WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.- The Ave Maria University women's soccer team came up just short of their goal of a conference championship on Wednesday evening, falling in four sets to the unbeaten Seahawks of Keiser University. The Gyrenes jumped out to a lead with a 25-19 win in the first, before falling 20-25, 17-25, 20-25 in the final three sets. Following the match, Madelyn Haut and Zelie Kessler were named AMU's first-ever All-Sun ConferenceTournament Team honorees.
Ave Maria got off to an excellent start in their first ever title game, leading by as many as ten points in the opening set. The Gyrenes held a 22-12 lead, but Keiser rallied for a 7-1 run to cut AMU's lead down to 23-19. AMU weathered the storm, though, and a kill from Haut, followed by a block from Haut and Grose, clinched Ave Maria's 25-19 win in the opening frame.
Keiser bounced back in the second set, storming out to a 12-4 lead and looking as if they'd cruise to the win to even the match. However, the Gyrenes nearly came all the way back, twice cutting the Keiser lead down to one point. Leading 17-16, the Seahawks then scored four unanswered points to reclaim control, and eventually put away the Gyrenes for a 25-20 triumph.
In the third set, Keiser's attack was at its best, as the Seahawks logged a kill on 18 of their 25 points while committing just two errors. A kill by eventual Tournament MVP Amber Dilsaver gave the Seahawks the lead for good at 8-7, and Keiser rolled to the biggest margin of victory in any of the match's four sets at 25-17.
The Seahawks clinched their first conference tournament title in the fourth set. Keiser never trailed in the final set, and never allowed the Gyrenes to put together a run that could force the match into a decisive fifth set. On their second attempt at match point, the Seahawks finished off the match on a kill from Hannah Heide, their 20th kill of the fourth set.
Cabriella Bouterse led Ave Maria with 13 kills in the championship match, while Kessler added eleven. Haut posted eight kills and four block assists to earn her way onto the All-Tournament Team. Katie Grose had 28 assists from the setter position while also posting six block assists. Defensively, Erica Chenard was a leader at the net with six block assists, while Sun Conference Libero of the Year Victoria Schein finished her stellar fall with 24 digs.
AMU's historic fall season ends with a 15-4 record, setting a new program best for wins, winning percentage, conference standing, and conference wins. The Gyrenes also boasted five all-conference players, four special award winners, and two all-tournament team selections. Due to the altered schedules of the 2020 NAIA season, all teams that competed in the fall, such as teams in The Sun Conference, will be eligible to play regular season games in the spring, when other conferences across the nation play their regular seasons. The Gyrenes will also look forward to the spring's beach volleyball season.
