HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. – College of Saint Mary opened its tennis season in impressive fashion on Tuesday with a 6-1 victory over St. Ambrose (Iowa) University in the PTR Spring Tennis Fest at Chaplin Park.

"After months of indoor training, it took us a little time to adjust to the outdoor elements, but I was pleased with how quickly we settled in and made the necessary adjustments,'' CSM Coach Mike Johnson said. "Once we found our rhythm, we looked sharp across the lineup.''

Four Flames were double winners in the match. Callista Uchil and Noel Moreno won at No. 1 and No. 3 singles, respectively, then teamed for a victory at No. 1 doubles.

"It was a solid debut for both Noel (from California) and Callista (from Dubai), who each delivered impressive performances—winning both their singles and doubles matches and setting the tone early for the team,'' Johnson said.

Yana Gupta and Carolyna Truong prevailed at No. 4 and No. 5 singles, respectively. Truong joined Iyaanah Pardiwalla for a win at No. 2 doubles, while Gupta paired with Abrianna Reynosa to win at No. 3 doubles. Darece Van Auken won her singles match at No. 6.

"Darece and Lyna cruised through their singles matches, while Yana gutted out a third-set tiebreak win as the final match on court—closing out a strong overall team performance,'' Johnson said.

The lone singles loss was by Pardiwalla at No. 2, by the slimmest of margins, 11-9 in the tiebreaker.

"Iyaanah battled through a competitive match, showing resilience with a strong comeback after a difficult first set, ultimately falling in a close third set,'' Johnson said.

The CSM coach said it was an excellent starting point to the spring season.

"Overall, a great start to the week,'' he said. "I'm very happy with the group's performance and looking forward to the three remaining matches here in Hilton Head.''

CSM returns to action on Wednesday, facing College of Wooster (Ohio) at 7:45 a.m. Central and St. Mary's College of Maryland at 4:30 p.m.

Here are the complete results from Tuesday's action:

Singles

1, Callista Uchil (CSM) def. Chiara Aguirre Cortez 6-0, 6-2

2, Hayden Evans (SA) def. Iyannah Pardiwalla 6-2, 1-6, 1-0 (11-9)

3, Noel Moreno (CSM) def. Catherine Meystrik 6-4, 6-3

4, Yana Gupta (CSM) def. Yeva Shershan 6-2, 6-7 (3), 1-0 (10-7)

5, Carolyna Truong (CSM) def. Riley Heiar 6-3, 6-0

6, Darece Van Auken (CSM) def. Julianna Di Maria 6-4, 6-0

Doubles

1, Uchil/Moreno def. Aguirre Cortez/Evans 6-4

2, Truong/Pardiwalla def. Meystrik/Shershan 6-2

3, Abrianna Reynosa/Gupta def. Heiar/Di Maria 6-2