FORT MYERS, Fla. – After picking up its first sweep of the season during the 4-0 victory over Bethune-Cookman, the FGCU men's tennis team (2-3) now has its sights set on a Friday night match against DePaul (2-3). The clash between the Eagles and the Blue Demons is set for a 5 p.m. start at the FGCU Tennis Complex.
During the match, the team will try to even up its overall record, as well as its mark at the Nest. The Eagles currently sit at .400 on the year and are 1-2 at home.
In their most recent outing, the Eagles downed Bethune-Cookman on the Wildcats' home court in Daytona Beach (Feb. 1). The trio of senior
Felipe Ramirez (Armenia, Colombia), senior
Feliksas Sakalauskas (Palanga, Lithuania) and sophomore
Pedro Maciel (Belo Horizonte, Brazil) all picked up wins in singles play to boost the team to the triumph.
Ramirez has had one of the team's strongest individual seasons so far, posting a 3-1 mark on the top court in singles play. His only loss was a three-set decision at the hands of USF's Chase Ferguson in the season-opener.
Both of DePaul's wins this season have been shutout victories. The Blue Demons opened up their spring campaign with a 7-0 triumph over the University of Illinois-Chicago and most recently picked up a 4-0 sweep over Toledo last weekend. In between the two wins, DePaul dropped three-straight matches against Wisconsin, Green Bay and Purdue. The team will travel to Fort Myers in search of its first road win of the season, as the program currently sits at 0-3 in those contests.
In his senior season, Boris Spanjaard has notched a team-best 4-1 mark on court two in singles play. He and teammate Chris Casati are 3-1 in doubles play and are currently on a two-match winning streak on court one.
The only other time the two programs have faced off was back in 2009, when the Blue Demons earned a 7-0 shutout victory over the Eagles at the FGCU Tennis Complex.
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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.
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#FEEDFGCU
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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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