BABSON PARK, Fla. — All three sets in Friday night's volleyball match between Ave Maria and Webber were tightly contested, however, the Warriors wound up on top in all three frames to win the match. The Gyrenes had late leads in both the first and third sets but couldn't get the clinching point as Webber came back both times.
The Gyrenes led for a majority of the first set, thanks in part to a 9-3 run to take a 16-9 lead. Ave Maria hung onto their advantage and were the first ones to cross over the 20-point threshold. The Gyrenes were leading 21-15 when Webber went on a huge run to take over the set. The Warriors won nine points in a row to take a 24-21 lead. Six of the nine points were off attack errors from the Gyrenes, and another point was off an ace. A Webber service error finally ended the run, but AMU returned the favor with a service error of their own to secure the first set for Webber.
Webber led for much of the second set, taking an 8-7 lead and never giving it back. The Gyrenes rattled off three straight points facing set point from the Warriors but could only get as high as 21 points. Another block secured the frame for WIU.
Backed into a corner in the third set, the Gyrenes fought back and battled the Warriors. The lead seesawed a couple of times, but neither team had more than a four-point lead. The Gyrenes were the first team to 24 points, taking a 24-23 lead after a kill from Emily Child. Webber called a timeout facing set point and got a point right after the break to send the set into extras. A WIU service error put the Gyrenes once again one point away from extending the match, but still the Gyrenes couldn't close. Webber scored the next two points to bring up match point for them, but another service error kept Ave Maria in the game. However, the Warriors did win the next two points to end the match in a sweep.
Individually, Child led the team with 11 kills. Beatriz Rissi also hit double figures with 10 kills. Ave Maria recorded just two aces behind the line from Abbey Grose and Ava Winkler. Caroline Myers was the leading setter with 27 assists in the match. Defensively, Maylis DeTar led the team with 14 digs. Mara Delyon also hit double figures with 10 digs. At the net, Rissi led the team with five blocks, all assisted.
With the loss, Ave Maria falls to 5-9 overall and 4-3 in conference play. The Gyrenes hold steady at fourth place in the Sun Conference standings.
The Gyrenes are back home for their next match after two matches away from the Tom Golisano Field House. Ave Maria will host a non-conference match against Florida College on Tuesday, October 7. It will be the Gyrenes' third match against the Falcons this season, having played them once on the road at Temple Terrace and again at a neutral site in Bradenton. Florida College won the previous two matches. Opening serve is set for 7 p.m. and the match will be streamed live on the Urban Edge Network.
