AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University volleyball team put together one of their most complete victories of the season on Saturday afternoon, rolling to a straight set victory over the Lions of Florida Memorial University at the Donahue Gym in Ave Maria. The Gyrenes swept Florida Memorial, who entered the contest 5-1 and tied for first place in The Sun Conference. Prior to the contest, the Gyrenes honored their five senior players and two senior managers.

AMU immediately showed their dominance to start the match, as the serve of Abigail Costlow propelled the Gyrenes to a 6-0 lead. After the Gyrenes continued their run to a 9-1 lead, the Lions would not get any closer than five points for the remainder of the set. That included a 7-0 run on the serve of Lily Witkoski, and a team attack percentage of .619 powered AMU to a convincing 25-11 victory

In the second set, the Gyrenes had to withstand a late charge from the Lions to take a 2-0 lead. Ave Maria used a 10-3 run to blow the set open, taking a 6-6 tie and turning it into a 16-9 lead. FMU trimmed the lead to 17-14, but AMU used two Witkoski service aces to widen the lead back to 22-14. The Lions were able to stave off four set points, getting within 24-20, but a kill from Madelyn Haut concluded matters in th second set.

Florida Memorial once again found themselves in a big hole in the third set, as the Gyrenes built an 11-3 lead in the early stages. Florida Memorial would not get within five points for the remainder of the set, and a kill from Haut clinched AMU's second consecutive sweep of the Lions, dating back to last season.

Ave Maria's attack was excellent in the victory, with the Gyrenes recording a .375 hitting percentage as a team. Defensively, AMU held Florida Memorial to a .090 attack percentage, forcing 22 attack errors from the Lions. The Gyrenes also had success with their serve, logging nine service aces as a team. Lily Witkoski had three aces, while Abigail Costlow and Miah Pena had two each.

Individually, Madelyn Haut was on fire for the Gyrenes, as the All-American posted one of her most dominant performances of her illustrious career. The junior logged 13 kills on 15 swings, and added five blocks at the net. Lily Witkoski dished 27 assists from the setter position, once again posting more than ten assists per set on the week. The Gyrene defense was anchored by the blocking effort, led by five blocks each from Haut and Cabriella Bouterse. 

The Gyrenes finish the first half of The Sun Conference season with a 4-3 conference record, good for fourth in the league and just two games behind first. The second trip through the conference schedule starts on Wednesday night, when the St. Thomas University Bobcats come to AMU. The first place Bobcats defeated Ave Maria to start the conference season, and the Gyrenes will be in search of a huge win. Opening serve is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. at the Donahue Gym.