MIAMI GARDENS, Fla.- The Ave Maria University volleyball team completed their ascent to the top of The Sun Conference on Saturday afternoon, sweeping the Mariners of the College of Coastal Georgia in the championship match of the 2021 Sun Conference Tournament, held on the campus of St. Thomas University. The win gives AMU their first conference title in volleyball in school history, and sends the Gyrenes to the NAIA Tournament for the first time ever.

Ave Maria had to come from behind in the first set, as Coastal Georgia held an 18-14 lead coming down the stretch. The Gyrenes scored the next four points to even the score at 18, but Coastal Georgia responded by retaking the lead, 20-18. From there, AMU scored seven unanswered points, taking advantage of five CCGA errors, to claim the first set, 25-20, in the program's second consecutive trip to the conference title match. 

The Gyrenes led for much of the second set, but would once again need to rally to move one step away from the title. The Mariners took an 18-17 lead in the second set, but Ave Maria's answer was five unanswered points, with Lily Witkoski and Cabriella Bouterse each posting two kills. The Gyrenes never trailed from there, with a block from Bouterse and Abigail Costlow moving AMU one set away after yet another 25-20 win.

With the title nearly in their grasp, Ave Maria sealed the deal with their most dominant performance of the day, a 25-15 win. The Gyrenes never trailed in the third set, pulling away from the Mariners by scoring nine of the final eleven points of the afternoon. The championship winning point started on the serve of Lily Grasso, and ended on a Coastal Georgia attack error, sparking a celebration years in the making for the Gyrenes.

Bouterse finished as the Gyrenes' leading attack, with 13 kills, many of which came at crucial moments. Freshman Rita Campos also played a big role with eleven kills. Setter Lily Witkoski may have had her best game of the season, logging 29 kills with 22 digs, a career-high. Victoria Schein (17) and Miah Pena (10) were also in double figures in digs in the championship match. 

For her gargantuan efforts, which saw her total 69 assists and 31 digs in two matches, Witkoski was named the Most Valuable Player of the Sun Conference Tournament. Bouterse and Campos also earned All-Tournament honors. The team was rounded out by Coastal Georgia's Giovana Larregui Lopez and Samantha Johnston, St. Thomas' Bianca Grassi and Biancaliz Cruz from Florida Memorial.

As Sun Conference champions, the Gyrenes now await their Opening Round opponent in the 2021 NAIA Tournament. Ave Maria will play next Saturday, November 20, with a trip to the final site in Sioux City, Iowa on the line. Ave Maria's destination and opponent will be announced by the NAIA on Monday evening.