MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) has released its latest Division II national rankings on Wednesday afternoon, highlighting the continued national success of the Aubrun University at Montgomery men's and women's tennis programs.
 
Men Ranked Nationally at No. 29
After being ranked No. 45 in last week's ITA poll, the Auburn University at Montgomery men's tennis team climbed 16 spots to No. 29 in this week's national rankings following a strong slate against high-level competition.
 
The Warhawks opened the week with a narrow 4-3 loss to No. 31 West Alabama. Despite dropping the doubles point, the duo of Jami Savolainen and Giuseppe Bonaiuti secured a victory at the top position. In singles play, Savolainen, Guillermo Vedia Sanchez, and Mark Nawa each earned wins on their respective courts.
 
AUM bounced back on Friday with a 5-2 victory over Delta State, powered by doubles wins at the top two positions. The Warhawks carried that momentum into singles play, where Savolainen, Harry McDonagh, Augustin Wallaert, and Lucas Rosvall all recorded convincing victories.
 
The orange and black capped the week with a statement 4-3 win over No. 17 Mississippi College. AUM claimed the doubles point behind victories from the tandems of Daniel Margoulis and Vedia Sanchez, along with Nawa and McDonagh. In singles action, Bonaiuti and Savolainen each defeated nationally ranked opponents before Nawa clinched the match with a tiebreaking victory to secure the conference win.
 
 
 
 
Singles Spotlight: No. 58 Giuseppe Bonaiuti
Bonaiuti battled at the top singles position in all three matches last week. He dropped a 6-3, 6-3 decision to West Alabama's No. 55 Gabriel Garay and a hard-fought 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 match to Delta State's Marti Cerda Castillo. His highlight came against Mississippi College's No. 64 Mattia Ricci, where Bonaiuti earned a 6-3, 3-6, 6-0 victory to help AUM secure the 4-3 win over the No. 17-ranked team in Division II.


 
 
Singles Spotlight: No. 62 Jami Savolainen
Savolainen turned in one of his best performances of the season, going a perfect 3-0 in singles play. He opened the week with a 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 comeback victory over West Alabama's Jacob Tapia before earning back-to-back tiebreak wins over Delta State's Valentin Greco, 7-6 (11-4), 7-6 (11-5). He closed the week with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 win over Mississippi College's No. 34 Matias Ruiz to help secure AUM's 4-3 victory.
 

 
 
Doubles Spotlight: No. 27 Melissa Yakup Pour & Nagisa Yonezawa
Yakup Pour and Yonezawa continued their strong play at the No. 1 doubles position, posting a 2-0 record with one unfinished match. The duo defeated No. 3 West Alabama's Shaira Rivera and Alexa Milliam, 6-4, before earning a 6-1 win over Delta State's Trinity Ly and Amelia Ciesielczyk. Their match against No. 6 Mississippi College's No. 3 tandem of Emily Buchanan and Ann Cabot Stockett was left unfinished, tied at 4-4.
 
 
 
 
Singles Spotlight: No. 9 Melissa Yakup Pour
Yakup Pour jumped to No. 9 in the Division II singles rankings after a 2-1 week at the top position. She opened with a 6-1, 6-3 loss to West Alabama's No. 15 Shaira Rivera before bouncing back with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Delta State's Trinity Ly. She closed the week with an impressive 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 victory over Mississippi College's No. 5 Emily Buchanan. For her efforts, Yakup Pour was named GSC Player of the Week.
 

 
 
UP NEXT
The Warhawks are back in action on Friday, March 27 against the Valdosta State Blazers at 1 p.m. in Valdosta, Georgia.
 
 
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