AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University volleyball team won their second consecutive conference match on Monday evening, toppling Johnson and Wales in straight sets, 25-18, 26-24, 25-17. The Gyrenes last won back-to-back matches in conference play during the 2013 season. AMU's fourth conference win of the season moved the Gyrenes into sixth place in The Sun Conference standings, and matched last season's total.

Ave Maria raced out to a 12-3 lead in the first set, forcing an early timeout from the Wildcats. Ave Maria's lead got as wide as 16-4 during the set, but Johnson and Wales was able to cut it to 23-18 with a 14-7 run. A Lauren Ruby kill and a JWU attack error put the first set away. The Gyrenes attacked efficiently in the opening set, logging 16 total kills and only recording five attack errors. 

The Gyrenes took another huge lead in the second set, winning eight of the first nine points to take an 8-1 lead. AMU's lead remained constant for the majority of the set, as the Gyrenes held a 21-12 lead late in the set. However, Johnson and Wales was able to rally with a 10-1 run to even the set at 22-22. The teams traded the next four points to keep an even score of 24-24. Kills by Bre Holder and Erica Chenard allowed the Gyrenes to hang on for the second set win.

In the third set, AMU again jumped out to an early lead, this time of 7-1. Ave kept the Wildcats at bay for the entirety of the set, never allowing Johnson and Wales any closer than three points. A late run sealed the three-set win for Ave Maria, as a 16-13 AMU lead became 25-14 with a 9-1 run. After two JWU points, Savannah Stanton ended the match with a kill.

Holder led the Gyrenes with 11 kills on the match, her season-high. Stanton added seven kills, while Chenard, Ruby, and Hannah Presson each had six. Ruby added 22 assists and seven digs to go with her kills, and Cassie Davis recorded 13 assists and eight digs. Johnson and Wales' Savannah Swenson came one dig short of a double-double, logging a game-high 12 kills with nine digs.

Monday's match was the first of three home contests this week for the Gyrenes. The second matchup comes Wednesday night, as Ave Maria welcomes Webber International University to the Tom Golisano Field House. Webber received votes in the most recent NAIA national poll, and is 10-1 in TSC play. The game is scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. start.