Beach Volleyball | 3/11/2023 10:34:00 PM

AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University beach volleyball team added two Sun Conference wins to their total on Saturday, sweeping a pair of matches at the Suppa Malec Beach Volleyball Complex on the AMU campus. The Gyrenes rolled past the Lions of Florida Memorial University in a 5-0 victory, then finished off the sweep with a 4-1 win over the Bobcats of St. Thomas University. The win moved the Gyrenes to 7-1 on the season, including 6-1 in SUN play.

The Gyrenes made quick work of Florida Memorial in Saturday's opener, winning all four matches in straight sets - the Lions defaulted at the fifth flight. The second and fourth flights were the first on the courts, and AMU's number four team of Alayna Metherd and Hannah Jones rolled to a 21-11, 21-7 victory. AMU then clinched victory, with the addition of the default, thanks to a 21-9, 21-15 victory by the second flight pairing of Katie Grose and Reina Thomas.

Ave Maria's domination of the Lions continued in the second set of matches, which saw the Gyrenes emerge victorious at the first and third flights. AMU's top team of Lily Grasso and Lily Witkoski played the closest match of the contest, with the Gyrene duo emerging with a 21-14, 21-19 win. Miah Pena and Zelie Kessler, conversely, came up with the most lopsided win of the day, a 21-6, 21-6 win at the fourth flight. 

AMU then switched their focus to the Bobcats of St. Thomas, and once again jumped out to a 2-0 overall lead with wins at the second and fourth flights. Grose and Thomas concluded a 2-0 day with a 21-18, 21-11 win at the second flight. The fourth team of Metherd and Jones had to come from behind though, losing the first set 21-13 before rallying in the final two sets for wins of 21-17 and 15-9. 

St. Thomas earned their lone point of the day at the first flight, where STU's team of Marin Black and Mya Thomas claimed a 21-15, 21-18 win. Ave Maria's clinching point was provided by Abbey Grose and Schein, who rallied from a 20-17 deficit in the first set to win 24-22, then clinched the match for the Gyrenes with a 21-18 win in the second set. Kessler and Pena finished off the 4-1 win with a victory of 21-19, 21-16 at the third flight. 

Ave Maria will look to keep their Sun Conference title hopes alive next weekend, when the Gyrenes head to Babson Park for two matches against the fourth-ranked Webber International University Warriors, who are currently undefeated in Sun Conference play. The first of the two matches will be a conference match, giving Ave Maria a chance to pull even with the Warriors in the conference standings.