AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University volleyball team took a set from the top team in The Sun Conference, but couldn't pull the upset in a 3-1 loss to the St. Thomas University Bobcats Wednesday night at Donahue Gym. The Gyrenes were just the fourth team in eleven conference matches this season to win a set against the Bobcats, but were decisively beaten in the other three sets to drop their penultimate home match of the season.
Unbeaten in Sun Conference play, the Bobcats were dominant from the first point of the opening set, a block from Amanda Allende and Tayla Barnes. St. Thomas never trailed in the opening set, and used a 10-0 run to turn a 5-4 score into a 15-4 romp. The Bobcats quickly put the Gyrenes away in the first, scoring five of the final six points to finish off a 25-9 win.
Head coach Sonya Leszczynski turned to her bench to start the second set, and it sparked the Gyrenes. Freshmen Kylie Lacy and Anna Howard played a key role in the second for AMU, as the Gyrenes took just the fourth set for a conference opponent against St. Thomas. Ave Maria trailed only once in the set, at 1-0, and evened the match on their fourth attempt at set point, thanks to a kill from Beatriz Rissi.
St. Thomas regained their form in the third set, rolling to another 25-9 win. While St. Thomas' win in the first set was more aided by AMU errors, the third set saw the Bobcat attack take over. STU logged 15 kills in the third, logging an absurd hitting percentage of .448. Leading by a 9-5 score, the Bobcats claimed 16 of the set's final 20 points to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
The fourth set was the most competitive of the three won by St. Thomas. The score was close for much of the first part of the set, before St. Thomas finally pulled away down the stretch. The Bobcats clinched their eleventh conference win this season on a Gyrene attack error, claiming the win on their first attempt at match point.
Paeton Hyde and Zelie Kessler were AMU's top attackers in the losing effort, each tallying six kills. Ryan Getz narrowly missed out on a double-double with 17 assists and nine digs, while Reina Thomas' equaled Getz's output in digs. Caroline Myers was also in double-double territory with nine assists and seven digs.
Despite the loss, the Gyrenes did secure a spot in the 2023 Sun Conference Tournament, thanks to Warner's loss to St. Thomas. AMU's next goal will be to earn a home match in the conference tournament, a goal that would be aided by a win Saturday at Webber International. AMU's match with the Warriors will be played at South Florida State College in Avon Park, with opening serve scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
