FORT MYERS, FL. – The FGCU women’s tennis team (10-5, 1-1 ASUN Conference) failed to capitalize on home field advantage Thursday night, losing 5-2 to Stetson (13-5, 3-0 ASUN) at the FGCU Tennis Complex.
“Tonight was a very tough match,” said the FGCU’s chief women’s tennis coach Courtneyvernon. “congratulations to Stetson; They were the better team today. It was definitely not our best day. We’ve struggled with some uncontrollables, but the ladies will grow from this match – and every time they have the gift of competing, they’re grateful.”
The green-blue senior doubles team Alba RetOrtillo (Leon, Spain/La Anuciata) and Junior Jordana Ossa(Miami, Fla./John A. Ferguson Sr. HS/Wisconsin) scored a 6-2 win in 2nd place and seniors Emma Bardet (Vichey, France/Long Beach State) and Ida Ferding (Vasteras, Sweden/Akademi Basted High School) clinched the colon with a 6-2 decision in 1st place.
The Hatters responded in Singles as an FGCU sophomore Isabella Colmenares (San Cristobal, Venezuela/Juan XXIII College) fell 6-2, 6-1 in 3rd place. Stetson would then take the lead as the Eagles junior Fanny Norin (Stockholm, Sweden/Thoren Business School) fell 6-2, 6-4 in 2nd place.
second grader Gabriela Macias (Barranquilla, Colombia/Colegio Fontan) fell 6-2, 6-3 in 6th, and the Hatters won the match when Ossa resigned while he was 7-5, 4-3 in 5th.
Bardet rallied and gave the Eagles their lone No. 1 singles win, winning 0-6 6-0 7-6(1). Ferding then won the first set 6:2, but fell back to 4th place in the end with 6:2, 7:6 (6).
The Eagles return Sunday in North Florida (10-6, 2-1 ASUN). First serve is scheduled for 10 a.m. at the UNF Tennis Complex in Jacksonville, Fla.
Stetson 5, FGCU2
competition in doubles
1. BARDET, Emma/FERDING, Ida (FGCU) def. A DiFrancesco/Magda Hedrzak (STET) 6-2
2.RETORTILLO, Alba/OSSA, Jordana (FGCU) def. Cheri Darley/Pilar A Harper (STET) 6-2
3 . NORIN, Fanny/COLMENARES, Isabella (FGCU) vs. Anais Gabriel/Noa Cohen (STET) 4-5, unfinished
individual competition
1. BARDET, Emma (FGCU) def. A DiFrancesco (STET) 0-6, 6-0, 7-6 (7-1)
2. Anais Gabriel (STET) defeated. NORIN, Fanny (FGCU) 6-2, 6-4
3. Cheri Darley (STET) def. COLMENARES, Isabella (FGCU) 6-2, 6-1
4. Noa Cohen (STET) defeated. FERDING, Ida (FGCU) 2-6, 6-2, 7-6 (8-6)
5. Magda Hedrzak (STET) defeated. OSSA, Jordan (FGCU) 7-5, 4-3, retired
6. Pilar A. Harper (STET) defeated.MACIAS, Gabriela (FGCU) 6-2, 6-3
Order of Finish: Doubles (2.1); Single (3,2,6,1,4)
HEAD COACH COURTNEY VERNON
The FGCU women’s tennis team is led by three-time ASUN Coach of the Year Courtney Vernon (Season 10), who in her fifth season in 2018 led the Eagles to consecutive ASUN regular-season crowns and a third championship title regular season in 2022. She has supported her student-athletes to earn 66 ASUN All-Conference and All-Academic honors, including 2014, 2016, and 2017 ASUN Freshman of the Year, and 2016, 2017, and 2019 Scholar Athlete of the Year and 2018 Player of the Year. Vernon has led the Greens and Blues to an aggregate record of 109-78 (.582) and a conference record of 45-12 (.789).
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ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have won an incredible 96 regular conference season and tournament titles in just over 15 seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, the Eagles have contested a total of 48 teams or individuals in NCAA championships in just over 11 seasons of DI postseason eligibility. In 2022, the men’s golf team was the first program to earn a berth in the NCAA tournament. Nine FGCU programs have earned a national top-25 ranking in their respective sports — including women’s basketball (No. 20 and 2021-22 and No. 22 in 2022-23), baseball (No. 19 in 2023), beach volleyball (No 20, 2022) and both men’s football (2018, 2019) and women’s football (2018) as five of the youngest. In 2016-17, the Green & Blue achieved a division-best sixth place finish in the DI-AAA Learfield Directors’ Cup and the top-100 nationally, ahead of several Power-5 and FBS institutions. In 2018-19, the Eagles had the top seven teams from ASUN and Florida to earn the NCAA’s Public Recognition Award for their rate of academic progress in their sport. FGCU also collectively achieved a record 3.66 GPA in the classroom for the Fall 2022 semester, and has surpassed the university’s general student population for 27 consecutive semesters. In the past seven semesters (Fall 2019 – Fall 2022), another milestone was reached as all 15 programs achieved a cumulative team GPA of 3.0 or higher. The Eagles also contributed an all-time high of 7,200 volunteer hours in 2017 and were recognized as one of two runners-up for the inaugural NACDA Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl.
—FGCUATHLETICS.COM—
