MARIETTA, Ga.- The Ave Maria University volleyball team finished their trip to Georgia with a flourish on Saturday, winning back-to-back matches in straight sets at the Running Eagle Classic on the campus of Life University. The Gyrenes defeated Talladega College and Brenau University, finishing the Running Eagle Classic with a 3-1 record. AMU has won six of their last eight contests, which includes three wins over teams receiving votes in the national poll.

The Gyrenes came from behind in the first set against Talladega, who jumped out to a 4-0 lead. After those four points, Ave Maria proceeded to go on a 14-1 run, quickly turning the tide of the match. Talladega would not come within six points for the remainder of the set, and a kill from Abigail Costlow finished off the action for a 25-16 AMU win. 

Riding the momentum from the first set, the Gyrenes were completely dominant in the second set, a 25-9 victory. The second set featured another huge run from Ave Maria, who turned a 2-1 deficit into a 15-3 lead thanks to a 14-1 run, their second such surge of the match. The surge would build Ave Maria's lead as high as 17 points at 24-7.

Ave Maria buried the Tornadoes in the third set, using a game-high .448 attack percentage to overwhelm Talladega, 25-17. AMU raced out to a 5-0 lead in the third, led by a pair of kills from Lily Witkoski. Talladega would hang around, but never seriously threatened Ave Maria as the Gyrenes closed out the match. 

Freshman Abigail Costlow was sensational in the opening match of the day, leading the Gyrenes with eleven kills and no errors on 14 swings, good for a .786 attack percentage. Rita Campos also added ten kills, while Witkoski ran the offense to the tune of 34 assists. The Gyrenes were excellent on the serve in the match, logging 13 aces that were led by five from Katie O'Donnell and four from Victoria Schein, who also led AMU defensively with 15 digs.

In the first set against Brenau, the Gyrenes fought off four set points to claim a 28-26 victory. Brenau jumped out to leads 11-4 and 15-8, and led 18-12 before AMU ripped off seven points in a row to take the lead for the first time. Brenau would eventually retake the lead, and had set points at 24-22, 24-23, 25-24, and 26-25. Down 26-25, 2020 All-American Madelyn Haut took over with two kills and a block assist to swing the first set to the Gyrenes.

The second set was the easiest of the match for the Gyrenes, who cruised to a 25-11 win to take a 2-0 lead. With the set tied at six, the Gyrenes proceeded to go on a 18-6 run, taking full control of the frame to the tune of a 24-10 lead. Ave Maria's attack was at its best in the second set, powered by a .367 attack percentage. 

Brenau again had a chance to take a set from the Gyrenes, but Ave Maria fought off two more set points to claim the match. After trailing 16-12, Brenau had rallied for a 24-22 lead over AMU. Ave Maria denied Brenau's chances to win on a Costlow kill and an attack error, then took the lead on a kill from Campos. Madelyn Haut, who punctuated AMU's comeback in the first set, did so again in the third to give the Gyrenes their sixth win of 2021.

Haut led the effort in the second game with 13 kills and five blocks. Costlow added eleven kills without an error, giving her 22 kills without an attack error on Saturday. Cabriella Bouterse added ten kills, and Lily Witkoski finished off another stellar week with 36 assists and eleven digs. Victoria Schein ended her week with 24 digs over three sets. 

AMU finishes their run of tournament play with a 6-4 record, and will play their next 15 matches in the state of Florida after eight straight across state lines. Ave Maria's next match comes on Tuesday, when the Gyrenes take on the Falcons of Florida College. Opening serve in Temple Terrace is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.