FORT MYERS, Fla. – For the first time this season, the FGCU men's tennis team (0-1) is hitting the road, as the team is set to face off against USF (2-2, 0-1 American) on Sunday, Feb. 7 at the Bulls' Varsity Tennis Courts. The match is set for a 2 p.m. start time and fans will be allowed to watch, but they must remain on the outside of the tennis enclosure.
This weekend's contest will kick off a four-match road swing for the Eagles. In addition to the trip up to Tampa, the in-state circuit will feature stops at FAU (Feb. 13), UCF (Feb. 26) and Miami (Feb. 27).
Saturday's match will officially be the second for the Eagles, though they did play host to Keiser for an exhibition match on Friday, Feb. 5 at The Nest. In the team's season-opener, the Green & Blue dropped a 5-2 result to a tough FAU team. Both redshirt-freshman
Magnus Johnson (Naples, Fla./Homeschool/UCF) and redshirt-junior
Juan Montes (Pereira, Colombia/Colegio Lujan) won their singles matches, thus preventing the shutout. Montes earned a straight-set victory in the second spot in the lineup, while Johnson defended the top court with a hard-fought, three-set triumph.
This weekend, the Eagles will look to build upon their strong road performances that they tallied during the 2019-20 campaign. Before the season was suspended due to COVID-19, FGCU earned a 6-1 victory on the road at UNC Wilmington, sweeping the Seahawks in singles play.
Prior to taking on the Green & Blue, USF is slated to host Stetson for a 1:30 p.m. match on Saturday, Feb. 6. The match will be the first of the season for the Hatters, who are fellow members of the ASUN Conference, and the Bulls' first at home. USF opened up its slate with a four-match road swing, which featured stops at Florida (L, 1-6), Clemson (W, 4-3), Auburn (W, 4-3) and UCF (L, 1-6).
Sunday's meeting will be the sixth in the history between FGCU and USF, which currently favors the Bulls 5-0. This will be the third-consecutive season that the teams have faced off, having competed at The Nest in 2020 and in Tampa in 2019.
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 97-83 (.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.
--
FGCUATHLETICS.COM--
