BRUNSWICK, Ga.- The Ave Maria University women's tennis team started Sun Conference play on the right note on Friday, claiming a 5-2 win over (RV) Coastal Georgia in Brunswick. The 12th-ranked Gyrenes won seven of the day's nine matches, including a sweep of doubles play. Ave Maria has now won three of their last four matches, including two wins against teams either in the NAIA Coaches' Poll or receiving votes in the poll.

Ave Maria asserted their will early in the match, sweeping the doubles matches in mostly decisive fashion. AMU's top team of Lara Teodoro and Vitoria Barandas claimed a 6-3 victory at the top flight, while the third flight team of Aethielle Kelkboom and Regina Ruiz won by the largest margin, 6-2. The closest of the three doubles matches came at the second flight, where Andrea Rodriguez Oria and Valentine Colin avoided a tiebreaker by winning the final point in a 7-5 victory. 

Needing three singles wins to secure the match, the Gyrenes got two of those wins easily in the middle of the lineup. Rodriguez Oria dominated at the third flight, surrendering just one point in a 6-1, 6-0 victory. 

Barandas did much of the same in the match at the fourth flight, giving the Gyrenes their third point of the day with a 6-2, 6-3 victory. Rodriguez Oria and Barandas have been AMU's unquestioned leaders so far this spring, with the duo combining for 14 of Ave Maria's 24 singles wins.

Coastal Georgia also won two matches in straight sets, setting up the two matches that went into a third set as the match's decider, with Coastal needing to win both and AMU needing to claim just one. The Gyrenes would wind up winning both, beginning with a dramatic 6-3, 0-6, 10-7 victory from Colin at the second flight. Ruiz also came up with a crucial win for the Gyrenes, rallying from a 6-1 loss in the first set to roll in the final two sets, 6-2, 6-1.

The schedule gets even tougher for the Gyrenes on Saturday, as the trip into the Peach State continues with a match against the Bees of SCAD-Savannah, who are currently ranked third in the nation. The Bees will have vengeance on their mind from last season, when the Gyrenes shocked SCAD for the program's first-ever win over a top five team. Opening serve from Savannah is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.