MONTGOMERY, Ala.- The Ave Maria University volleyball team finished tournament play with another split on Saturday, taking one of their final two matches at the Faulkner Invitational in Montgomery, Alabama. The Gyrenes fell in four sets to a strong team from Columbia International University, but responded with their most complete performance of the season, a three-set sweep of William Carey University.
The Gyrenes couldn't get much going early on against Columbia International, dropping the first two sets by scores of 25-16 and 25-13. Ave Maria showed resilience in the third set, extending the match with a 25-19 win.
That set victory was powered by a pair of major runs - a 9-0 run that turned a 7-4 deficit into a 13-7 lead, and a 7-2 finishing kick led by two kills and a block from Paeton Hyde that clinched the win. Ave Maria couldn't keep the momentum rolling into the fourth, dropping a 25-13 decision.
Caroline Myers had a standout performance in the opening game of the day, posting a double-double with 19 assists and 14 digs. Myers split setting duties with Ryan Getz, who nearly posted a double-double herself with 13 assists and eight digs. Ines Lopes and Hannah Jones were also in double figures in digs with 12 a piece, while senior Zelie Kessler was the lone Gyrene with double figure kills, logging 13.
AMU came out swinging, literally, in the second match of the day, pounding 15 kills in the first set en route to a 25-16 decision. The second set was the most dramatic of the day, with Ave Maria claiming a 29-27 win. After William Carey denied four straight set points from the Gyrenes, the Gyrenes had to battle off two of their own, winning points while trailing 26-25 and 27-26.
After evening the score at 27, the Gyrenes forced an attack error from William Carey to take the lead, then Hannah Jones put the set away with an ace. This time, the Gyrenes were able to continue their momentum from a big set win, decisively putting the Crusaders away with a 25-11 win in the third and final set.
Hyde took on a starring role for the Gyrenes in the victory, as the freshman led all players with 11 kills. Hyde was also second on the Gyrenes in digs with five, trailing only Jones' game-high total of 15. Getz and Myers again handled setting duties jointly, and combined for 29 assists in the victory - 15 from Getz and 14 from Myers.
Ave Maria's first ten games of the season all came in tournament play, with the Gyrenes playing two matches per day. That stretch of the season is now complete, with the remainder of the schedule consisting of solo matches, mostly in Sun Conference play.
SUN action officially kicks off Wednesday night, when the Gyrenes travel to Lake Wales for a meeting with the Warner University Royals. Ave Maria has won eight straight matches against Warner, a streak that dates back to the final days of the 2019 season.
