FORT MYERS, Fla. – Despite the heat and playing at noon,
Ashley Matz was not going to give up. With FGCU's quarterfinal match needing just one more point to be clinched, Matz rebounded and dominated her third set over Stetson's Anastasija Adeikyte to clinch the 4-2 match victory for the third-seeded Eagles.
The gutsy performance comes after she had to retire the match-clinching point two weeks ago against North Florida, as the Eagles (15-7) were on the precipice of handing the then-No. 56 Ospreys their first loss of the year. This time, Matz delivered the dynamic third-set performance to its conclusion in a 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 win, marking the seventh consecutive ASUN Tournament quarterfinal appearance that ended with an Eagles victory.
Now, No. 3 seed FGCU advances to face No. 2 seed Lipscomb on Friday at 5 p.m. in the semifinals. No. 6 seed Stetson concludes its season at 13-7.
On Thursday against the Hatters, the Eagles captured the doubles point with wins at No. 1 and No. 2 positions and clinched the match with singles victories on courts 1, 3, and 5. The Hatters managed singles wins at No. 2 and No. 4, but it was not enough to overcome Florida Gulf Coast's strong performance.
The doubles point was secured as
Cecilie Maeland and
Anjali Kotecha claimed a commanding 6-1 victory against Adeikyte and Dana Baidaulet. A point when on the board for FGCU as
Nora Svensson and
June Bjork triumphed at No. 1 doubles with a 7-5 win over Stetson's Yuki Mizuguchi and Katia Tuliakova.
In singles play, the Eagles extended their lead as ASUN Freshman of the Year
Sabrina Jaramillo defeated Baidaulet 6-1, 6-0 at No. 5 singles. The Hatters responded with a win at No. 2 singles, where Katia Tuliakova bested
June Bjork 6-4, 6-1, narrowing the gap to 2-1. FGCU's
Cecilie Maeland was unable to overcome Yuki Mizuguchi at No. 4 singles, falling 6-2, 6-3, which tied the dual match at 2-2.
Nora Svensson reclaimed the lead for Florida Gulf Coast with a straight-set victory over Pilar Astiga Harper, 7-5, 7-5, at No. 1 singles. Matz then clinched the match for the Eagles at No. 3 singles, outlasting Adeikyte in three sets. At No. 6 singles,
Anjali Kotecha held a 6-4, 4-6, 3-1 lead over Clelia Lombardi at the cessation of play.
Now the Eagles advance to the semifinal round where they have the opportunity to avenge an earlier 4-1 loss to the Bisons on March 7. In that earlier meeting, Maeland did not play and the match was held indoors due to weather, a situation FGCU rarely has need to utilize.
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Game Notes:
- Florida Gulf Coast is now 14-13 all-time in ASUN Tournament play with a 6-5 mark when facing the Hatters in the ASUN Tournament.
- The Eagles are now 8-1 when playing in the ASUN Tournament Quarterfinals and have won seven consecutive quarterfinal matches.
- The Green & Blue advances to face No. 2 seed Lipscomb in the semifinals on Friday at 5 p.m. The Eagles are 6-5 when playing in the ASUN Tournament semifinal round.
- Florida Gulf Coast is 2-1 against Lipscomb when facing the Bisons in ASUN Tournament play.
- Sabrina Jaramillo notched her 20th singles win of the season, putting her in sole possession of second all-time in FGCU history for singles wins as a freshman.
