JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – After using rallies in each of the previous two tournament postseason matches, the FGCU men's tennis team fell just short on Saturday morning as Liberty claimed the ASUN Championship title, 4-0, at the UNF Tennis Complex. The Eagles conclude the 2021 campaign with an 8-6 overall record while making their fourth all-time appearance in the title match.
"Today was a really tough match for us; I thought Liberty was ready to compete today and was the more disciplined team. They stepped up in critical moments and played to their identity along with their aggressive play – that's ultimately how they beat us today," said head coach
CJ Weber. "I've very proud of our team – we've been through a lot just like every other team with the pandemic. The guys stuck with each other the whole time and learned a lot about each other through the process. We still have a lot to learn, but I'm excited to continue our growth in the future. We have a lot of key components coming back in the future and, as we continue to develop our identity, this team is going to be really, really good in the future."
The day started as the team's split the first two doubles matches with freshman
Eric Oncins (Orlando, Fla./Montverde Academy) and redshirt freshman
Randy Wilson (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic/Miami Palmetto/Louisville) winning 6-3 on the No. 3 court before Liberty evened things up with a win at No. 2. The No. 1 court saw redshirt freshman
Magnus Johnson (Naples, Fla./UCF) and sophomore
Max Damm (Bradenton, Fla./Saint Stephens Episcopal School) go to a tie-breaker set with the Flames' Deji Thomas-Smith and Christiaan Worst. Liberty eventually won the doubles point with a 7-6 victory taking the early 1-0 lead.
Liberty then took advantage of straight set wins in singles play on courts No. 2 and No. 6 to go up 3-0. With courts No. 1, No. 3 and No. 5 all splitting the opening two sets, the Flames secured the match point at No. 4 singles to clinch.
FGCU was looking to repeat as ASUN champions after last winning the league title in 2019 and last season's championship tournament cancelled due to COVID-19. The Eagles entered the 2021 postseason as the top team in the ASUN South Division, while Liberty was the top team in the North Division. All-time, FGCU is now 3-1 in the title match with its other two championships coming in 2015 and 2017.
All-Tournament Team
- Rafael Marques Da Silva, Liberty – (MVP)
-
Magnus Johnson, FGCU
- Deji Thomas-Smith, Liberty
2021 ASUN Tennis Championships - #1S FGCU vs #1N Liberty
4/24/2021 at Jacksonville, Fla. - (UNF Tennis Complex)
| #1 SINGLES |
1 |
2 |
3 |
Notes |
| JOHNSON, Magnus, #1S FGCU |
6
|
3
|
|
|
| Nicaise Muamba, #1N Liberty |
7
|
2
|
|
|
|
| #2 SINGLES |
1 |
2 |
3 |
Notes |
| MONTES, Juan, #1S FGCU |
5
|
1
|
|
Order of finish: 1 |
| R. Marques Da Silva, #1N Liberty |
7
|
6
|
|
|
|
| #3 SINGLES |
1 |
2 |
3 |
Notes |
| WILSON, Randy, #1S FGCU |
4
|
6
|
3
|
|
| Josh Wilson, #1N Liberty |
6
|
3
|
4
|
|
|
| #4 SINGLES |
1 |
2 |
3 |
Notes |
| RAMIREZ, Felipe, #1S FGCU |
5
|
4
|
|
Order of finish: 3 |
| Deji Thomas-Smith, #1N Liberty |
7
|
6
|
|
|
|
| #5 SINGLES |
1 |
2 |
3 |
Notes |
| STEFANACCI, Gugli, #1S FGCU |
6
|
4
|
2
|
|
| Christiaan Worst, #1N Liberty |
1
|
6
|
4
|
|
|
| #6 SINGLES |
1 |
2 |
3 |
Notes |
| CONCA, Alessandro, #1S FGCU |
4
|
4
|
|
Order of finish: 2 |
| Thando Longwe-Smit, #1N Liberty |
6
|
6
|
|
|
|
| #1 DOUBLES |
1 |
2 |
3 |
Notes |
| JOHNSON, Magnus/DAMM, Max, #1S FGCU |
6
|
|
|
Order of finish: 3 |
| Deji Thomas-Smith/Christiaan Worst, #1N Liberty |
7
|
|
|
|
|
| #2 DOUBLES |
1 |
2 |
3 |
Notes |
| MONTES, Juan/RAMIREZ, Felipe, #1S FGCU |
3
|
|
|
Order of finish: 2 |
| Nicaise Muamba/R. Marques Da Silva, #1N Liberty |
6
|
|
|
|
|
| #3 DOUBLES |
1 |
2 |
3 |
Notes |
| ONCINS, Eric/WILSON, Randy, #1S FGCU |
6
|
|
|
Order of finish: 1 |
| Josh Wilson/Steve Mundt, #1N Liberty |
3
|
|
|
|
|
| Match Notes |
| #1N Liberty 20-7, 6-0 ASUN |
| #1S FGCU 8-6, 5-1 ASUN |
| 2021 ASUN Men's Tennis Championship Final |
| T-2:50 A-62 |
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 103-87 (.541) overall record and a 43-19 (.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 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.
--FGCUATHLETICS.COM--
