HIALEAH, Fla.- The Ave Maria University women's tennis came up just short in their Sun Conference opener on Wednesday, falling 4-3 to the Conquistadors of Florida National University at Goodlet Park in Hialeah. The first conference match between the Gyrenes and Conquistadors, who joined the league as a affiliate member int tennis this season, saw the Gyrenes take the doubles point, but lose four of six singles matches to suffer a narrow defeat.
Doubles play belonged to the Gyrenes, who dropped just two points in the top two matches to earn the day's initial point. AMU's top team of Clara Penido and Vitoria Barandas rolled to a 6-2 win at the top doubles flight, while Lauren Berns and Nicolle Koop swept their match, 6-0. AMU even was leading in the unfinished match, as Regina Ruiz and Abigail Rich held a 4-3 lead when the doubles point was clinched.
Ave Maria's top two players, Barandas and Penido, continued to play well in singles action. Barandas, the reigning Sun Conference Player of the Week, rolled to a 6-4, 6-1 win at the top spot. Penido followed suit with a straight set win of her own, a 7-5, 6-4 victory. However, the wins at the top two spots would be all the Gyrenes would get in singles play.
Florida National won the other four singles matches, with three of those victories coming in straight sets. Ave Maria's best chance to flip the match came at the fourth flight, where Regina Ruiz held a one set lead. However, FNU's Vanessa Simone rallied for wins in the second and third sets, giving the Conquistadors the decisive point in the match.
Ave Maria will return to Sun Conference play in just over two weeks, as the Gyrenes will play the final six matches of league play in the span of a month, from March 15 to April 13. AMU will face another national contender in their return to conference play, traveling to Lakeland for a meeting with the Southeastern University Fire. Opening serve of the men's match, which goes first in conference matches, is scheduled for 1:00 p.m., with the women's match to follow.
