BABSON PARK, Fla.- There's nothing in sports quite like a win-or-go-home match to end the season. Win, and the season continues. Lose, and seniors' careers end, while the underclassmen prepare for the next season.

In their win or go home match Saturday afternoon, the Ave Maria volleyball team wasn't quite ready to be done.

The Gyrenes knocked off the Webber Warriors in Babson Park in four sets, punching their ticket to The Sun Conference Tournament with a 19-25, 25-23, 25-23, 25-22 victory. Ave Maria will be the sixth seed in next week's tournament, facing the third-seeded Keiser Seahawks on Tuesday.

Ave Maria's prospects looked dim early on, as Webber controlled the first set en route to a 25-19 victory. Webber scored the first four points of the set, and never relinquished the lead. The major run of the set came in the closing moments of the frame, when Ave had cut the Webber lead down to 19-18. Webber scored six of the final seven points in the set, clinching the 25-19 victory on a kill from Lily Arnold.

Down by a set, the Gyrenes raced out to a 5-1 lead in the second set. However, Webber would rally, and the teams would trade the lead several times in the set's duration. Webber scored four points in a row late in the set to a take a 21-20 lead, but the Gyrenes would have an answer to turn the momentum of the match. AMU scored three points in a row to take a 23-21, then traded points before clinching the set, 25-23, on a Webber attack error.

In the pivotal third set, the teams again traded the lead several times. Ave Maria led by as many as five points, but still found themselves trailing 20-19 late in the set. Once again, the Gyrenes came up big down the stretch. The match was tied three times (20-20, 21-21, and 22-22), and AMU earned the point each time. An Emily Child kill gave Ave Maria the lead for good at 23-22, before two kills from Greta Heiney gave the Gyrenes a 2-1 lead in the match. 

Finally in the fourth set, Ave Maria led for the majority of the frame, but again needed to come up big down the stretch to claim their postseason spot. Ave Maria led 21-20 after back-to-back Webber points, and answered with a kill from DeAnna Barrett and a Webber attack error. AMU got match point after a Webber service error, and clinched the match on their second attempt thanks to a kill from Beatriz Rissi.

Three Gyrenes racked up ten or more kills in the win, led by 15 kills and a .560 attack percentage from Child. Rissi added 12 kills, while Barrett posted a double-double with ten kills and 11 digs. Megan Klockner was AMU's leading setter with 28 assists over four sets, while two more Gyrenes had more than ten digs, with Ines Lopes posting 17 and Abbey Grose adding 13.

AMU's appearance in The Sun Conference Tournament marks the sixth straight postseason trip for the program. The Gyrenes will look to upset Keiser on Tuesday, with a win sending Ave Maria to the conference semifinals on Friday in Miami Gardens on the campus of St. Thomas University.