AVE MARIA, Fla. — After an incredible third set that needed six extra points to decide a winner, the Ave Maria Volleyball team could see the light at the end of the tunnel. The Gyrenes led 2-1 and were one set away from their first postseason win since 2021. However, AMU could not close out Keiser in the final two frames and fell in five sets, once again being eliminated from the Sun Conference Tournament by the Seahawks for the third time in four years.
Right from the get-go it was easy to tell this was going to be a tight match between the Gyrenes and the Seahawks. Keiser took the opening frame 25-23, but there were seven ties and six lead changes in the set. Caroline Myers opened the match with a service ace on the very first point. Keiser outkilled Ave Maria 15-10 in the first set but all logged more errors than the Gyrenes with 10 to AMU's six. Greta Heiney and Emily Child tied for the team lead in kills in the first set with three. It was a kill from Child that knotted the set up at 23, but back-to-back points from Keiser gave the Seahawks the early lead.
The Gyrenes roared back in the second set, only trailing for four points as they took the frame 25-22. Again, Ave Maria benefitted from Keiser errors as the Seahawks logged 13 attack errors and posted a negative hitting percentage. Three straight KU errors gave Ave Maria a lead they would hold onto for most of the set. Towards the end of the set, the Seahawks went on a four-point run to take a 20-19 lead. The Gyrenes won the next point to tie the set at 20 and then two started swapping points back and forth, working up to a 22-22 tie. Mara Delyon recorded an ace to put Ave Maria back in front by a point and then a Heiney kill gave the Gyrenes set point. Keiser called a timeout, but it didn't stop Delyon from clinching the frame with her second ace of the run.
The third set was the wildest of the match with the Gyrenes taking it 28-26. Keiser led for almost the entire set and led by as many as five points multiple times in the frame. The Gyrenes didn't quit though and kept fighting all the way through. Towards the back end of the set, the Gyrenes worked three ties at 20, 22 and 24. Ave Maria fought off two set points to work the final tie and force extra points. Even in the bonus points, Keiser took the lead twice at 25-24 and 26-25, but the Gyrenes would not go away. A bad set tied the frame once again at 26 and gave Ave Maria the serve. A kill from Heiney gave the Gyrenes their first lead since it was 1-0 and an ace from Maria Teixeria clinched the set.
Leading 2-1, the Gyrenes need just one more set to move on the Sun Conference final four. Unfortunately, Ave Maria had run out of magic in the final two frames. Keiser led the entire way in the fourth set, cruising to a 25-19 win. It was the first set of the match that one team didn't make it over 20 points. Keiser tightened up their attacks and only committed four errors in the frame after averaging 11 in the first three. Delyon led the team in kills in the fourth set with four.
The fifth and deciding frame was the most lopsided one of the match with Keiser winning 15-4. The Seahawks won seven of the last eight points to win the game and move onto the final site in Miami Gardens. A nine-point deficit is the largest margin Ave Maria has lost by in a fifth set since the season opener in 2019 when they lost 15-3 to Faulkner.
Individually, Heiney led the team with a career-high 14 kills. She also assisted on block to finish the game with 14.5 points. Elle Malczewski also hit double digits with 11 kills. Malczewski assisted on seven blocks, a career-high, to also finish with 14.5 points. Myers was the leading setter with 24 assists, but Teixeira was right behind her with 20. Behind the line, Delyon led the team with two of Ave Maria's five aces.
Defensively, Delyon also lead the team in digs with 32, a season-high for the freshman. At the net, Beatriz Rissi led the team with 10 total blocks, tying for the fourth most in a match in program history. She finishes her Ave Maria career with the third-most blocks in program history with 212.
With the loss, Ave Maria finishes the season 9-15. The Gyrenes still won the season series against the Seahawks, having won both matches in the regular season, but still have yet to beat the Seahawks in the postseason.
The Gyrenes now look to the sand and Beach Volleyball season. Ave Maria made it to the second day of the Sun Conference Tournament this past spring and will look to make it a little bit farther in 2026.
