AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University volleyball team finally exorcised their Keiser Seahawk demons on Wednesday night, taking a four-set decision from the reigning Sun Conference champions. The Gyrenes snapped a six-game losing streak to the Seahawks, and ensured a first round bye in next week's Sun Conference Tournament. The win was AMU's eighth in a row, and allowed the Gyrenes to finish the season with an undefeated record at home.
Much of the first set was closely contested, until a run by Ave Maria put some distance between themselves and the Seahawks. Holding a 10-8 lead, the Gyrenes scored the next six points to widen the lead to 16-8. Keiser rallied to cut the edge to 21-18 in the closing moments, but a block and a kill from Abigail Costlow helped hold off Keiser, before an attack error by the Seahawks closed the opening set with a 25-20 AMU win.
Keiser responded in the second set, pulling away from Ave Maria to even the match. The Seahawks were able to withstand an early surge by the Gyrenes, which saw the home team jump out to a 5-1 lead. Keiser chipped away that lead, and eventually went on a 12-3 run to turn a 9-6 deficit into an 18-12 lead. Two service aces from Lily Grasso helped keep AMU in it, but a kill from Anna Lea Kuster finished off a 25-21 win for the visitors.
With momentum in Keiser's corner, the Gyrenes' answer was to start the third set on a 7-0 run. Keiser once again withstood the early Ave Maria lead, cutting AMU's lead down to 16-15. This time, the Gyrenes shut down Keiser's run with one of their own, ending the third set on a 9-1 run to give Ave Maria a 2-1 lead in the match with a 25-16 win.
Ave Maria put away the Seahawks in the fourth set, finally earning a win over their longtime nemesis. The Gyrenes led for the entirety of the set, which included an 8-2 run that increased an 8-4 lead to 16-6, effectively burying the Seahawks. Rita Campos, the reigning Sun Conference Attacker of the Week, put the finishing touches on the 25-14 win with the final kill.
Madelyn Haut was outstanding for the Gyrenes in the win, logging 17 kills with a .556 attack percentage. Campos added 14 kills, while Costlow had eleven kills and six total blocks. Lily Witkoski was AMU's main setter in the win, posting 38 assists in the four-set win. The defensive leader was Victoria Schein, who had 20 digs, while Alejandra Suarez added 12.
Ave Maria is now locked into the second seed in The Sun Conference Tournament, but still has plenty to play for in Friday night's regular season finale against Florida Memorial. A win over the Lions, coupled with a loss by St. Thomas to Southeastern on Saturday, would make AMU regular season co-champions of the conference, the first conference title in school history. AMU will have to hold up their end of the bargain first, with opening serve in Miami Gardens scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
