AVE MARIA, Fla. --- The Ave Maria volleyball team fell to Keiser University on Wednesday night in four sets. After AMU won the opening set 25-14, Keiser rallied to take the final three sets to knock off the Lady Gyrenes 3-1.
 
Ave Maria drops to 12-9 overall and to 1-5 in Sun Conference play. Keiser moves to 17-7 overall and to 3-2 against TSC opponents.
 
The Gyrenes committed just four errors in the opening set and hit .371 as a team to take the first game convincingly 25-14. After trailing early, 4-1, the Blue and Green went on a 12-1 run to take command of the set 13-5. AMU quickly pushed the lead to double-digits and wouldn't look back.
 
In the second set, Keiser took advantage of 13 Blue and Green errors in the second set to escape with a 25-20 win. The Lady Gyrenes led 16-13 midway through the set before a 9-0 run by the Seahawks gave Keiser a 22-16 advantage. AMU would have one last run to close within three, 23-20, but weren't able to pull any closer.
 
With the third set tied 6-6, a 12-2 run by the Seahawks quickly put the Gyrenes in a large hole, 18-8. A few points later, AMU ran off four straight to cut the deficit to six, 19-13, before Keiser won four of the game's final five points to close out the set 25-15.
 
The Seahawks jumped out to a 15-7 lead in the third set. The Blue and Green rallied late to close within two, 20-18, but the early deficit was too much to overcome as the Lady Gyrenes fell in the final set 25-20.
 
Lexy Smith and Bre Holder each had nine kills and four total blocks. Hannah Wurster tallied five blocks for the Lady Gyrenes. Lauren Ruby recorded a double-double with 21 assists and 13 digs.
 
Megan Minke and Nikki McKown each reached double-digit kills for Keiser with 14 and 10, respectively. Nicole Papineau finished with a game-high 34 assists. She also had 10 digs. McKown also finished with five aces and a team-best 12 digs.
 
The Lady Gyrenes conclude a three-match week with two matches on the road. The Blue and Green travel to Trinity College of Florida on Thursday before taking on the Fire of Southeastern University in Lakeland on Friday.