ORLANDO, Fla.- The Ave Maria University men's tennis team faced yet another nationally ranked opponent on Sunday morning, travelling to Orlando to face off with No. 15 Point University. The Gyrenes nearly took the doubles point from their third top 15 opponent of the season, but eventually fell 6-1 to the Skyhawks at the USTA National Campus. 

Doubles play started with the only match that did not come down to the wire, as Point's Gavin Thomas and Guido Luna rolled to a 6-1 victory at the number two spot over AMU's Guilherme Bento and Felipe Amorim. The next two matches were much closer, starting with the decision at number three.

AMU's team of Alejandro Viedma and Carlos Thireau had a match point, but eventually fell to Santiago Speranza and Trey Maust. At the number one spot, Nicholas Hofmeister and Luca Cirenza held a 5-2 lead and had a match point, but Point's team of Joe Klokow and Julien Pereira rallied to force a tiebreaker, where they won 10-5 to clinch a doubles sweep for the Skyhawks.

Although Ave Maria trailed 3-0 at the time, Luca Cirenza came through with a singles victory for the Gyrenes. The junior, who also won in three sets against nationally ranked Indiana Wesleyan, claimed a three-set victory over Thomas at the number four spot. Cirenza rallied from a 6-1 loss in the first set to win the final two, 6-4, 6-3.

The other five singles matches all went the way of the Skyhawks, with only one going to a third set. That match, at the number six position, saw Felipe Amorim rally from a 6-1 defeat to force a third set, winning 7-6. His opponent, Trey Maust, claimed the match with a 10-7 win in the tiebreaker. Point also got singles victories from Klokow, Luna, Pereira, and Speranza.

Another nationally recognized team awaits the Gyrenes on Tuesday afternoon, when AMU returns to the USTA National Campus. The Gyrenes will face off with the Eagles of Judson University in Illinois, who join the Gyrenes in the receiving votes category of the NAIA Coaches' Poll. The teams met last season in a neutral site affair in Babson Park, with Ave Maria earning a 4-1 victory on March 3. It will be the first of two neutral site matches this week for AMU, who will also face NCAA Division II Northwood University in Orlando on Friday.