ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.- The Ave Maria University beach volleyball team completed an undefeated conference regular season on Thursday, defeating the Southeastern University Fire, 4-1, in a neutral site matchup on the campus of Eckerd College in St. Petersburg. The Gyrenes concluded the day with a 4-1 defeat at the hands of the hosts, ending the regular season with a 10-4 record, including a 10-0 mark in SUN action.

In the SUN finale, the Gyrenes took two of the top three flights, all of which were decided in straight sets. Ave Maria got wins at the second and third flights, while the Fire were victorious at the top flight. The AMU second flight duo of Reina Thomas and Lily Grasso picked up a 21-17, 22-20 victory, while Hannah Jones and Anna Howard earned Ave Maria's most decisive win of the day, a 21-13, 22-20 win at the third flight.

The match was essentially decided at the fourth and fifth flights, with the Gyrenes needing one and the Fire needing both to take the match. Ave Maria won both matches in similar fashions - a first set win, a second set loss, then a tight win in the third to take the match. Ryan Getz and Deanna Barrett were victorious at the fourth flight, winning 21-19, 14-21, 15-12, while the fifth pair of Caroline Myers and Beatriz Rissi won by a score of 21-14, 18-21, 16-14.

Ave Maria did not have the same success against the NCAA Division II Eckerd Tritons, falling 4-1. The most successful duo was Thomas and Grasso, who picked up a win at the second flight, 21-13, 18-21, 15-5. The closest Ave Maria came to a second point was Ines Lopes and Alayna Metherd, as the reigning NAIA National Pair of the Week forced a third set before falling in a 21-17, 19-21, 15-9 decision.

The Gyrenes will enter The Sun Conference Tournament, held next weekend in Bradenton, as the top seed for the first time in program history. Ave Maria's first round opponent, as well as the complete bracket and schedule for the event, will be announced later in the week. Webber, Warner, St. Thomas, and Florida Memorial are yet to complete the regular season, which could cause changes in the final standings, and therefore the bracket.