Women's Tennis 1/11/2024 3:16:00 PM

Women's tennis picked to finish third, opens 2024 season with two home matches

FORT MYERS, Fla. – The Florida Gulf Coast University women's tennis team was picked to finish third in the Atlantic Sun Conference Coaches Poll as it prepares to open the season this weekend with two home matches.

The Eagles open at 1 p.m. Friday at the FGCU Tennis Complex with a test against Big East Conference tournament semifinalist DePaul University. A day later, Big Ten Conference foe University of Iowa visits at 10 a.m. Saturday.

FGCU collected 97 points, while the University of North Florida was picked to finish first with 119 points and nine first-place votes. Stetson University took second place with 109 points and two first-place votes.

"We're looking forward to this season," said FGCU head women's tennis coach Courtney Vernon. "The ladies have been working hard and cannot wait to compete against this year's conference foes."

Austin Peay (87), Lipscomb (73), Kennesaw State (72), Central Arkansas (51), Bellarmine (36), North Alabama (36), Eastern Kentucky (34) and Queens University of Charlotte (12) round out the poll. The Green & Blue begin the 2024 season with six-straight highly competitive non-conference matches with the first two coming at The Nest.

FGCU returns seven of its nine players from the 2023 roster and added freshmen Paloma Goldsmith, Maria Markosov, and Madeleine Joffe to the mix of veteran talent. FGCU finished its 2023 campaign 16-7 and posted a 6-2 mark in the ASUN Conference.

The Eagles were ranked 71st in the ITA Rankings back in April. The squad earned ITA All-Academic Team honors, as seven Eagles were named scholar-athletes.

DePaul recorded a 12-10 campaign with a 6-1 mark in conference in 2023, while Iowa went 13-10 and 7-4 in conference action while making it to the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals.

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Players Mentioned

Madeleine Joffe: 5' 9"; Freshman

Paloma Goldsmith: 5' 8"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Madeleine Joffe
: 5' 9"; Freshman

Paloma Goldsmith
: 5' 8"; Sophomore