AVE MARIA, Fla. — The Ave Maria Volleyball team got into the win column for the first time Wednesday night in their home opener against the Florida National Conquistadors. It was a clean sweep win for the Gyrenes who took a tightly contested first set and then overpowered the Conquistadors in the next two to win 25-22, 25-18, 25-18.
Florida National came charging out of the gate in the first set and led the Gyrenes for many of the points. That all changed after Ave Maria went on a 12-3 run, putting them at set point. Nine of the Gyrenes 12 points were off kills, with Elle Malczewski and Mara Delyon leading the way with three each. Florida National got two points back to get with two of Ave Maria, but a service error from the Conquistadors clinched the set for the Gyrenes.
The second set featured a just as impressive run for the Gyrenes, scoring 14 points in a 16-point stretch. Ave Maria went from down 9-6 to up 20-11 in just a matter of moments. Again, it was the front court leading the way for the Gyrenes with 14 of those points consisting of eight kills. The other six points came from FNU errors. The conquistadors tried to come back in the second frame, but a nine-point deficit was too high as the Gyrenes closed out the set with another kill from Delyon.
The third set did not feature any big runs from the Gyrenes, but just constant pressure from Ave Maria as they put Florida National away. The longest scoring stretch for Ave Maria was at the end of the set as the Gyrenes scored four straight point to close the frame and the match.
"The team really unified together [tonight] and stuck to our gameplan to stay on the offensive and stay aggressive," said head coach Tiegan McCormick following the win. "We also trusted each other a lot to execute on the plays that we've been working on and following our gameplan. So, we really came together as a team and I'm proud of how we competed today."
Individually, Delyon led the Gyrene attack Wednesday night with 10 kills. Delyon, a freshman from Michigan, also posted the first double-double of the season with 12 digs as well.
"I think she did a phenomenal job," said McCormick about one of the newcomers on the Gyrene roster. "[Your] first home game, being a freshman on the court, I know can always be a little nerve wracking, but I think she rose to the challenge really well and it was clear that her team trusted her. We gave her a lot of balls, and she worked with it well and made sure she found the spot on the court to place it."
Elsewhere, Caroline Myers was the leading setter with 19 assists, while Megan Klockner was right behind her with 15. Defensively, Ryan Getz led the team with 15 digs. Abbey Grose collected 12 digs to tie Delyon for second in the team. At the net, Hudson and Beatriz Rissi led the team with three blocks. Behind the line, Getz had two of the four aces for the Gyrenes.
With the win, Ave Maria improves to 1-5 overall and starts 1-0 on their home court. They also extend their win streak over Florida National to now 14 straight matches. Ave Maria will see the Conquistadors two more times this season.
The Gyrenes get another extended break before returning to the court Friday, September 5, in Bradenton, Florida. The Gyrenes will travel north to take on the New College of Florida Mighty Banyans in their Sun Conference season opener. First serve is set for 2:30 p.m. and the game will be streamed live on the Urban Edge Network.
