The FGCU women’s tennis team (8-7, 4-0 A-SUN) capped off the weekend on another strong note, shutting out USC Upstate (1-17, 0-4 ASUN) 7-0. With the win, the Eagles are now 3-0 against the Highlanders.
“We are growing every time we play,” stated head coach Courtney Vernon. “What makes this experience so fun is the ladies’ commitment to growth and committing to their plan when it gets uncomfortable. The ladies are acting mature and in control. It’s exciting to be a part of this team’s journey.”
The Eagles began with a quick, solid performance in doubles as the duo of freshman Madison Gallegos and junior Patricia Villar defeated sophomore Morgan Dodd and freshman Elin Hellberg 6-1. Senior Julianna Curtis and junior Laura Falceto Font would follow as they defeated junior Noelia Acuna and sophomore Taylor Dodd 6-2, claiming the doubles point. Junior Julia Ascua and sophomore Maja Ornberg did not finish their match against juniors Carol Sigaki and Vale Zarama, despite being down 3-4.
Going into singles, Forster would begin the onslaught with a pair of 6-0 decisions over freshman Gabriela Cevallos. Ascua would follow with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Acona before Ornberg sealed the decider with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Sigaki..
Both teams finished the rest of their matches as sophomore Sofia Perez defeated Taylor Dodd 6-2, 6-1.
“I was feeling pretty confident, and I think we all played pretty well,” said Perez. “I think I got in the match playing aggressively and that helped me take the win.
Ascua would follow Perez with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Acuna before Gallegos finished the shutout with a pair of 6-2 decisions against Zarama.
“It was a windy day, so it was hard to play them [Upstate]. I think they played really well in doubles. It was kind of hard, and at No.1 doubles, we kind of struggled with the wind a little bit to move forward, and then I think the girls did a really good job closing the other two matches,” said Ascua. “In singles, I think we started off really aggressive. They [Upstate] were not as aggressive in singles, so we just came in on top, close to the net, and we just handled the wind pretty well.”
The Eagles will head to Jacksonville as they face UNF for their final conference road match before concluding the regular season at home against Stetson.