LAKE WALES, Fla.- The Ave Maria University volleyball team completed a season sweep of the Warner University Royals on Wednesday night, taking the final three sets after a first set setback in Lake Wales. The win was AMU's eighth straight against Warner, a run dating back to the 2019 season. Ave Maria's win also moved the Gyrenes to 16-4 on the season, as well as 8-2 in Sun Conference play.
It was slow start for the Gyrenes on the road, and Warner was able to take the first set on their home floor. The Gyrenes fell victim to a 7-1 run for the Royals in the middle of the set, which saw the hosts extend their lead to 17-11. Warner eventually had set point at 25-19, but Ave Maria fought off three consecutive points before a Talia Gonzalez kill ended the opener.
Playing down a set, the Gyrenes came out with a chip on their shoulder in the second set. In a 25-19 victory, 20 of AMU's 25 points came via a kill, and the Gyrenes racked up a hitting percentage of .366. This time, it was Ave Maria that took control in the middle of the set, ripping off an 8-1 run of their own to build a seven-point lead. Warner would pull back to within four, but a Zelie Kessler kill and an attack error ended the second set.
The Gyrenes pulled down one of their patented comebacks in the third set. AMU trailed 6-1 early in the set, and did not take the lead in the frame until a Warner attack error gave the Gyrenes a 15-14 lead. Warner would rally to tie the set at 16, but the Gyrenes took full control from there, taking advantage of six Warner errors to claim a 25-18 win in the third.
Ave Maria put the match away with a 25-21 win in the fourth set, the closest of AMU's set victories Wednesday night. AMU started fast, leading by seven points on several occasions early in the action. Warner hung around with the Gyrenes, but could never fully close the gap. Zelie Kessler was responsible for Ave Maria's final two points, clinching a winning record in Sun Conference play for the fourth year in a row.
Cabriella Bouterse was completely unstoppable at the net, pounding a season-high 20 kills for the Gyrenes. Abigail Costlow (13), Zelie Kessler (11), and Madelyn Haut (10) were all in double figures as well. Lily Witkoski racked up a season-high 49 assists from the setter position, while Victoria Schein had an excellent game from the back row with 22 digs.
Saturday begins a sprint to the finish line of the regular season for the Gyrenes, who will play four Sun Conference matches in the span of eight days. Ave Maria would need to win all four and have St. Thomas drop a match to earn a share of the SUN title and home court advantage in the SUN Tournament. The first of those four matches comes Saturday in Brunswick, Georgia, when the Gyrenes battle the Mariners of the College of Coastal Georgia. Opening serve in that match is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
