MARIETTA, Ga.- The Ave Maria University volleyball team played a pair of the top 40 teams in the nation on Friday, competing in their first two matches in the Running Eagle Classic on the campus of Life University. The Gyrenes swept the Rams of Columbia International University in their tournament opener, but could not go 2-0 on the day following a three-set loss to the host Life University Running Eagles.

The Gyrenes started the day on a high note with a 25-21, 25-20, 25-20 victory over Columbia International, who entered the day as the highest ranked team out of the Appalachian Athletic Conference. Ave Maria never trailed in the opening set, building a late lead of 23-16. CIU answered with four consecutive points to pull within three, but kills from Madelyn Haut and Cabriella Bouterse gave AMU the advantage in the match. 

In the second set, Ave Maria had to play from behind, as Columbia International built a 13-9 lead. From that point, the Gyrenes went on a 13-3 run, turning the four-point deficit into a six-point lead, 22-16. CIU would get as close as three points, 23-20, but kills from Miah Pena and Bouterse sent the match to the third set with Ave Maria up 2-0.

Ave Maria put the finishing touches on a sweep in the third set, which again saw the Gyrenes come from behind. CIU held a 13-12 lead midway through the frame, but Ave Maria answered with a 7-0 run to take a 19-13 lead. The Rams scored the next five points, and six of the next seven, to cut AMU's lead down to 20-19. However, Ave Maria earned their fourth win of the year with a match-closing 5-1 run. 

Madelyn Haut, the reigning Sun Conference Attacker of the Week, was sensational in the opener. The All-American had 12 kills on just 17 swings, good for a .588 attack percentage. Bouterse and Rita Campos also added ten kills each. Conference Setter of the Week Lily Witkoski had another productive match with 37 assists, and posted a double-double with 12 digs. Victoria Schein was the defensive leader with 18 digs, while Hannah Jones chipped in with ten.

The fortunes turned in the second match of the day, as Life held off the Gyrenes in three consecutive sets. AMU led 21-20 in the first set, but the Running Eagles scored five of the final seven points of the first to take the set. Life was cruising in the second, leading 24-17, but the Gyrenes scored six straight points before a service error allowed the Eagles to escape. In the third set, the Eagles jumped out to a 7-2, powered by five straight aces, and never looked back to sweep the match. 

Cabriella Bouterse was Ave Maria's leading attacker in the nightcap, as her 13 kills more than doubled any of her teammates. Witkoski, who averaged more than ten assists per set on the day, set up 26 kills on her assists. Schein had her biggest defensive output of the season against the Running Eagles, logging 25 digs. That total ties a school record, which Schein already held a piece of, for digs in a three-set match. 

AMU finishes their journey in the Running Eagle Classic on Saturday, with matches at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. The Gyrenes will face Talladega College in the opening game of the day, then will end their trip to Georgia with a match against Brenau University.