HIALEAH, Fla. — The Ave Maria Volleyball team won their final non-conference match of the season Tuesday evening, beating the Florida National Conquistadors 3-1. In a rare occurrence, the Gyrenes dropped the first set but went on to win the next three frames to take the match.
There was not much Ave Maria could do to stop the Conquistadors in the first set as FNU won 25-20. Florida National logged 16 kills in the opening frame to just three errors for a hitting percentage of .333. Ave Maria did not slouch as they recorded 14 kills of their own. The points just came after a 10-2 run put Florida National up 17-9 and forced the Gyrenes to play catchup the rest of the way.
The Gyrenes found their footing in the second set. FNU got out to an early lead by winning the first four points and lead for a majority of the set. Ave Maria worked up to three ties, but each time the Conquistadors would find a way to retake the lead on the next point. Finally, a four-point run for the Gyrenes gave them their first lead of the match at 19-18. FNU recaptured the lead one more time before Ave Maria won the final six points to take the set 25-20. The winning point came on an emphatic service ace from Mara Delyon.
The third set had the biggest margin as Ave Maria won 25-18. Like FNU in the second set, AMU won the first four points of the set. Unlike the Conquistadors, the Gyrenes did not let their opponent back into the set and controlled the frame the entire way. Ave Maria's biggest lead in the frame was eight points, which they hit twice. A kill from Elle Malczewski was the winning blow for the Gyrenes and put them one frame away from winning the match.
The final set of the match was the closest and featured a big run from each team late in the match. Ave Maria took an early lead to start the frame, but both teams hung around each other for the opening points. Down 13-12, Ave Maria went on a 5-0 run to take a four-point lead and force a timeout from the Conquistadors. Out of the timeout, Florida National responded with a 5-0 run of their own, taking an 18-17 lead and forcing a timeout called by the Gyrenes. FNU won the first point out of the timeout to take a two-point lead, but the Gyrenes won eight of the final 10 points to take the set 25-21 and clinch the match. A block from Lucy Hudson and Malczewski secured the winning point for the Gyrenes.
As a team, the Gyrenes logged a season-high 55 kills. Emily Child was the leading attacker with 12 kills. Greta Heiney and Kaitlyn Anderson also hit double digits, each with 10.
Megan Klockner was the leading setter, logging a season-high 26 assists. Caroline Myers was right behind her with 20 assists.
Behind the service line, the Gyrenes logged 10 aces, hitting double figures for the sixth time this season. Myers led the way with four service aces. That brings her career total up to 110, breaking the program record of 106 which has stood since Haley Wonka set it in 2013. Klockner and Delyon also recorded multiple aces on Tuesday.
Defensively, Maylis DeTar led the team with 19 digs. Ryan Getz also hit double figures with 14.
At the net, Hudson logged eight blocks, one solo and seven assisted. That is tied for the most blocks in four-set match in school history.
With the win, Ave Maria improves to 8-9 overall. The Gyrenes finish their non-conference schedule with a record of 5-2.
Ave Maria is back in action Saturday, October 24, as they host the Warner Royals. The Gyrenes won the first meeting between the two teams in Lake Wales on September 19 and look to make it a clean sweep of the Royals. Saturday is also the final weekend home game of the season, so the Gyrenes will celebrate Senior Day. Opening serve is set for 2 p.m. and the match will be streamed live on the Sun Digital Network.
