NEW ORLEANS, La.- The Ave Maria University volleyball team dropped their first two matches in New Orleans on Friday, falling to the University of Michigan Dearborn and Loyola University in straight sets. The Gyrenes fell to the Wolverines in the opener, 25-20, 25-19, 25-21, then dropped a 25-18, 25-18, 25-13 decision to the Wolf Pack in the nightcap. The matches were AMU's first at the Wolf Pack Welcome, hosted by Loyola. 

The Gyrenes were competitive in all three sets with the Wolverines, but weren't able to finish off any of the frames. The Gyrenes trailed by just one point, 20-19, in the second set before six straight points from Dearborn. In the third set, AMU raced out to a 19-14 lead, but the Wolverines finished on a 11-2 run to finish off the sweep in Ave Maria's first match in Louisiana.

Zelie Kessler had a solid performance despite the loss, racking up eight kills with an attack percentage of .400. Elle Malczewski followed with seven kills of her own. Ryan Getz continued to handle the setting duties for AMU, accounting for 19 of the team's 31 assists. Defensively, Ines Lopes tried to slow down the attack of Michigan Dearborn with a game-high 19 digs, eight more than any other player from either team.

Ave Maria couldn't keep up with the hosts in the nightcap, posting an attack percentage of .023, compared to Loyola's .340. The Wolf Pack racked up 44 kills on their home floor, while the Gyrene attack struggled to get going to the tune of just 18 kills. AMU's latest lead in any of the three sets was 13-12 in the first set, which ended with Loyola on a 13-5 run. 

Paeton Hyde was Ave Maria's top player at the net in the second game in Louisiana, putting down four kills and three blocks against the tournament hosts. Getz was again AMU's top setter with seven assists, while senior Reina Thomas led the Gyrenes in digs for the first time this season with nine.

AMU will quickly have a chance to get back in the win column, as the Gyrenes will play two more matches in New Orleans on Saturday. The Gyrenes will battle Bluefield University from Virginia at 9:00 a.m. central in the first game of the morning, then will finish their stay in The Big Easy with an 11:00 a.m. match against Evangel University from Missouri.