GREENEVILLE, Tenn.- The Ave Maria University beach volleyball team made their first appearance on the national stage this week, playing for the first time at the NAIA Women's Beach Volleyball Invitational, held this year in Greeneville, Tennessee. Despite going 0-4 in the Volunteer State, the Gyrenes showed they belonged on the national level, winning five flights throughout the weekend, and coming within seven sets of going undefeated and heading to the national semifinals.

Ave Maria opened up play against the fourth-ranked team in the nation from Arizona Christian. The Gyrenes earned their first-ever victory in a national tournament match at the third flight, where Ryan Getz and DeAnna Barrett picked up a 26-24, 23-21 win. Arizona Christian did win the other four matches, although the Gyrenes were close to flipping two of those four, falling in a third set in both the first and fourth flights.

The lone team to sweep the Gyrenes was Corban University, the national championship favorite and top ranked team in the nation. Even against Corban, the Gyrenes were very competitive, with three of the five matches going to a third set, which could have flipped the match in AMU's favor. Ave Maria's teams at the second, fourth, and fifth flights all pushed their matches to the final set, but were topped by a battled-tested Corban team. 

Friday's pool play finale saw Ave Maria and Webber International, the two Sun Conference representatives, face off in a rubber match. The top and bottom of Ave Maria's lineup came through with victories, as Ines Lopes and Alayna Metherd won in three sets at the top flight, while Abbey Grose and Paeton Hyde did the same at the fifth flight. Ave Maria had chances to knock off the Warriors, but fell in three sets in both the second and third flights.

With pool play concluded, Ave Maria entered the national quarterfinals against the second-ranked team in the nation, the Spirit of Ottawa University Arizona. The Gyrenes came dangerously close to the biggest upset of the tournament, falling 3-2. The wins were provided by Hannah Jones and Beatriz Rissi at the fourth flight and Abbey Grose and Paeton Hyde at the fifth flight, with the latter team winning their second match of the week. AMU's best chance to take the match came at the top flight, where OUAZ won in three sets to move to the national semifinals.

AMU concludes the best season in school history with an overall record of 13-7, with all seven losses coming to either national tournament qualifiers or NCAA Division II schools. The Gyrenes won the first Sun Conference regular season championship in school history with an undefeated conference record, and made their first appearance on the national stage.