Ave Maria University Athletics’ women’s volleyball team, listed as Ave Maria (FL), lost to St. Thomas 3-1 on Nov. 4, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. St. Thomas won the match 25-16, 27-29, 25-16, 25-14, but Ave Maria secured a berth in the Sun Conference Tournament for the eighth consecutive year after Warner lost to Southeastern in Lakeland. Ave Maria owns the tiebreaker over Warner after sweeping the season series.
The loss left Ave Maria with a 9-11 overall record and a 4-9 mark in Sun Conference play. The Gyrenes remained in contention for fifth place, sitting a half-game behind Webber. Their tournament qualification came despite St. Thomas winning three of the four sets.
Ave Maria wins longest set of season
St. Thomas opened the match with a 25-16 win after taking an early 6-0 lead. The Bobcats also held the stronger attacking numbers for the match, posting a .299 hitting percentage compared with Ave Maria’s .194. Ave Maria responded by winning the second set 29-27, the longest set of the season for the Gyrenes.
Ave Maria reached set point first at 24-23 on an Elle Malczewski kill, but St. Thomas answered with two points to claim its first set point. Malczewski added another kill to keep the Gyrenes alive, and Greta Heiney followed with a kill to put Ave Maria within one point of the set. After St. Thomas again tied the score, Ave Maria won the final three points, including a kill from Heiney and an ace by Maylis DeTar.
St. Thomas regained control in the third set and won 25-16 after taking 10 of the first 13 points. The Bobcats then closed the match with a 25-14 fourth-set victory. Ave Maria held a couple of early leads in the final set, but St. Thomas used a late 5-0 run to build a 10-point advantage.
Malczewski leads Ave Maria attack
Malczewski led Ave Maria with 12 kills, while Heiney and Mara Delyon each recorded 10. Megan Klockner paced the Gyrenes with 21 assists, and Caroline Myers added 13. Delyon also recorded one ace, giving Ave Maria two aces along with DeTar’s one.
DeTar led Ave Maria with 20 digs and was the team’s only player to reach double figures in that category. Lucy Hudson led the Gyrenes at the net with four blocks. The individual production helped Ave Maria take the second set, but St. Thomas’ .299 hitting percentage helped it win the match.
Webber finale will decide fifth place
Ave Maria will conclude the regular season at Webber on Nov. 7 at 2 p.m. in Babson Park, Fla. Fifth place remains at stake because the Gyrenes entered the match a half-game behind Webber. Webber won the teams’ first meeting on Oct. 3.
The regular-season finale is scheduled to stream on the Sun Digital Network. Ave Maria’s tournament berth is already secure through the Warner tiebreaker. The result against Webber will determine whether the Gyrenes move into fifth place before the Sun Conference Tournament.
FSB Take
Ave Maria secured its postseason position without needing a win against St. Thomas because Warner’s loss and the season-series tiebreaker settled the tournament qualification. That result shifts the immediate focus to the Webber matchup, where fifth place remains available. The Gyrenes now enter the finale with tournament qualification secured and a specific standings objective still in front of them.
Source: Original report