JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The FGCU women's tennis team (2-4, 0-1 ASUN) fell to North Florida (8-6, 1-0 ASUN), 5-2, to open up conference play Friday afternoon at the UNF Tennis Complex.
"We are grateful for another opportunity to compete," said head coach
Courtney Vernon. "UNF competed well today and we learned from today's match. We will continue to grow a tremendous amount from this. It's another step and we're looking forward to playing tomorrow."
FGCU started doubles play taking court No. 3 as the tandem of
Alba Retortillo (Leon,Spain/ La Anunciata) and
Lourdes Ramalle (Buenos Aires, Argentina/Portland) claimed a 6-0 win. They are now 3-3 overall this season. UNF soon snagged court No. 2 (6-1) before claiming a 6-3 win on the top court for the doubles point.
In singles play, the Ospreys claimed pair of wins on courts one and two before
Ida Ferding (Vastera, Sweden/Akademi Bastad Gymnasium) walked away with a three-set victory (6-2, 3-6, 6-3) on court No. 4. UNF would go on to take the next two courts, clinching the match on court six.
Fanny Norin (Stockholm, Sweden/Thoren Business School) produced a comeback win after dropping her first set (3-6, 7-6, 7-6) to take the final match of the afternoon.
ASUN Standings
South Division
| Place |
Team |
ASUN |
Overall |
| 1. |
North Florida |
1-0 |
8-6 |
| 2. |
Stetson |
1-0 |
6-4 |
| 3. |
Kennesaw State |
0-1 |
5-7 |
| 4. |
FGCU |
0-1 |
2-4 |
North Division
| Place |
Team |
ASUN |
Overall |
| 1. |
Liberty |
1-0 |
11-3 |
| 2. |
Lipscomb |
0-0 |
8-11 |
| 3. |
Bellarmine |
0-0 |
0-9 |
| 4. |
North Alabama |
0-1 |
4-9 |
ASUN Friday Results
Stetson def. KSU, 5-2
Liberty def. UNA, 5-2
Upcoming Matches
Saturday, Mar. 20 - FGCU vs KSU
Saturday, Mar. 20 - Bellarmine @ Lipscomb
Sunday, Mar. 21 - UNF @ Stetson
Sunday, Mar. 21 - Liberty @ Lipscomb
Sunday, Mar. 21 - Bellarmine @ UNA
Up Next
FGCU will travel to DeLand, Fla., to face Kennesaw State at 10 am Saturday morning.
Singles competition
1. Lucia Montano (UNF) def. ORNBERG, Maja (FGCU) 6-0, 6-2
2. Catherine Gulihur (UNF) def. PEREZ, Sofia (FGCU) 6-1, 6-2
3. NORIN, Fanny (FGCU) def. Ana Paula Melilo (UNF) 3-6, 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-3)
4. FERDING, Ida (FGCU) def. Constanza Gorches (UNF) 6-2, 3-6, 6-3
5. Summer Yardley (UNF) def. RETORTILLO, Alba (FGCU) 6-4, 1-6, 6-4
6. Annabelle Davis (UNF) def. RAMALLE, Lourdes (FGCU) 7-5, 4-6, 6-1
Doubles competition
1. Catherine Gulihur/Ana Paula Melilo (UNF) def. ORNBERG, Maja/BARDET, Emma (FGCU) 6-3
2. Lucia Montano/Constanza Gorches (UNF) def. PEREZ, Sofia/FERDING, Ida (FGCU) 6-1
3. RETORTILLO, Alba/RAMALLE, Lourdes (FGCU) def. Valentina Mariotto/Annabelle Davis (UNF) 6-0
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (1,2,4,6,5,3)
FOLLOW ALONG
For up-to-date coverage of FGCU women's tennis, follow us on Twitter @FGCU_WTEN and visit www.FGCUAthletics.com where full recaps and results will be available.
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!
HEAD COACH COURTNEY VERNON
FGCU's women's tennis team is led by three-time ASUN Coach of the Year Courtney Vernon (8th season)
who led the Eagles to back-to-back ASUN regular-season crowns in her fifth season in 2018. She has mentored her student-athletes into earning 59 ASUN All-Conference and All-Academic honors, including 2014, 2016 and 2017 ASUN Freshman of the Year as well as the 2016, 2017 and 2019 Scholar-Athlete of the Year and the 2018 Player of the Year. Vernon has led the Green and Blue to a 79-61 overall record (.564) and 32-9 conference record (.781).
#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 85 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 38 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Seven FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport – including women's basketball (No. 24, 2019-20) and both men's soccer (2018, 2019) and women's soccer (2018) as three of the most recent. 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 (APR) in their sport and have had the highest percentage of teams so honored from these two groups over each of the past three years. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.46 GPA in the classroom in the spring 2020 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 22 consecutive semesters. The 2019 Fall and 2020 Spring semesters each saw another milestone reached as all 15 programs achieved a 3.0-or-higher team GPA. 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.
