AVE MARIA , Fla. — Ave Maria put up a good fight against Southeastern and saw an individual join the 1000-assist club, but it was not enough to get past the Fire. The Gyrenes took the first set but dropped the next three to lose the match 3-1.
Caroline Myers came into the match with 997 career assists, putting her just three sets away from 1000. She did not have to wait long and got assist number 1000 on the Gyrenes' third point of the match, leading to a Beatriz Rissi kill. Myers becomes just the fifth Gyrene in program history to record 1000 assists and the first since Lily Witkowski hit the thousand-mark on October 9, 2021.
After the feat for Myers, the opening frame continued to get better and better for the Gyrenes. It was a back-and-forth set between Ave Maria and Southeastern, with neither team going a run longer than three points. The Fire took a 23-21 lead late in the frame and were looking to close the set out, but a kill from Greta Heiney brought the Gyrenes back to within one and control of the serve. Ave Maria won the next three points with a kill from Lucy Hudson and two attack errors from the Fire to win 25-23. It was just the fifth set Southeastern has lost since September 13 and gave Ave Maria an early lead.
The Fire came out swinging in the second set, winning five of the first six points to take a 5-1 lead. The Gyrenes matched Southeastern's pace from there, but could not climb back out of the hole they were in. Down 23-17, Ave Maria scored three points in a row, all kills from Rissi and Ryan Getz, to get within reaching distance of the Fire. However, Southeastern called a timeout and scored two straight points out of the break to take the set.
The third set was just like the second with Ave Maria finding themselves down but going on a late run to get back in the game. Trailing 22-18, the Gyrenes won three straight points to get within one of the Fire. Rissi and Emily Child recorded kills on the first two points and an ace from Getz secured the third. Southeastern won the next two out of a timeout to force set point. Ave Maria fended off one play with another kill from Rissi, but the Fire won the next point to secure the set.
The fourth and final frame was the most lopsided of the match with Southeastern winning 25-17. An 8-1 Southeastern run early in the frame put the Fire up 12-6. The Gyrenes could not get a run of their own going as the Fire took the set and the match.
Despite the loss, Ave Maria led Southeastern in both kills and points, 56-55 and 66-65, respectively. It was 26 attack errors from the Gyrenes that did them in and led to the Fire victory.
Individually, Ave Maria had three players record double-digit kills. Rissi led the team with 13 while Child and Elle Malczewski were right behind her with 11. Myers led the team in assists with 24, bringing her career total 1021. Maria Texiera also recorded over 20 assists with 22. Both players recorded a double-double with 10 and 15 digs, respectively. Defensively, Getz led the team with 17 digs. At the net, Lucy Hudson led the team with four total blocks.
With the loss, Ave Maria falls to 6-12 overall and 5-5 in conference play. The Gyrenes hold onto fourth place in the Sun Conference standings with four more league games remaining on the schedule.
Ave Maria is on the road for the rest of October, traveling to Florida National, Warner and Keiser. The first of those three matches is against FNU on October 21. Ave Maria beat the conquistadors in the home opener on August 27 and are looking to complete the season sweep. Opening serve is set for 7 p.m.
