FGCU Men's Tennis
Match 6	FGCU (1-4, 0-0 ASUN) at UNF (3-7, 0-0 ASUN)
Date // Time	Friday, March 19 // 3 p.m.
Location	Jacksonville, Fla. // UNF Tennis Complex
Live Stats	SideArm
Match 7	FGCU (1-4, 0-0 ASUN) vs Kennesaw State (4-8, 0-0 ASUN)
Date // Time	Saturday, March 20 // 2 p.m.
Location	DeLand, Fla. // Mandy Stoll Tennis Center (neutral site)
Twitter	@FGCU_MTen
Instagram	FGCU Men's Tennis
Facebook	FGCU Men's Tennis

FORT MYERS, Fla. – Following a nearly three-week hiatus, FGCU men's tennis (1-4, 0-0 ASUN) is preparing to open up its conference slate this weekend, as the team is set to take on UNF (3-7, 0-0 ASUN) and Kennesaw State (4-8, 0-0 ASUN). The Eagles will first face off against UNF at the Ospreys' home courts in Jacksonville on Friday, March 19 at 3 p.m. The next day, the team will travel to DeLand to take on Kennesaw State in a 2 p.m. neutral site match.

FGCU remains the reigning ASUN Champions after taking home both the regular season and tournament titles in 2019. That season, which saw the team go 7-0 in conference play, marked the third time since 2015 that the Eagles made the trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Green & Blue nabbed the top spot in the 2021 ASUN Preseason Coaches' Poll and will look to make another run at the league crown this season.

The Eagles
FGCU is coming off a historic, 4-3 victory over Miami (Feb. 27). The win, which was notched on the road in Coral Gables, was the program's second-ever against the Hurricanes and the first since the 2015 season.

Freshman Alessandro Conca (Milan, Italy/ISMC Milano), who clinched the match with a three-set, tiebreaker win over No. 64 Milicevic, was named ASUN Player of the Week for his efforts. The rookie was one of two players to defeat ranked Miami players, as redshirt-freshman Magnus Johnson (Naples, Fla./Homeschool/UCF) bested No. 34 Berrera on the top singles court.

Following the victory, the Eagles received votes in the ITA Division I Rankings. Though the number of votes was not disclosed, the list puts FGCU somewhere in the top-60, which is the program's highest-ever ranking. Previously, the team had checked in as high as No. 74 during the 2015-16 season.

Johnson leads the team this year with a 3-2 mark in singles play, with all five matches being played at the No. 1 spot. He and sophomore Max Damm (Bradenton, Fla./Saint Stephens Episcopal School) have teamed up twice in doubles play, posting a split, 1-1 mark. So far this season, the Eagles have had six different combinations take the court in doubles play, while 11 members of the team have played singles.

The Ospreys
UNF recently snapped its six-match losing streak with a win over Furman on Saturday, March 13. The Ospreys claimed a 6-1 victory at home to get back into the wins column and picked up wins on all but one court in singles play.

Freshman Rodrigo Crespo leads the team with five wins on the season, three of which have been earned at the No. 3 spot. He is followed by sophomore Dominik Barton and sophomore Matt Carroll, each of whom have four victories.

In doubles play, the duo of Crespo and junior Nilo Duarte have posted a 5-2 record, with four of the five victories coming on the third court. Barton and Carroll have teamed up at the top spot for all nine of the Ospreys' matches, going 3-6 so far.

Though UNF has an 11-6 all-time advantage over FGCU, the Eagles have won four of the past six meetings. In the last meeting between the two sides, the Green & Blue downed the Ospreys, 4-2, in the 2019 ASUN Championship match.

The Owls
Kennesaw State has been heating up, as the Owls have won three of their past four matches. That stretch includes a 4-0 sweep of Gardner-Webb (March 5), as well as a dominant, 6-1 victory over Mercer (March 14).

Outside of their home courts, where they are 4-1, the Owls are 0-7. This weekend's match will be Kennesaw State's first at a neutral site this season.

Freshman Raul Garcia and senior Sergio Ingles are tied for the team lead with five wins apiece. Though Ingles is 0-2 at the No. 1 spot in singles, he has earned a 5-4 mark on the second court. Both sophomores Harvey Conway and Seru Tezuka will enter this weekend's play on three-match winning streaks.

The duo of Conway and Garcia has had a strong start to the year, posting a 5-1 record in doubles play. All six of the pair's matches have been played at the second spot in the lineup. The Owls have had four different combinations of players appear at the top spot, going a combined 2-5 against opponents.

Since the first meeting in 2009, FGCU has earned an 8-4 edge over the Owls. Though Kennesaw State was able to eke out back-to-back, regular-season wins during the 2017 and 2018 seasons, FGCU bounced back with a 4-1 victory in 2019.

ASUN Roundup

Place	Team	ASUN Record	Overall Record
1.	Liberty	0-0	9-5
2.	Lipscomb	0-0	4-4
3.	Kennesaw State	0-0	4-8
4.	Stetson	0-0	2-4
5.	UNF	0-0	3-7
6.	North Alabama	0-0	2-8
7.	FGCU	0-0	1-4
8.	Bellarmine	0-0	3-12

Upcoming Matches
Friday, March 19
Kennesaw State at Stetson - 3 p.m.
Liberty at North Alabama - 3 p.m.
Bellarmine at Lipscomb - 4 p.m.
FGCU at UNF - 5 p.m.

Saturday, March 20
FGCU vs Kennesaw State - 2 p.m. (neutral site)

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 98-85 (.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--