AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University volleyball team won a thriller in the home opener, topping the St. Thomas University Bobcats in five sets at Donahue Gym Wednesday night. The Gyrenes rallied from a 2-1 deficit in the match, winning the final two sets to claim a 22-25, 25-21, 21-25, 25-20, 15-12 victory in a showdown between the reigning Sun Conference regular season champions and the reigning SUN Tournament champs.
St. Thomas controlled much of the first set, jumping out to a 12-5 lead in the early moments of the match. The Gyrenes would eventually battle their way back to take the lead, capping a 14-5 run with a Zelie Kessler kill to take a 21-19 lead. However, the home stretch of the first belonged to the Bobcats, who claimed six of the final seven points to take the opening set on the road.
The Gyrenes had to come from behind in the second set, but used a key run to pick up a much-needed equalizer. St. Thomas held a 13-10 lead following a kill from Amanda Allende, but the Gyrenes answered with an 8-0 run, which featured two aces from junior Hannah Jones. AMU would not trail for the remainder of the set, and closed the deal thanks to an STU service error.
After just nine kills in the second set, the St. Thomas attack regained their form in the third. The Bobcats logged 19 of their 25 points via kills in the third, but needed another late surge to take a 2-1 lead on the Gyrenes. A closely contested set saw the Gyrenes hold a 20-19 lead, following a kill from Cabriella Bouterse. St. Thomas' response was to take six of the final seven points, winning 25-21 to move one set from the win.
With their backs against the wall, the Gyrenes had their best offensive performance of the match, logging 15 kills to force a fifth set. This time, it was Ave Maria that surged in the closing moments, turning a lead of just 20-19 into a 25-20 win. The 5-1 run was powered by kills from five different players, all seniors. Bouterse provided the clinching point, sending the match to a first-to-15 fifth set.
In the decisive set, Ave Maria's vaunted block took center stage. Three of Ave Maria's first five points came on blocks, with four total blocks logged in the final set. The Gyrenes never trailed in the final set, and put the Bobcats away with three of the final four points. On AMU's second match point, Zelie Kessler delivered with a kill to give the Gyrenes their 15th consecutive win at Donahue Gym.
Bouterse was the lynchpin of the Ave Maria attack, logging 17 kills in the victory. Zelie Kessler added eleven, including the clincher. Lily Witkoski posted a double-double from the setter position with 27 assists and 17 digs, while Katie Grose added another 13 assists. Madelyn Haut led the block with six total stops, and Victoria Schein keyed AMU's defensive effort with a team-high 20 digs.
The victory was Ave Maria's first win in a Sun Conference opener since the 2018 season. The Gyrenes will look to start 2-0 in league play on Saturday, when AMU heads up to Babson Park for a meeting with the Warriors of Webber International University. Opening serve is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
