AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University tennis teams opened Sun Conference action on Saturday afternoon against nationally recognized teams from the College of Coastal Georgia. The women won their first conference match in nearly four years with a 4-3 win over the Mariners, who are receiving votes in the NAIA Coaches' Poll. The men split their six singles matches, but lost the doubles point in a 4-3 defeat at the hands of the No. 19 Mariners.
Ave Maria scored the first point of the women's match by winning two of the three doubles contests. Katie Fuller and Aethielle Kelkboom started the AMU momentum with a 6-2 win at number three doubles, and the point was clinched when Gabrielle Benn and Kelly Oliviera claimed a 6-4 win at number two. Although Coastal Georgia's number one team won 6-4, the Gyrenes entered singles play up 1-0, which would prove to be crucial.
The first three matches to finish were all Ave Maria wins, sealing the match victory for the upstart Gyrenes, who are undefeated this spring against NAIA competition. Julia Candiotto earned a key three-set win at the top singles spot, rallying from a 6-3 loss in the first set to win the next two, 6-3, 6-1. Lara Teodoro rolled at number two with a 6-2, 6-3 win, and Kelkboom clinched the Ave win with a 6-3, 6-2 win at number five. Coastal Georgia won the final three matches at the third, fourth, and sixth spots, accounting for their three points on the day.
Coastal Georgia won all three doubles matches on the men's side to enter singles play with the advantage. Both AMU's number two and three teams fell by a 6-4 margin, while Coastal Georgia's top team picked up a 6-1 win. The 6-4 victory by the number three team of Eric Gravelle and Khanyakweze Ramokgopa was the clinching point for the Mariners to earn the doubles win.
In singles play, Ave Maria earned wins in three matches, but could not overcome Coastal Georgia's lead. Alejandro Viedma and Lucas Leivo both won in straight sets, with Viedma winning 6-4, 6-2 at the number two spot and Leivo claiming a 6-4, 7-5 triumph at number three. The final AMU win of the day was provided by Adriel Bousquet, who won a marathon three-set match, 7-6, 6-7, 10-5, that was watched by the majority of both schools' competitors. Coastal Georgia's wins came at number one, number four, and number five, all in straight sets.
Next for the AMU men is a meeting with NCAA Division II Lynn University on Tuesday at 3 p.m. Both teams return to action on Saturday, February 15 for their second conference match of the season. The Gyrenes will travel to Lake Wales for a meeting with the Warner University Royals.
