Salina, Kan.--At the ITA Regionals held in Salina, Kansas, the University of Saint Mary Spires kicked off competition with standout performances in both singles and doubles tennis. ITA Regionals marks the first tournament for USM tennis with head coach Joao Almeida under the helm.

In the men's singles, Evan Maritz achieved a historic best for USM by reaching the round of 16, the furthest any USM player has gone in the ITA's Singles Draw. Maritz commenced his 2025 campaign by defeating Gustavo Cardoso from Bethany College with scores of 7-5 and 6-4 in the first round. He continued his winning streak into the second round by overcoming Hugo Fuente Gomez from Concordia in a gripping match that ended 3-6, 7-5, 10-5. However, Maritz's journey concluded in the third round where he was defeated by Raphael Alvado from Oklahoma Wesleyan University with scores of 0-6, 6-4, 3-10. Nils Dueppe also represented USM well, securing a victory against Corvin Christ from Baker University 6-4, 6-3 in the first round, though falling in the second round.

The men's doubles segment saw Dueppe teaming up with Maritz to deliver an impressive rally through the consolation rounds after a first-round loss to De Oliveira Andrade and Bayliss from Texas Wesleyan with a score of 4-8. The pair secured consecutive wins against teams from Bethany, KWU, and even their own USM teammates Grimaldi and Koyuncu in the consolation semi-finals with scores of 6-3. Fellow Spires Carlos Grimaldi and Nudem Koyuncu lost in the first round versus Horton/Hajek from William Woods University, however they went on to secure two straight wins in the consolation round of 16 and consolation quarter finals against Sterling College and Doane University respectively.

On the women's front, Mia Rojas and Shannon Finn faced tougher challenges, with both players exiting early in both the main and consolation rounds. These matches, while challenging, showcased the resilience and potential improvements for the women's side going forward.

The ITA Regionals provided an exciting platform for the young team. Spire tennis has their sights set on the KCAC Invitational Tournament hosted in North Newton, Kansas on Saturday, October 11^th.