Ave Maria (FL) volleyball took a 2-1 lead before No. 23 New College of Florida won the final two sets for a 3-2 victory on Oct. 11, 2026, in Ave Maria, Fla. New College won 25-19, 20-25, 20-25, 25-18 and 15-12. The loss dropped Ave Maria (FL) to 6-7 overall and 2-6 in The Sun Conference.
Ave Maria (FL) remained in sixth place in The Sun Conference standings, according to the source. New College of Florida posted a .170 hitting percentage, compared with .132 for Ave Maria (FL).
Ave Maria Takes 2-1 Lead
New College of Florida opened the match with a 25-19 win in the first set. Ave Maria (FL) answered by winning the second set 25-20, then claimed the third set by the same score to move in front 2-1.
Ave Maria (FL) recorded 15 kills in the third set. Greta Heiney supplied the set-clinching point with her seventh kill of the match.
New College Wins Final Two Sets
New College of Florida tied the match with a 25-18 victory in the fourth set. Both teams recorded 12 kills in the frame, while Ave Maria (FL) had nine attack errors compared with five for New College.
The fifth set remained close before New College of Florida used a three-point run to turn a 5-5 tie into an 8-5 lead. Ave Maria (FL) moved within one point twice but could not pull even, and New College finished the match with a 15-12 win.
Ave Maria Leaders
Kaitlyn Anderson led Ave Maria (FL) with 14 kills. Malczewski recorded 13 kills, Greta Heiney had 10 and Emily Child finished with nine.
Caroline Myers led Ave Maria (FL) with 22 assists, followed by Maria Teixeira with 17. Myers also recorded two service aces, bringing her career total to 99.
Ave Maria (FL) recorded 10 service aces, led by Mara Delyon with five. The five aces were a career high for Delyon and tied for the third-most in a five-set match in program history, while Ryan Getz had two and Maylis DeTar had one.
DeTar led Ave Maria (FL) with 28 digs. Getz had 19 digs and Delyon recorded 14, while Child, Malczewski and Lillian Dauses each finished with two blocks.
Next Match
Ave Maria (FL) is scheduled to host the Florida College Falcons on Tuesday, Oct. 13, at 7 p.m. Florida College won the teams’ first meeting in September.
The match is Ave Maria (FL)’s Breast Cancer Awareness Match, and fans are encouraged to wear pink. The match is scheduled to stream live on the Sun Digital Network.
FSB Take
Ave Maria (FL) turned a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead against No. 23 New College of Florida but could not finish the comeback. The five-set result leaves Ave Maria (FL) at 6-7 overall and 2-6 in The Sun Conference, with the Florida College Falcons next on the schedule.
Source: Original report