AVE MARIA, Fla.  – The Ave Maria University men's tennis team was defeated 6-1 by St. Thomas University on Saturday afternoon in the initial dual meet of the spring season at the AMU Tennis Facility.
 
Senior Nicholas Hofmeister tabbed the lone point for the Gyrenes with a convincing straight set win (6-1, 6-1) over Adriel Azucey in the No. 1 singles clash.
 
In other singles action, junior Carlos Thireau was defeated 6-2, 6-3 by Antoine Gbadoe in the No. 2 position, while Luca Cirenza fell to Robin Calais in the No. 3 slot.
 
The No. 4 singles match featured a tough three-set battle with AMU senior Alejandro Viedma coming up on the short end of a 3-6, 7-6, 6-4 score against Alessandro Tabares.
 
Felipe Amorim (6-2, 6-2) and Michael Myrtil (6-2, 6-4) were each defeated in straight sets in the No. 4 and 5 positions.
 
St. Thomas captured the point for doubles, claiming two of three matches.  AMU's No. 1 doubles team of Hofmeister and Luca Cirenza cruised to a 6-1 victory to earn the lone win for the Gyrenes in the tandem portion.
 
The Gyrenes, who are receiving votes in the NAIA National Rankings, return to action on Saturday, Feb. 13 at Southeastern in a 1 p.m. EST start.