked up a 6-4 win at the top spot, the Eagle duo of senior Marcelo Tebet (Londrina, Brazil/Colegio Anglo Americano) and junior Juan Montes (Pereira, Colombia/Colegio Lujan) responded with a dominating, 6-1 triumph at the second flight forcing the early point to come down to the final court.

Freshman Guglielmo Stefanacci (Prato, Italy/International School of Florence) and sophomore Carter Bradford (Wesley Chapel, FL/George Mason) ultimately secured the point for the Green and Blue by downing UNCG's Knapp/Wyett by a score of 7-5.

Sophomore Pedro Maciel (Belo Horizonte, Brazil/Goliath Academy) carried the winning momentum into singles play, where he quickly earned a 6-2, 6-1 win in the sixth slot to put the Eagles up 2-0. The Spartans' Ollie Palmer then put his team on the board with a straight-set victory at the top flight, cutting the lead in half.

UNCG went on to win another two-consecutive points, taking a 3-2 lead. Stefanacci tied things back up at three-apiece with his hard-fought, 6-4, 7-5 result on the fourth flight, causing the ultimate result to be determined by the match on court two.

While Montes fought into three sets against Hugh Knapp, it was Knapp that earned the 6-4 win in the final frame to hand his team the 4-3 win.

The Eagles will remain on UNC Wilmington's campus, where today's match was played, to take on the Seahawks themselves on Sunday afternoon. Competition between the teams is slated for a Noon start on the UNCW Courts.

Results
Singles competition
1. PALMER, Ollie (UNCG) def. RAMIREZ, Felipe (FGCU) 6-3, 6-1
2. KNAPP, Hugh (UNCG) def. MONTES, Juan (FGCU) 7-5, 5-7, 6-4
3. GREWE, Nico (UNCG) def. SAKALAUSKAS,Feliksas (FGCU) 6-4, 5-7, 6-0
4. STEFANACCI,Guglielmo (FGCU) def. ZUCKERMAN, Alex (UNCG) 6-4, 7-5
5. WYETT, Cooper (UNCG) def. LOPEZ, Juan (FGCU) 6-2, 7-5
6. MACIEL, Pedro (FGCU) def. BLASER, Logan (UNCG) 6-2, 6-1
Order of finish: (6, 1, 5, 3, 4, 2)

Doubles competition
1. GREWE, Nico/PALMER, Ollie (UNCG) def. RAMIREZ, Felipe/SAKALAUSKAS,Feliksas (FGCU) 6-4
2. MONTES, Juan/TEBET, Marcelo (FGCU) def. BURKILL, Jack/ZUCKERMAN, Alex (UNCG) 6-1
3. BRADFORD, Carter/STEFANACCI,Guglielmo (FGCU) def. KNAPP, Hugh/WYETT, Cooper (UNCG) 7-5
Order of finish: (1, 2, 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. 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 96-82 (.539) 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. 

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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.
 
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FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 81 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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