FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU women's tennis team collected 85 points as the Eagles were picked to finish second in the ASUN Preseason Coaches' Poll.
"We are looking forward to kicking off our season in the coming week," said head coach
Courtney Vernon. "This group of ladies works very hard and they have high goals for this semester. We are grateful for the opportunity to compete this spring and look forward to the challenge of conference season."
The Eagles will be looking to dethrone North Florida who was picked to win the conference once again after taking home the title a season ago for the sixth year in a row.
FGCU finished two points ahead of Liberty, who received the only other first-place vote. Behind Liberty, Stetson (69), Kennesaw State (50), Central Arkansas (47), Lipscomb (47), Jacksonville State (31), North Alabama (27), and Bellarmine (12) round out the poll.
Last season, the Eagles went 4-2 in the ASUN and advanced to the ASUN Tournament championship match before falling to host UNF .
Junior
Ida Ferding (Vasteras, Sweden/Akademi Bastad Gymnasium), sophomore
Fanny Norin (Stockholm, Sweden/Thoren Business School), and junior
Alba Retortillo (Leon, Spain/La Anunciata) all return for the Eagles after picking up nine singles wins each in 2021. Norin earned first team All-ASUN honors and was tabbed to the conference All-Freshmen unit in 2021. Junior
Emma Bardet (Vichey, France/Long Beach State) also returns after collecting three singles wins at No. 2 and No. 3 as well as five doubles wins, all at No. 1.
The Eagles also welcome three newcomers,
Isabella Colmenares (San Cristobal, Venezuela/Colegio Juan XXIII)
Lola Glantz (Lueneberg, Germany/Fernuniversitat), and
Gabriella Macias (Colombia) to this year's squad. Colmenares and Glantz already have a few matches under their belts as they played in the fall for the Eagles while Macias will be joining the Green and Blue this spring.
2021 ASUN Conference Women's Tennis Preseason Poll
| Place |
Team (1st Place Votes) |
Points |
| 1. |
North Florida (9) |
99 |
| 2. |
FGCU |
85 |
| 3. |
Liberty (1) |
83 |
| 4. |
Stetson |
69 |
| 5. |
Kennesaw State |
50 |
| 6. |
Central Arkansas |
47 |
| 7. |
Lipscomb |
47 |
| 8. |
Jacksonville State |
31 |
| 9. |
North Alabama |
27 |
| 10. |
Bellarmine |
12 |
FGCU will kick off the 2022 spring season on Jan. 14 when they host Toledo at 10 a.m.
For complete coverage of FGCU women's tennis, follow the Eagles on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @FGCU_WTEN and online at
www.FGCUAthletics.com. You can also sign up to have news on FGCU women's tennis or other programs delivered directly to your inbox by visiting
www.fgcuathletics.com/email.
HEAD COACH COURTNEY VERNON
FGCU's women's tennis team is led by three-time ASUN Coach of the Year Courtney Vernon (9th 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 63 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 85-64 overall record (.570) and 36-10 conference record (.782).
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 42 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.
