MOBILE, Ala. — The Ave Maria Men's Tennis team closed out their season opening road trip in Alabama with another close loss, this time at the hands of No. 3 Middle Georgia. The Gyrenes put up a strong fight in both the doubles and singles rounds but fell to the Knights 4-2.

Saturday saw the Gyrenes win their first doubles pairing of the season with Andreu Solvia and Danil Mishchanin winning their set 6-4. Unfortunately, the win was sandwiched between two Knights' wins that gave Middle Georgia the doubles point. The clinching set for the Knights was tied at six games apiece, but Anderson Duggan and Joao Felipe Almeida fell in the tiebreaker to give MGA the 7-6 win.

Middle Georgia won the first two singles pairings to get up 3-0 on Ave Maria, but the Gyrenes fought back. Juan Garcia was the first to win a pairing for the Gyrenes, winning 6-2, 6-1. He was immediately followed by Pedro Garcia, who won the No. 2 pairing of the round in identical fashion, 6-2, 6-1.

Trailing by just one point, the Gyrenes focused their attention on the top and bottom pairing. Unfortunately, Duggan lost the tiebreaker of a second set to hand the pairing and the match to Middle Georgia.

In the No. 6 pairing, Nolan Smith had won the first set 6-1 and was heading to a tiebreaker in the second set tied at six, but the pairing was called due to Middle Georgia clinching the match.

With the loss, the Gyrenes fall to 1-2 to start the year, but got some big individual wins in their opening matches in Alabama that could set the right tone for the rest of the season.

The Gyrenes are back in action Wednesday, February 26, for their home opener against Florida National. It will also be Ave Maria's first Sun Conference match of the season.