FORT MYERS, Fla. – After opening its season with a match against a tough FAU team, FGCU men's tennis (0-1) is now preparing to host the No. 5 NAIA program in the country, Keiser (1-0), on Friday evening at the FGCU Tennis Complex. The match against the Seahawks is slated for a 5 p.m. start and will be open to fans at a limited capacity. In order to promote social distancing, fans are encouraged to bring their own foldable chairs or other forms of outdoor seating. All attendees must wear masks at all times and will be required to adhere to CDC guidelines.
The Eagles will be on the hunt for their first win of the 2020-21 campaign, having dropped their season-opener to FAU (5-2, Jan. 23). Both redshirt-freshman
Magnus Johnson (Naples, Fla./Homeschool/UCF) and redshirt-junior
Juan Montes (Pereira, Colombia/Colegio Lujan) accounted for the team's pair of points against the Owls, winning their singles matches on the first and second courts, respectively. Montes took down his opponent in straight sets, while Johnson's was a hard-fought, three-set battle against the No. 122 player in the nation.
In addition to the excitement of hosting a nationally-ranked program, Eagle fans will also have a chance to see head coach
CJ Weber back out on the courts. The coach, in his 10th season at the helm, was unable to attend the season-opener due to health reasons, leaving former FGCU standout and current assistant coach
Marcelo Tebet to lead the Eagles in his absence.
Keiser will roll into Fort Myers with an unblemished record, having opened up its slate with a 7-0 sweep of Eastern Florida State. The Seahawks are favored to win a sixth-straight Sun Conference Championship and are led by junior Luke Simkiss, who was named the National Player to Watch by the ITA. In 2019-20, Keiser notched a 10-4 overall record, which included a 3-1 mark against teams ranked in the NAIA Top 25 poll, before the season was suspended due to COVID-19.
Friday's match will be the first time that the Eagles and the Seahawks have faced off. Of the nine different opponents that FGCU is scheduled to take on this year, Keiser is the only one that the team has no history with.
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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 97-83 (.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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