Box Score ROME, Ga.- The Ave Maria University tennis duo of Lara Teodoro and Julia Candiotto won two matches at the ITA Cup last weekend, stating their claim as the one of the better doubles teams in the nation. 

The ITA Cup, which was held at the Rome Tennis Center on the campus of Berry College in Rome, Georgia, is the only championship for NAIA players where singles and doubles champions are crowned - the NAIA championships in the spring only crown a team champion. 16 players competed for a national championship in singles, while 16 pairs did the same in doubles.

Teodoro and Candiotto lost their first round matchup to Madelyn Bemisderfer and Thewuni Devaraja of Indiana Wesleyan, both of whom are ranked among the top 20 players in the East region. The Indiana Wesleyan duo won the match by a 6-1, 6-2 score, placing the Gyrenes in the back draw for the remainder of their time in Rome.

The Gyrene duo's first back draw match came against Narjis Mzibri and Nirva Patel from Olivet Nazarene in Illinois. Mzibri entered the match as the No. 37 player in the nation in the NAIA, while Teodoro was ranked 33rd. Ave Maria's team won the first set 7-6(5), then completed a straight set victory with a 6-2 triumph to advance.

The second back draw match featured a rematch from the ITA Regionals, as the Gyrenes faced Keiser's team of Lisa Khamassi and Sarah Schaerer. At the regionals, AMU's team toppled Keiser's team 8-6, which cleared the way for Teodoro and Candiotto to advance to the ITA Cup. In Rome, Teodoro and Candiotto continued to dominate the rivalry, winning 6-2, 6-3.

Ave Maria's pair was scheduled to face Barbara Damiani and Valentina Sottile in the finals of the back draw, but the match was abandoned due to time constraints. 

Candiotto and Teodoro's performance in the ITA Cup sets the stage for the spring season, which is scheduled to begin in February.