BABSON PARK, Fla. — The Ave Maria Volleyball team dropped their final game of the regular season, losing to the Webber Warriors 3-0. The Gyrenes scored 23 points in both the first and third sets but could not get the job done as the Warriors swept AMU.
Ave Maria led for almost the entirety of the first set Saturday afternoon. The Gyrenes won the first three points of the frame and continued to stay in front of the Warriors, piecing together multiple three and four-point runs. AMU's largest lead of the set came off a Megan Klockner ace that put the Gyrenes up 17-13.
However, Webber did not go away. Webber made up the four point deficit to tie the Gyrenes. Ave Maria continued to be the team to break the tie, but the match bounced between a Gyrene lead and a tie multiple times. Ave Maria took a 23-22 lead off a kill from Kaitlyn Anderson, but that was the last point the Gyrenes would get in the frame. Webber took the final three points to win the set 25-23.
The loss in the first set really punched Ave Maria in the mouth and the Gyrenes had a hard time recovering in the second set. Webber won the middle frame handedly at 25-16. Ave Maria committed more attack errors than kills in the second set, going from a hitting percentage of .243 in the first set to -.029 in the second set.
Ave Maria put up a valiant effort in the third set but ran out of time as Webber took it 25-23. The two squads went back and forth with each other for the entire frame. Webber got out to a four-point lead late in the set, leading 23-19. The Gyrenes tried to take a page out of the Warriors playbook and put together a comeback. Ave Maria won four the next five points to get back within one of the Warriors. The final two points for Ave Maria came with their backs against the all facing match point. The Gyrenes needed just one more point to force free volleyball, but a Webber kill sealed the win for the Warriors.
Individually, three Gyrenes tied for the team lead with eight kills: Lucy Hudson, Emily Child and Mara Delyon. Klockner was the leading setter with 17 assists, followed by Caroline Myers with 16.
Behind the service line, the Gyrenes logged just two aces from Klockner and Ryan Getz.
Defensively, Maylis DeTar led the team with 10 digs and was the only Gyrene to hit double digits. At the net, Hudson and Child led the team with two blocks each.
With the loss, Ave Maria finishes the regular season with a 9-12 record overall and a 4-10 record in conference play. The Gyrenes finish sixth in the Sun Conference and will be the sixth seed in the Sun Conference Tournament.
Ave Maria now turns their attention to the postseason. The Gyrenes clinched their spot in the tournament on November 4 thanks to a Warner loss. It is the eighth straight season that Ave Maria has qualified for the postseason. As the six seed, the Gyrenes will take on the three seed New College of Florida Mighty Banyans in Bradenton. New College swept the season series against the Gyrenes, but Ave Maria won a set in the road match and two sets in their home match the Tom Golisano Field House. The match is scheduled for Tuesday, November 10, with a game time still to be announced. The match will be streamed live on the Sun Digital Network.
