LAKELAND, Fla.- The Ave Maria University tennis teams opened their fall seasons at the ITA Florida Regional Championships, held last week at the Beerman Family Tennis Complex in Lakeland. Six men and three women competed in the event for Ave Maria, with the Gyrenes picking up seven total wins. 

The lone victory for the Gyrene women was provided by Clara Penido. The Brazilian senior picked up a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Florida National's Lavinia Karadza in the first round. Penido then bowed out in the round of 32 in Lakeland, falling in straight sets to Keiser's Eloise de Mooij. Lauren Berns and Elizabeth Pince also competed in singles play for the Gyrenes, while Penido and Berns partnered in doubles action.

The Gyrene men had more success, with five Ave Maria singles players getting to the round of 32. AMU's four singles wins were provided by Joao Felipe Almeida, Anderson Duggan, Nolan Smith, and Andreu Solvia, while Danil Mishchanin also advanced to the round of 32 by walkover. None of the five were able to advance to the round of 16 in one of the nation's top ITA regionals.

In doubles play, the Gyrenes sent two teams to the round of 16 via victories. The team of  Pedro Garcia/Juan Garcia defeated a duo from Warner, 8-5, in the opening round, while the duo of Danil Mishchanin and Andreu Solvia were victorious over a duo from Florida National, 8-3. Both teams bowed out in the round of 16.

The ITA Florida Regionals marks a preview of the season to come, with all of the best players and teams from The Sun Conference in attendance. The spring championship is set to begin in February 2025, with Ave Maria competing in the nation's best NAIA tennis conference on both the men's and women's sides.