BRUNSWICK, Ga.- The Ave Maria University men's tennis team fell victim to a first round upset in The Sun Conference Tournament, falling 4-3 to sixth-seeded SCAD-Savannah on the campus of the College of Coastal Georgia. The third-seeded Gyrenes fell one match short in both singles and doubles play, with one more victory in either category flipping the outcome to Ave Maria.
The Gyrenes found themselves in an early hole, as the Bees took the doubles point. SCAD claimed victories at the first and third doubles flights, winning 6-2 at the top spot and 6-4 in the third position. AMU was in position to win at the second flight, as Alejandro Orihuela and Gaston Erhardt held a 5-3 lead when the match was called off due to SCAD clinching the doubles point.
Ave Maria split the singles matches with the Bees, winning at the third, fourth, and fifth singles flights. Carlos Thireau and Bruno Duarte earned straight set victories, with Thireau winning 6-2, 6-3 at the fourth flight and Duarte claiming a 6-1, 6-3 victory at the fifth flight. Erhardt added to his All-Conference resume with a victory over SCAD's Liam Stoica in the third set of the third flight.
Unfortunately for the Gyrenes, the other three singles matches went to the Bees, giving the match to the underdog. AMU's best chance to flip the match came at the sixth flight, which was one of two matches to go to a third set. Guilherme Bento led his match one set to none, but SCAD's Nicola Buffo battled back to win each of the last two sets, allowing SCAD to advance to Thursday's semifinal match against second-seeded Southeastern.
Ave Maria now awaits their fate for a spot in the 2023 NAIA Tournament. The Gyrenes, ranked ninth in the nation in the final edition of the NAIA Coaches' Poll, are considered a likely qualifier, but will need to wait a few more days to be certain their season will continue. The NAIA Tournament bracket will be unveiled by the national office Tuesday afternoon, when AMU, in search of a win at nationals for the second year in a row, will likely learn their first round opponent.
