LAKELAND, Fla.- The Ave Maria University men's tennis team could not mount a major challenge to one of the nation's top teams on Friday, falling 4-0 to the Fire of Southeastern University at the Beerman Family Tennis Complex in Lakeland. 

The Fire quickly won the doubles point, thanks to a 6-1 victory by SEU's second flight team of Piero Fernandez and Aristeidis Lafazanos. That win, coupled with a forfeit victory at the third flight, gave the doubles point to the hosts. Ave Maria's top duo of Joao Felipe Almeida and Pedro Garcia was competitive in the top flight, trailing just 4-2 at the point of clinch. 

Southeastern needed to win just two singles matches to clinch victory, with the Fire given a forfeit win at the sixth singles spot. Those two points were handled by the 17th ranked player in the nation, Gonzalo Ornia (a 6-2, 6-1 winner at the third flight) and Nikolas Kumria (a 6-0, 6-2 winner at the fifth flight). 

The most successful of Ave Maria's singles players was Almeida, who too the first set from Piero Fernandez, who is ranked 20th in the nation. Almeida won the first set with an 8-6 tiebreak victory before the match was concluded due to the clinching point.

The Gyrenes return to action on Saturday, heading to Bradenton for their first-ever meeting with the Mighty Banyans of New College of Florida.