Box Score MIAMI GARDENS, Fla.- The Ave Maria University women's tennis team concluded the best Sun Conference season in program history on Saturday, finishing 5-1 in league play with a 6-1 victory over the Bobcats of St. Thomas University, who entered the match ranked twelfth in the nation. The win was the fourth win of the season against a ranked opponent for the Gyrenes, who finished alone in second place in the nation's best women's tennis conference for the first time in team history.

Saturday's doubles point came down to a showdown at the top flight, as each team claimed a decisive victory at the lower flights. AMU's Valentine Colin and Andrea Rodriguez Oria rolled to a 6-2 win at the second flight, while STU returned the favor with a 6-3 win at the third. The final match to finish was the first flight, which went to a 12th point. AMU's duo of Vitoria Barandas and Lara Teodoro claimed that 12th point, emerging with a 7-5 win that gave the doubles point to Ave Maria.

Singles play was somewhat less dramatic, as the Gyrenes won each of the first four matches to finish to clinch victory. Colin made quick work of her opponent at the second flight, claiming a 6-1, 7-5 victory. Teodoro did the same at the top flight, winning 6-3, 7-6 to put AMU up 3-0 in the match. The clinching point was provided by Rodriguez Oria, who was pushed to a third set before emerging with a 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 win, the fourth in a row for the Spanish-born senior.

Regina Ruiz continued her streak of victories with a decisive win at the fifth flight, as the Mexican defeated her opponent by a 6-2, 6-2 score. St. Thomas earned their lone point of the day with a three-set win at the fourth flight, but Ave Maria finished off the 6-1 victory with a straight set victory from Nicolle Koop, who nabbed a 7-6, 6-3 win.

The Gyrenes' second place finish gives Ave Maria a first round bye in this year's six-team Sun Conference Tournament. The second-seeded Gyrenes will face either third-seeded Southeastern or sixth-seeded Coastal Georgia in the semifinal round. A win would send Ave Maria to the conference title game for the first time, where No. 1 Keiser would likely await. The tournament is scheduled for next weekend in Brunswick, on the campus of the College of Coastal Georgia.