AVE MARIA, Fla. - The Ave Maria University volleyball team won a thrilling first set, but could not sustain the momentum in a 3-1 defeat at the hands of the Southeastern University Fire at the Tom Golisano Field House. The Gyrenes won an exciting first set by a 25-21 score, but then saw Southeastern claim control of the match with set victories of 25-21, 25-18, and 25-12.
The first set saw the teams trade the lead several times in the opening points, with Ave Maria putting together the first true run of match, scoring five straight points to turn a 12-10 deficit into a 15-12 lead. The Gyrenes were able to stretch the lead to 24-18, but saw SEU turn away three consecutive set points to force an AMU timeout. The Gyrenes finally finished off the Fire thanks to a kill from Greta Heiney.
Southeastern answered in the second set, jumping out to a 4-1 lead they would never relinquish. The second set ended similar to the first, albeit with the roles reversed. Southeastern had three attempts at set point turned away at 24-18, 24-19, and 24-20, cutting the lead to 24-21. SEU evened the match on a kill by Jillian Zoerman, finishing off a 25-21 win.
The final two sets proved to be more of the same for the visitors, who claimed victories of 25-18 and 25-12. The Gyrenes never recovered from a 5-0 hole in the third set, and Southeastern continued the momentum by never trailing in the fourth. The fourth set was the most efficient of the afternoon for the Fire, who racked up an attack percentage of .355.
Elle Malczewski and Greta Heiney both hit double figures in kills with ten, with Emily Child close behind with nine. Caroline Myers (16) and Maria Teixeira (12) split setting duties, combining for 28 of the team's 37 assists. Five Gyrenes were in double figures in the digs column, led by 21 from Maylis DeTar and 14 for Teixeira, good for a double-double. Lillian Dauses and Sarah Blau led the Gyrenes at the net with four blocks each.
Holding a 1-2 record in Sun Conference play, the Gyrenes will head on the road for their next two contests. Ave Maria will head north for a battle with the Warner University Royals next Saturday, with opening serve scheduled for 7:00 p.m. in Lake Wales. The road trip concludes against Keiser University on Wednesday, September 23, with opening serve slated for 6:30 p.m. in West Palm Beach.
