LAKE WALES, Fla.- The Ave Maria University volleyball team started slowly in each of Saturday's three sets, and could never mount a comeback in a 3-0 defeat at the hands of the Warner University Royals in Lake Wales. Saturday's match marked the first of two meetings between the teams this season, with a return trip to Southwest Florida scheduled for October 26. Warner won the match 25-19, 25-19, 25-20, moving to 6-7 overall while the Gyrenes fell to 1-11.

Ave Maria scored the first point of the afternoon on an attack error, but Warner responded with seven of the next eight points to take a 7-2 lead. Warner led for the majority of the set, but the Gyrenes rallied to tie the score at 19 following an 11-4 run. The final run of the set belonged to the Royals, however, as Warner scored six straight points to take the opening set by a 25-19 score.

Warner again jumped out to a big lead on Ave Maria, scoring eight of the first nine points in the second set for an 8-1 lead. AMU never got closer than three points in the set, a margin that came after a block from Beatriz Rissi and Caroline Myers made it 21-18. Warner closed the deal from there, scoring four of the second set's final five points to win their second straight set by a 25-19 score.

The Gyrenes immediately found themselves in another hole in the third set, as Warner scored the first five points of the frame. The Royals built their lead as large as nine points at 14-5. Ave Maria did make in interesting by cutting the lead to 20-17, but Warner scored five of the final eight points of the set before a block from Sofia Suarez sealed a 25-20 win for the Royals and a sweep of the match. 

Freshman Greta Heiney was Ave Maria's most effective attacker in the losing effort, logging eight kills and just one error, good for a .368 attack percentage. Caroline Myers handled most of the setting duties, accounting for 18 of the team's 26 assists. Ines Lopes did what she could defensively, leading the Gyrenes with 15 digs.

AMU plays two matches next week, with back-to-back contests in the middle of the week before getting a Saturday off. The Gyrenes will head across Alligator Alley for a matchup with Keiser University in West Palm Beach on Wednesday, then come back home for a non-conference matchup against the Conquistadors of Florida National University at the Tom Golisano Field House.