AVE MARIA, Fla. — They need the fifth set and then some, but the Ave Maria Volleyball team came out victorious over the Warner Royals Saturday afternoon, winning 3-2. The Gyrenes fought their way back into the game multiple times to get the hard-earned win conference win.
Warner led for the majority of the first set, which they went on to win 25-22. The Royals' largest lead of the frame was five points, taking a 16-11 lead. The Gyrenes got back within two points, but the Royals held on to win the first set. Ryan Getz led the team in the first frame with five kills.
The second set was a lot more back and forth between the two teams with 11 ties and four lead changes. Ave Maria had the last lead change of the match and fought off the rest of the times Warner tied the set. The Royals made it a one-point game following two errors from the Gyrenes, but a kill from Beatriz Rissi and a Warner attack error secured the set for the Gyrenes and tied the match. Rissi led the team with five kills in the set.
The third set was the most lopsided with the Royals winning 25-18. The Gyrenes started the frame by getting out to their largest lead of the match at four points, but the Royals crept back and tied the set at 13. Warner closed out the set on a 12-5 run. Five of the Royals' 12 points came off Gyrene errors in the run. Three different Gyrenes each had three kills in the set to lead the team.
With their backs up against the wall, the Gyrenes stormed back in the fourth set to win 25-19. The fourth set started out close, with eight ties between the two teams. Locked at 18, the Gyrenes ripped off a 7-2 run to claim the set. Ave Maria capitalized on five Warner errors during the run and ended the set with an ace from Caroline Myers. Mara Delyon led the team with five kills in the set.
Knotted up at two sets apiece, the Gyrenes entered the fifth set for the third time this season. Warner pressured early, leading by three points multiple times in the final frame. Down 12-9, the Gyrenes dug in and fought back. Ave Maria went on a 5-1 run to snag the lead and move one point away from winning the match. The Royals delayed the ending by tying Ave Maria at 14, now forcing the Gyrenes to win by two, but again the Gyrenes rose to the occasion. Back-to-back kills from Emily Child secured the set and the match.
Child led the team with a career-high 17 kills. Rissi and Getz also hit double-digits with 12 and 10 kills, respectively. Myers was the leading setter with a season-high 30 assists. Myers also led the team with a season-high three aces and posted a double-double with 17 digs. Megan Klockner also hit a season-high as a setter and recorded a double-double with 20 assists and 18 digs.
Defensively, Rissi led the team with three total blocks, four assisted and one solo. Maylis DeTar led the team on the back line with 30 digs.
With the win, Ave Maria improves to 4-7 and 3-1 in conference play. They are tied for second in the Sun Conference with Southeastern and are just a game behind St. Thomas in first place. The Gyrenes are also 2-1 in five-set matches after Saturday.
Ave Maria is back in action at the Tom Golisano Field House on Wednesday, September 24, against the Keiser Seahawks. Keiser is 2-3 in conference play and 6-7 overall. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game will be streamed live on the Urban Edge Network.
