JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The FGCU men's tennis team suffered its first conference loss on Sunday as the Eagles fell to North Florida, 5-2. The Green and Blue fall to 10-6 on the season and 3-1 in the ASUN while the Ospreys improve to 11-6 and 2-1 in conference play.

"UNF earned that victory today," said head coach CJ Weber. "I was extremely proud of how the guys played doubles today, even with a brand new team in the lineup this weekend, the guys really stepped up. In singles, UNF was just the better team. We have to get back to work and improve. This match was important for us to show what we need to work on as a team."

The Eagles got off to a fast start as they took the doubles point. Junior Max Damm (Bradenton, Fla./Saint Stephen's Episcopal School) and redshirt-sophomore Magnus Johnson (Naples, Fla./Homeschool/UCF) won 7-5 before redshirt-sophomores Marcelo Sepulveda (Monterrey, Mexico/Penn Foster/Alabama) and Guglielmo Stefanacci (Prato, Italy/International School of Florence) won by the same score.

Singles was a different story, however, as the Ospreys won in straight sets on courts four, five, and six to take a 3-1 lead. On court two, Sepulveda forced a third set, but ultimately fell, giving the match to North Florida.

Redshirt-sophomore Randy Wilson (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic/Miami Palmetto/Louisville) picked up the lone singles win for the Eagles as he rallied for a 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 win on court three.

UNF 5, FGCU 2
Singles Action
1.    Jonas Hartenstein (UNF) def. JOHNSON, Magnus (FGCU) 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4)
2.    Nilo Duarte (UNF) def. SEPULVEDA, Marcelo (FGCU) 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
3.    WILSON, Randy (FGCU) def. Matt Carroll (UNF) 3-6, 6-4, 6-2
4.    PJ Kotan (UNF) def. STEFANACCI, Gugli (FGCU) 6-2, 6-2
5.    Rodrigo Crespo (UNF) def. DAMM, Max (FGCU) 6-2, 6-4
6.    Bruno Vietri (UNF) def. ONCINS, Eric (FGCU) 6-4, 7-5

Doubles Action
1.    JOHNSON, Magnus/DAMM, Max (FGCU) def. Jorge Nunez/Jonas Hartenstein (UNF) 7-5
2.    Matt Carroll/Nilo Duarte (UNF) def. ONCINS, Eric/WILSON, Randy (FGCU) 7-5
3.    SEPULVEDA, Marcelo/STEFANACCI, Gugli (FGCU) def. Rodrigo Crespo/Dominik Barton (UNF) 7-5

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

The Eagles will return to the courts next Sunday as they host Kennesaw State. First serve from the FGCU Tennis Complex is set for 1 p.m.

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 113-83 (.577) overall record and a 46-19 (.707) 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. 

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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 89 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 14+ seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just 10 seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 43 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. 20, 2021-22), beach volleyball (No. 20, 2022) 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 25 consecutive semesters. The past five semesters (Fall 2019 – Fall 2021) each saw another milestone reached as all 15 programs achieved a 3.0-or-higher team GPA in each. 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.