JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The FGCU women's tennis team (5-5, 3-1 ASUN) took down Kennesaw State (5-10, 0-4 ASUN) in convincing fashion with a 6-1 victory, Friday afternoon at the UNF Tennis Complex.  

"We are continuing to take steps and learning about what it means to compete in every moment," said head coach Courtney Vernon. "We're looking forward to playing Stetson tomorrow."

FGCU snagged a 1-0 lead after doubles play with two strong outings on courts one and two. On the top court, Sofia Perez (Alajuela, Costa Rica/Florida Virtual School) and Ida Ferding (Vastera, Sweden/Akademi Bastad Gymnasium) claimed the first win in 6-2 fashion as Alba Retortillo (Leon, Spain/ La Anunciata) and Lourdes Ramalle (Buenos Aires, Argentina/Portland) clinched the point on court three with another 6-2 finish.

In singles play, Ferding was the first Eagle to claim victory with a 6-3, 6-2 decision on court No. 4. Moments later, Retortillo gave FGCU a 3-0 lead on court No. 5, producing a 6-3, 6-1 outing. The clinching point for the Green and Blue arrived on court No. 3 where Perez registered a 6-2, 6-4 win, giving FGCU a 4-0 margin.

On the top court, Maja Ornberg (Kil, Sweden/De la Gardiegymnasiet, Lidkoping) cruised to a 6-2 win in the first set before taking down KSU's Taylor Dean in a tough, 7-5 second set battle. After playing in the No. 2 slot for the first time this season Wednesday, Fanny Norin (Stockholm, Sweden/Thoren Business School) remained in the second slot, bumping her record to 2-0 with a 6-2, 6-4 triumph for FGCU's sixth point.

Up Next
FGCU will travel down to DeLand, Fla., to face Stetson Saturday morning at 10 a.m.

Singles competition
1. ORNBERG, Maja (FGCU) def. Taylor Dean (KSU) 6-2, 7-5
2. NORIN, Fanny (FGCU) def. Ji Youn Lee (KSU) 6-2, 6-4
3. PEREZ, Sofia (FGCU) def. Paola Cortez (KSU) 6-2, 6-4
4. FERDING, Ida (FGCU) def. Valentina Taddia (KSU) 6-3, 6-2
5. RETORTILLO, Alba (FGCU) def. Soomin Kim (KSU) 6-3, 6-1
6. Sofia Pinedo (KSU) def. RAMALLE, Lourdes (FGCU) 5-7, 6-3, 1-0 (10-3)

Doubles competition
1. PEREZ, Sofia/FERDING, Ida (FGCU) def. Ji Youn Lee/Valentina Taddia (KSU) 6-2
2. Paola Cortez/Taylor Dean (KSU) vs. ORNBERG, Maja/NORIN, Fanny (FGCU) 4-3, unfinished
3. RETORTILLO, Alba/RAMALLE, Lourdes (FGCU) def. Sofia Pinedo/Soomin Kim (KSU) 6-2

Order of finish: Doubles (1,3); Singles (4,5,3,1,2,6)

Upcoming ASUN Matches (Saturday, Apr. 3)
North Alabama @ Liberty (10 am)
Kennesaw State @ North Florida (11 am)
Lipscomb @ Bellarmine (11 am)

ASUN Standings 
 
South Division

Place	Team	ASUN	Overall
1.	North Florida	4-0	12-6
2.	FGCU	3-1	5-5
3.	Stetson	1-3	6-7
4.	Kennesaw State	0-4	5-10

North Division

Place	Team	ASUN	Overall
1.	Liberty	4-0	14-4
2.	Lipscomb	2-2	7-8
3.	North Alabama	2-2	6-10
4.	Bellarmine	0-4	0-14

 

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 an 82-62 overall record (.569) and 35-9 conference record (.795).

#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 40 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Eight FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport - including women's basketball (No. 21, 2020-21), beach volleyball (No. 20, 2021) 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 in their sport. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.50 GPA in the classroom in the fall 2020 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 23 consecutive semesters. The 2019 Fall, 2020 Spring, and 2020 Fall 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.