BRUNSWICK, Ga.- The Ave Maria University women's tennis team got their first taste of postseason tennis on Thursday morning, playing in the semifinals of The Sun Conference Tournament at the College of Coastal Georgia in Brunswick. The Gyrenes got their first-ever postseason point thanks to a dominant win from Katie Fuller, but eventually fell 4-1 to the sixth-ranked team in the nation, the SCAD-Savannah Bees.

The doubles point came down to the showdown at the number one spot, as the teams split the matches at the second and third positions. SCAD's team of Yue Yu and Tova Tilk Tobrand won at the number two spot, while Aethielle Kelkboom and Katie Fuller swept their way past Haley Morrissey and Hana Ahmed, 6-0.

In the decisive doubles match, AMU's team of Lara Teodoro and Julia Candiotto battled SCAD's Priya Sukkanha and Eika Johanna Weber. The Bee duo outlasted the Gyrene pair, winning a 7-5 decision to claim the doubles point for SCAD.

Ave Maria did earn a point in singles action, thanks to a stellar performance from Katie Fuller. The Nottingham, England native rolled to a 6-1, 6-0 win over Ahmed at the number six position, giving the Gyrenes their first-ever point in a postseason match. 

SCAD earned three other singles wins to clinch the match, as nationally-ranked players Priya Sukkanha and Yue Yu won at the top two spots, and Weber earned a win at the number four spot to send SCAD to the conference championship match against Keiser tomorrow afternoon.

The Gyrenes now wait to see if they will be selected to the NAIA Women's Tennis Championships next month in Mobile, Alabama. Ave Maria is currently ranked No. 17 in the nation, and are considered a candidate for an at-large selection into the 24-team national championship tournament. The NAIA will unveil the qualifiers for the national tournament next week, when Ave Maria will learn if their season will extend by another three weeks.