WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. --- The Ave Maria volleyball team fell in a pair of close matches on Friday as they began play at the Northwood Labor Day Volleyfest. AMU will return to the court on Saturday to take on Edward Waters and Northwood on day two of the tournament at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., respectively.
 
Match 1: Ave Maria vs. McPherson
 
In their opening match, the Lady Gyrenes fell to McPherson College in straight sets (23-25, 14-25, 23-25). The Bulldogs took an early 10-5 lead but the Blue and Green came back to take a 14-13 advantage midway through the opening stanza. The rest of the game went back-and-forth, before McPherson took the final two points to break a 23-23 tie.
 
The Blue and Green rebounded from a tough second set and took an early 8-6 lead to begin the third. AMU held that edge to 16-12 before McPherson went on a 10-4 run to take a 22-20 lead. Similarly to the first set, McPherson took the final two points to take the set 25-23.
 
Hannah Wurster (Conestoga, Pa.) led the Blue and Green with 11 kills and a .304 hitting percentage. Jessica Schein (Greenfield, Wisc.) finished with 28 assists and nine digs.