AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University volleyball moved to 2-0 in Sun Conference play, and got back to .500 overall, with a three-set sweep of the College of Coastal Georgia Saturday afternoon at Donahue Gym in Ave Maria. The Gyrenes' 26-24, 25-22, 25-14 victory moved Ave Maria to 6-6 on the season, and marked the Gyrenes' third consecutive victory. It also marked Ave Maria's ninth straight win against Coastal Georgia, a streak that dates back to 2019.

Neither team could find much momentum in the opening set, as the lead never strayed further than four points in any direction. Ave Maria had the first chance to finish off the Mariners, but Coastal Georgia fought off set points at 24-22 and 24-23 to even the score. With the score tied, Ave Maria took a 25-24 lead on a kill from Elle Malczewski, then clinched the set victory with an ace off the arm of Hannah Jones, which would prove to be a reoccurring theme. 

The Gyrenes kept the momentum going from the first set's dramatics, racing out to a 12-3 lead in the second set. Coastal Georgia would not go away, though, and was able to close the gap to two points at 24-22. After two failed attempts at set point, the third time was the charm for the Gyrenes. Beatriz Rissi, playing her first match inside the confines of Donahue Gym, slammed home a thunderous kill to put the Gyrenes up two sets to none. 

In the third set, the Gyrenes grabbed an early lead and never looked back. The decisive run came when Coastal Georgia had cut the AMU lead down to 12-11. From there, AMU went on a 13-3 run to finish the action, and scored seven of the day's final eight points. Ave Maria had eight service aces in the final set, including three each from Jones and Caroline Myers. Jones provided the winning point with her sixth ace of the afternoon, finishing off the sweep.

Alayna Metherd had arguably the best day of her AMU career on Saturday, logging ten kills on 15 swings without committing an error, good for a .667 attack percentage. Zelie Kessler wasn't far behind with eight kills of her own. Myers and Ryan Getz combined for 36 assists, with Myers leading the Gyrenes with 19. Reina Thomas was AMU's top defensive player with eight digs, while the service game was led by six aces from Jones and three from Myers, with the team combining for thirteen on the afternoon.

A major test awaits the Gyrenes on Wednesday, as Ave Maria battles an old rival from Keiser University. Ave Maria and Keiser have waged numerous epic battles over the past few years, including several meetings in The Sun Conference Tournament. Opening serve between the Gyrenes and the Seahawks is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Wednesday evening in West Palm Beach.