TAVARES, Fla.- The Ave Maria University beach volleyball team concluded their 2021 season on Saturday at the AVCA Small College Beach Championships at the Hickory Point Beach complex in Tavares. The Gyrenes swept a pair of matches from Sun Conference opponents, defeating St. Thomas 3-2 and Warner 4-1 to finish with a 3-1 record at the national championship event. The effort placed Ave Maria as the NAIA's number five team in the nation at the conclusion of the spring.

Ave Maria's first match of the day in the Silver bracket came against the Bobcats of St. Thomas. The Gyrenes took a 2-1 lead by winning two of three matches that were decided in straight sets. The duo of Victoria Schein and Lily Grasso moved to 7-1 on the season with a blowout win of 21-7, 21-8 at the number three spot, while Alejandra Suarez and Katie O'Donnell earned a 21-17, 21-14 win at the fourth position. St. Thomas' straight set win came at the number five spot. 

The Gyrenes then needed to win one of the two matches that went into a third set to claim the match. That clutch win came from the team of Miah Pena and Zelie Kessler. After falling 21-17 in the first set, Kessler and Pena fought back for a 21-18 win in the second, then won a nailbiter in the third, 17-15. The other match to go three sets came at the number one spot, with Kamden Maas and Sofia Adorno topping Katie Grose and Flavia Rusterholz, 21-14, 20-22, 15-6.

AMU's final match of the event was the fifth place match against the Warner University Royals. The Gyrenes again won two of the first three matches to finish to set themselves up for the win. The wins came in completely different fashions, as Shawna Swanson and Reina Thomas rolled to their win at the number five spot, while Grose and Rusterholz battled to a 21-18, 28-26 win over Alex Gonzalez and former Gyrene Lauren Ruby at the number one spot.

Needing to win one of the final two matches, the Gyrenes proceeded to win both to take a 4-1 win over the Royals. Grasso and Schein completed a 2-0 day, and finished the season 8-1 as a team, with a 21-16, 13-21, 15-13 win at the third spot. The final match to finish was won by Suarez and O'Donnell, who also finished the day undefeated with a 17-21, 21-13, 15-10 win at the number four spot.

With a 7-3 record, the Gyrenes finish the beach volleyball season with a fifth place finish at the AVCA Small College Beach Championships, cementing the Gyrenes' spot as a top five team in the nation in the NAIA's first season of beach volleyball. Combined with the indoor program, the AMU volleyball teams combined to go 22-7 this year, marking program bests in both venues.