MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The Ave Maria Volleyball team fell to the No. 12 St. Thomas Bobcats Wednesday night in three sets. The first set was the most competitive of the match, but the Gyrenes had a trouble keeping up with the Bobcats in the final two frames.
Ave Maria began the match red-hot, winning the first five points. Three kills, an STU attack error and a service ace from Caroline Myers led the early Gyrene lead.
Ave Maria stayed in front for a few more points, but the Bobcats took the lead during a five-point streak of their own. The Gyrenes hung near the Bobcats for the remaining of the frame but couldn't recapture the lead as they fell 25-20.
St. Thomas took the second set 25-16. The bobcats didn't have any runs longer than three straight points, but the Gyrenes had a tough time getting a rally going to buffer St. Thomas' scoring.
The third frame was the most lopsided of the match as Ave Maria fell 25-10. St. Thomas' longest scoring run of the frame was eight straight points, going from 17-9 to 24-9. The Gyrenes also hurt themselves in the third frame, committing more attack errors than kills to result in a negative hitting percentage. It was a final attack error that secured the match point for the Bobcats.
Beatriz Rissi and Emily Child tied for the team lead in kills with seven each. Myers led the team with 16 assists. Behind the line, the Gyrenes only recorded two aces, one from Abbey Grose and the other from Myers. Grose also led the team with eight digs.
With the loss, Ave Maria falls to 5-8 overall and 4-2 in conference play. Both New College and Southeastern won on Wednesday, sending the Gyrenes to fourth place in the Sun Conference standings. Ave Maria has a game and a half lead on the fifth place Keiser Seahawks, who are 3-4.
The Gyrenes are on the road for their next match, traveling north to Babson Park to take on the Webber Warriors. The Warriors lost to New College on Wednesday dropping them to 2-4 in league play. The match has been moved up to Friday, October 3, with opening serve slated for 7 p.m. The match will be streamed live on the Urban Edge Network.
