AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University volleyball team pulled their overall record back to .500 Thursday night, claiming a sweep of the Florida National University Conquistadors at Donahue Gym. The visiting Conquistadors challenged the Gyrenes in all three sets, but Ave Maria claimed their 12th consecutive victory in the series over FNU. The win also moved the Gyrenes' streak in sets won over Florida National to 18.
Most of the first set was closely contested, but Ave Maria finally pulled away in the closing moments of the frame. With the match tied at 14, the Gyrenes scored three straight points to open up a lead they would not relinquish. Another run allowed the Gyrenes to put the set away, as AMU scored five straight points to turn a 20-18 score into a 25-18 final, led by a pair of service aces from Ines Lopes.
Ave Maria had to work from behind in the second set, as the Gyrenes found themselves down 12-8. That four-point deficit sparked a 9-1 run from Ave Maria, pulling AMU ahead 17-13. Florida National would not go away, eventually pulling ahead 24-23 to serve for the set. A clutch kill from Alayna Metherd turned away FNU's set point, and the Gyrenes capitalized on a pair of Conquistador attack errors to claim the second set, 26-24.
After a furious rally in the second set, the Gyrenes grabbed the momentum early in the third. Ave Maria scored the first six points of the set, capped off by a Reina Thomas ace. Once again, Florida National would continue to make it difficult for the Gyrenes, but AMU found a way to finish off the sweep. FNU got as close at 17-16, but the Gyrenes ended the match on a 8-4 run to close out the home victory.
AMU's attack was balanced in the win, with three Gyrenes recording between seven and nine kills. Paeton Hyde was AMU's top scorer in the win, recording nine kills and adding a pair of blocks. Ave Maria added 33 assists on their 35 kills, with Ryan Getz logging 16 and Caroline Myers chipping in ten. The defensive effort was led by Hannah Jones, who continued her string of strong play with 16 digs.
Saturday's match for the Gyrenes will mark the team's third time on the floor in four days. The opponent for the Gyrenes will be the Warriors of Webber International University. Opening serve from Donahue Gym in Ave Maria is scheduled for 2:00 p.m., and will serve as the middle contest of AMU's on-campus tripleheader on Saturday.
