WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.- The Ave Maria University volleyball team opened up the 2021 season on Friday afternoon, playing two matches at the Palm Beach County Sports Commission Volleyball Classic. The Gyrenes faced the No. 13 team in the nation, the Viterbo V-Hawks, as well as the Orediggers from Montana Tech, falling 3-0 in both matches.
In the opening match of the season, the Gyrenes went toe-to-toe with one of the nation's top 15 teams, but eventually fell 25-18, 25-11, 25-18. The first set saw Viterbo in control for much of the action, building an early 7-2 lead en route to the 25-18 win. The Gyrenes played nearly even with the V-Hawks from that point on, but could never come closer than two points at 9-7.
Viterbo's most dominant victory came in the second set, when the No. 13 team in the nation racked up a 25-11 win over the Gyrenes. The set started off promising for Ave Maria, who took a 6-5 lead on a Viterbo attack error. The V-Hawks proceeded to go on a 14-2 run, turning that AMU lead into a 19-8 Viterbo advantage. The V-Hawks cruised from there, taking advantage of seven Ave Maria attack errors.
The Gyrenes again hung around in the third set, playing the V-Hawks to a 10-10 score in the opening third of the frame. Once again, a big run did the Gyrenes in, as Viterbo used a game-high .375 attack percentage in the third set to put the Gyrenes away.
Returning NAIA Honorable Mention All-American Madelyn Haut was AMU's offensive leader in the opening match, logging eight kills and a .389 attack percentage. Reigning Sun Conference Setter of the Year Lily Witkoski handled setter duties to the tune of 17 assists, while Sun Conference Libero of the Year Victoria Schein led the defensive effort with 17 digs.
The first set of the second match was the closest of the day, as the Gyrenes narrowly fell 25-22 to Montana Tech. Ave Maria went on a 7-0 run during the set, taking an 11-8 lead on a Tech attack error. The AMU lead would grow to 15-11, but Montana Tech would answer back with a 10-1 run of their own, taking a 21-16 lead they would not relinquish.
Montana Tech controlled the final two sets with victories of 25-18 and 25-15. The Orediggers jumped out to a 7-1 lead and never looked back in the second set, then put the match away by turning an 8-7 Gyrene lead into a 18-9 Montana Tech edge, thanks to an 11-1 run.
Freshman Rita Campos was Ave Maria's best attacker in the second game, posting 12 kills, the highest for any Gyrene on the day. The assist and dig categories remained dominated by Witkoski and Schein, respectively. Witkoski upped her assist total to 22 against Montana Tech, while Schein added 13 more digs to her total.
Ave Maria's next set of games comes next weekend at the Cornerstone/Aquinas Invitational in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The Gyrenes are slated to play four matches in two days, with two contests each on Friday and Saturday. AMU will take on St. Francis and Aquinas on Friday, then finish their trip with matches against Mount Vernon Nazarene and Cornerstone on Saturday.
