NORTH MIAMI, Fla.- The Ave Maria University volleyball team rolled to their third conference victory of the season on Saturday afternoon, claiming a three-set victory over the Wildcats of Johnson and Wales University. The Gyrenes cruised to a 25-19, 25-14, 25-13 victory over the Wildcats, winning a road conference game for the second time this season.
The first set swung the way of the Gyrenes thanks to a big run in the middle of the frame. Trailing 13-11, Ave Maria scored eight of the next nine points to take a 19-14 lead. The Gyrenes took advantage of five JWU attack errors during the run, as well as two kills from Jenna Barnak. From there, the AMU lead never dipped below three points, and the Gyrenes put the set away on their third attempt at set point on a kill from Alejandra Suarez.
Ave Maria dominated the second half of the second set to pull away for a 25-14 victory and a 2-0 lead in the match. The Gyrenes outscored the Wildcats 15-6 in the final 21 points of the second set, turning a tight 10-8 set into another victory. Barnak accounted for three more kills in the run, as the Gyrenes used another JWU attack error to close out the set.
The Gyrenes then put the Wildcats away early in the third set, jumping out to a 12-2 lead that was capped off by two kills from Suarez and an ace from Daniela Jaramillo. The Wildcats never got closer than seven points from that point on, and the Gyrenes were able to finish off the sweep on the eleventh kill of the match from Barnak.
Barnak led the Gyrene attack with 11 kills on 26 swings, and made just two attack errors. Suarez added seven kills, while Lauren Ruby posted another double-double with 18 assists and ten digs. Jaramillo posted 12 digs to lead the AMU defense from the libero position.
Saturday's match marked the final road match of the season for the Gyrenes, who will finish the season with two games at home next week. The homestand begins on Wednesday, when the Gyrenes host Southeastern University at the Tom Golisano Field House. The game is scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. start.
