FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU (2-0) women's tennis team ended its first spring weekend Saturday with a 4-3 victory over Middle Tennessee at the FGCU Tennis Complex.  

"Today was a very challenging match. The conditions were windy and cold, and Middle Tennessee fought very hard," said FGCU head women's tennis coach Courtney Vernon. "The ladies won a close doubles point and battled hard in singles. They will enjoy the win and then get back to work next week to prepare for Florida State!" 

The day started off competitively, with doubles matches that came down to the final decision to earn an opening point. Seniors Ida Ferding (Vasteras, Sweden/Akademi Basted Gymnasium) and Emma Bardet (Vichy, France/Long Beach State) won their match 6-2 at No. 1. 

The Blue Raiders responded, though, defeating FGCU juniors Fanny Norin (Stockholm, Sweden/Thoren Business School) and Isabella Colmenares (San Cristobal, Venezuela/Colegio Juan XXIII) 6-4 in No. 3.  
But the Green & Blue team of junior Jordana Ossa (Miami, Fla./John A. Ferguson Senior HS/Wisconsin) and sophomore Gabriela Macas (Barranquilla, Colombia/Colegio Fontan) were able to earn a 7-6 (7) victory at No. 2 to clinch the doubles point. 

Middle Tennessee tied the match in singles by defeating freshman Amelia Kopel (Wroclaw, Poland, International School of Wroclaw) 6-2, 6-1 at No. 4. FGCU then retook the lead as Ferding won 6-1, 6-4 at No. 6. Colmenares dropped the No. 2 match 6-4. 6-3 to once again tie it. 

Norin would storm to a 6-3, 6-2 at No. 3 before Bardet fell 7-5, 6-4 at No.1 to make the last match as the determining factor. Ossa clinched her match and the overall victory with a hard-fought 6-1, 1-6, 6-2 decision at No. 5. 
The Eagles will head to Tallahassee on Friday to take Florida State – the opening match of the Seminoles' season. 
 
Singles Competition
1.    Love-Star Alexis [MTSU] def. BARDET, Emma (FGCU) 7-5, 6-4
2.    Sana Garakani [MTSU] def. COLMENARES, Isabella (FGCU) 6-4, 6-3
3.    NORIN, Fanny (FGCU) def. Muskan Gupta [MTSU] 6-3, 6-2
4.     Lilly-Sophie Schmidt [MTSU] def. KOPEL, Amelia (FGCU) 6-2, 6-1
5.    OSSA, Jordana (FGCU) def. Noelle Mauro [MTSU] 6-1, 1-6, 6-2
6.    FERDING, Ida (FGCU) def. Rutuja Chaphalkar [MTSU] 6-1, 6-4

Doubles Competition
1.    FERDING, Ida / BARDET, Emma (FGCU) def. Noelle Mauro / Sana Garakani [MTSU] 6-2
2     OSSA, Jordana /MACIAS, Gabriela (FGCU) def. Love-Star Alexis / Rutuja Chaphalkar [MTSU] 7-6 (7)
3.    Muskan Gupta / Lilly-Sophie Schmidt [MTSU] def. NORIN, Fanny/ COLMENARES, Isabella (FGCU) 6-4  
 
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (4,6,2,3,1,5)

 HEAD COACH COURTNEY VERNON
FGCU's women's tennis team is led by three-time ASUN Coach of the Year Courtney Vernon (10th season) who led the Eagles to back-to-back ASUN regular-season crowns in her fifth season during 2018, adding a third regular-season title in 2022. She has mentored her student-athletes into earning 66 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 101-73 overall record (.580) and 44-11 conference record (.800).


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#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 94 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 15-plus seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just 11-plus seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 47 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. In 2022, the men's golf team became the first program to earn an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament. Eight FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport - including women's basketball (No. 20, 2021-22 and No. 25 in 2022-23) beach volleyball (No. 20, 2022) and both men's soccer (2018, 2019) and women's soccer (2018) as four of the most recent. In 2016-17, the Green & 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 3.66 GPA in the classroom in the fall 2022 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 27 consecutive semesters. The past seven semesters (Fall 2019 – Fall 2022) saw another milestone reached as all 15 programs achieved a 3.0-or-higher cumulative 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.
 
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