AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University volleyball team never found their rhythm Monday night at Donahue Gym, and suffered a three-set defeat to the Falcons of Florida College in non-conference action. The Gyrenes were competitive in all three sets of the rare Monday night contest, but could never find the clinching point against one of the top teams in the Continental Athletic Conference.

AMU had to work from behind for the majority of the first set, as Florida College raced out to a 7-1 lead. The Gyrenes did eventually erase that deficit, taking a 16-14 lead following a 9-2 run of their own. However, the Falcons continued to fight back. Florida College fought off several set point opportunities from the Gyrenes, and eventually claimed a 27-25 win in the set on a kill from Raquel Teixeira.

Florida College continued that momentum into the second set, claiming the lead before holding off a late charge from the Gyrenes. The Falcons and Gyrenes traded the lead several times early in the set, but an 11-4 run in the middle set pushed Florida College ahead, 21-15. Ave Maria would not go quietly, fighting off three set points before the Falcons forced an attack error to take the set by a 25-23 score.

The Gyrenes again held a lead in the third set, but Florida College rallied to clinch the sweep. A kill by Zelie Kessler gave Ave Maria a 14-12 lead in the middle of the frame, but the Falcons proceeded to finish the match on a 13-6 run. This included stretches of four and five consecutive points, and ended when Adriana Bravo delivered on a kill on FC's second match point.

Ave Maria's attack was spread out Monday night, with five players accounting for either five or six kills. Elle Malczewski and Alayna Metherd led the way with six, with Metherd's .190 attack percentage leading all Gyrenes. Metherd also had a solid performance at the net, recording six blocks. Ryan Getz led the team with both 14 digs and eleven assists, logging a double-double. 

Monday's match was the first of three matches this week for the Gyrenes, who will return to the floor less than 48 hours after falling to the Falcons. Ave Maria will battle Keiser University at Donahue Gym, a renewal of a rivalry that has raged over the last four years. The Gyrenes took the opening match of the season between the two teams, beating the Seahawks in five sets in West Palm Beach on September 20. Opening serve of that match is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Wednesday.