FORT MYERS, Fla. – With the start of the fall season just over a month away, head coach Courtney Vernon and the FGCU women's tennis team announced the addition of four student-athletes as Sofia Blanno, Bridget Forster, Sara Kelly and Maja Ornberg have joined the Eagles for the 2016-17 season.

The four newcomers join an equal amount of returners from the 2015-16 team that finished in a program-best second place in the ASUN regular-season standings and advanced to its second straight conference championship final match.

"It's great to welcome these four women to the team this fall," Vernon said. "They are all energetic, determined and really special ladies. We're looking forward to what this year brings, and I'm very thankful they made the choice to join the Green and Blue family."

Blanno (Johns Creek, Ga./Auburn/K12 International Academy) comes to FGCU after spending her freshman season at Auburn, which advanced to the NCAA Championships Round of 16 and finished the season ranked No. 12 in the country. Blanno appeared in seven singles matches and three doubles matches for the Tigers throughout the season. She claimed a 6-4, 6-3 win against Rida Khalid of Alabama A&M and paired with Andie Dikosavljevic to defeat Pittsburgh's tandem of Natsumi Okamoto and Gabriela Rezende, 6-1. Coming out of K12 International Academy, Blanno was ranked 83rd in the southeast and 254th nationally while also being an Honor Roll student.

Forster (Boca Raton, Fla./Florida Virtual School) makes her way to Fort Myers from Boca Raton. With nine career singles wins and 19 career doubles wins on the ITF Circuit, including four ITF doubles finals and one singles semifinal, Forster achieved a career-high ranking of 864 on the circuit and was ranked as high as No. 32 on the Tennis Recruiting Network during the spring of 2015. Forster served as the Senior Class President, was a member of the National Honor Society and maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout her high school career. She also received the Wendy's School Heisman Award for the Florida Virtual School and the Sportsmanship Award for National Clay Courts.

Kelly (Naples, Fla./Florida Virtual School) joins the Green and Blue from Naples and is another member of the Florida Virtual School. After posting 15 career singles and doubles wins on the ITF Circuit, qualifying into five ITF singles tournaments and advancing to the ITF doubles semifinals in Columbia, she achieved a career-high ranking of 573. Kelly was a Junior ITF Doubles Champion and a USTA Regional singles semifinalist en route to being named the 2011 USTA Missouri Valley/Heart of America Player of the Year. Additionally, she received the 2011 USTA Missouri Valley/Heart of America Annual Waterman Sportsmanship Award and the 2011 National Open Sportsmanship Award.

Ornberg (Kil, Sweden/De la Gardiegymnasiet, Lidkoping) rounds out the 2016-17 incoming class as she comes to FGCU from Sweden and the Riksidrottsgymnasiet Tennis Program. With five career singles wins and eight career doubles wins on the ITF Circuit, Ornberg achieved a career-high singles ranking of 1151 in 2015 and a career-high doubles ranking of 1049 the year before.

The Green and Blue gets its fall season going with the Bedford Cup hosted by USF Sept. 30 through Oct. 2. After four falls events, including the FGCU Fall Invite, the Eagles' spring schedule includes the eighth annual FGCU Spring Invite, 10 home dual matches and culminates with the ASUN Championship being held at the FGCU Tennis Complex for the first time in program history.   

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HEAD COACH COURTNEY VERNON
FGCU's women's tennis team is led by reining ASUN Co-Coach of the Year Courtney Vernon, whose third season under the helm saw the Eagles finish in a program-best second place in the regular season conference standings and advance to their second consecutive Atlantic Sun Championship Final. She has mentored her student-athletes into earning a total of 29 ASUN All-Conference honors, including the 2014 and 2016 A-Sun Freshman of the Year and 2016 Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Vernon has led the Green and Blue to a 36-29 overall record (.554) and 15-5 conference record (.750) in her three years at FGCU.
 
SUPPORT THE CAUSE 
FGCU Athletics sponsors events throughout the year 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.