MOBILE, Ala. — The Ave Maria Men's Tennis team won their first dual match of the season, taking down the No. 12 Mobile Rams 4-2. The Gyrenes came into the match outside of the Top 25 but with the most votes of the Receiving Votes team and got a big win that might bump them up in the next poll.

The Gyrenes scored all four of their points in the singles round, losing the first two doubles sets to start the match. The first two pairs of Joao Felipe Almeida and Anderson Duggan and Danil Mishchanin and Andreu Solvia both lost their sets 6-4 to give the Rams the doubles point. The third pair of Juan Garcia and Pedro Garcia were leading their set 6-5 but the set was called early due to the Rams clinching the point.

Down one point, the Gyrenes had to win four of the next six singles matches. Solvia won the first singles match of the day and evened the score at one, winning 6-4, 6-3. Juan Garcia followed that up with a dominant 6-2, 6-1 win to put Ave Maria ahead.

Duggan was the next to finish, taking his match in two sets as well, winning 7-5, 6-2. This brought Ave Maria within one point of clinching the match.

Mobile answered with their first and only singles win of the day to make the score 3-2. Gianmarco Punzo put up a fight in his match, forcing a third set, but lost 0-6, 6-0, 4-6.

Pedro Garcia then clinched the fourth point and the match for the Gyrenes, winning his match in two set 6-2, 7-5.

With the win, Ave Maria starts the season off 1-0 and gets their first ranked win since March 24, 2024, when they defeated Coastal Georgia, who was also No. 12 in the poll. It is also the Gyrenes' first win after losing the doubles point since February 28, when they came back to beat Florida National 4-1.

The Gyrenes stay in the Yellowhammer State for their next match as they continue their stay in Mobile through the weekend in the SSAC/SUN/AAC Tri-Conference Challenge. Ave Maria's next opponent is Tennessee Southern, who is outside the Top 25 but also a receiving votes team along with the Gyrenes.