BABSON PARK, Fla.- The Ave Maria University beach volleyball team couldn't solve the riddle that is the Webber International University Warriors, falling twice to the fourth-ranked team in the nation in Babson Park on Saturday. The Gyrenes' only SUN loss in 2022 came to the Warriors, and despite winning two matches in both a conference and a non-conference match, AMU couldn't find the third win to topple the hosts.

The opening match of the day was the Sun Conference match, which saw the Warriors dominate in the middle flights to claim the 3-2 win. Ave Maria's wins came at the top and bottom of the lineup, with Lily Witkoski and Lily Grasso earning a 23-21, 21-13 win at the first flight and Victoria Schein and Abbey Grose emerging with a 21-16, 14-21, 15-13 win at the fifth flight.

Ave Maria's best chance to take the match came at the fourth flight, which was one of only two matches to go to a third set. The AMU team of Hannah Jones and Alayna Metherd took the first set by a 21-19 score, but couldn't finish the job, falling 21-13 and 15-10 in the final two sets. Webber sweeps at the second and third flights allowed the Warriors to claim a 3-2 win in the conference match. 

In the non-conference match, the five matchups remained the same, but two of the flights saw different results. The switch that favored the Gyrenes came at the fourth flight, as Jones and Metherd reversed their fortunes with a 21-15, 18-21, 15-9 win. Schein and Abbey Grose finished off an undefeated day with a win at the fifth flight, as the duo won in straight sets by a score of 21-15, 21-18.

However, Webber was dominant at the top three spots in the lineup, which was enough to give the Warriors their second win of the day. The Warriors swept the matches at the top three flights, and the Gyrenes were held under 15 points in four of the six sets. The match at the top flight was the closest, with Webber's team of Cindy Garcia Penaloza and Montana-Rae Pelak winning 21-18, 21-19 over Witkoski and Grasso.

AMU concludes the regular season on March 31, when the Gyrenes host St. Andrews and Truett McConnell at the Suppa Malec Beach Volleyball Complex. Wins in those two matches would guarantee the Gyrenes a top-four finish in the Sun Conference, and could place Ave Maria as high as second in April's Sun Conference Tournament. The matches against SAU and TMC are scheduled for 1:00 and 3:00 pm on the Ave Maria University campus.