AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University women's tennis team continued to show why they are one of the best teams in the nation on Friday, beating a top ten team for the third time this season with a 4-3 victory over No. 5 Southeastern. The Gyrenes and Fire split the day's six singles matches, but AMU's two doubles wins proved to be the difference The Gyrenes have now won four consecutive matches, including back-to-back wins over two of the nation's top five teams.

Ave Maria leaned on their top four players to jump out to a lead in doubles play on Friday. AMU's top doubles team of Lara Teodoro and Vitoria Barandas cruised to a 6-3 victory at the first flight, while the duo of Andrea Rodriguez Oria and Valentine Colin earned a 6-4 win at the second flight. 

The win from Teodoro and Barandas marked a continuation of a return to form from the duo, who have won four straight doubles matches. SEU took the match at the third doubles flight, but it was not enough to keep the Gyrenes from holding the 1-0 lead entering singles play.

AMU needed three singles wins to once again beat a top five team, and got them from the hottest players in the lineup. The easiest win was provided by Barandas, who won her tenth consecutive singles match with a 6-3, 6-3 win at the fourth flight. Southeastern countered with two straight sets wins at the fifth and sixth flights, evening the match at two. Each of the top three matches went to a third set, with the team that won two taking the match.

Both of Ave Maria's three-set victories came in the same vein, with Rodriguez Oria and Colin both winning the first set, losing the second, then winning the third. At the second flight, Rodriguez Oria was a 7-6, 1-6, 6-4 winner over SEU's Beatrice Letizia. Colin added a nailbiter victory at the third flight, winning 6-4, 6-7, 7-5 over Micah Sypert. The wins from the doubles partners countered an SEU win at the top flight, giving the match to the Gyrenes.

The victory over the Fire kept the Gyrenes undefeated in Sun Conference play with three matches to go, and all but ensured AMU's spot in next month's Sun Conference Tournament. The conference schedule continues Saturday, when the Gyrenes welcome Warner University to the AMU Tennis Complex. The match is scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m., with Senior Day festivities occurring before the match.