Lady Falcons Take Down Ave Maria

AVE MARIA, Fla. – The Lady Falcons extended their winning streak to six games after taking down the Ave Maria University Gyrenes in four sets 25-21,18-25, 25-14, and 25-21.

The Lady Falcons faced off against a familiar foe from the Sun Conference in the Ave Maria Gyrenes. With the Gyrenes starting off their season 0-7, they were looking to right the ship before it sank. Raquel Teixeira and the Lady Falcons had other plans. In the first set alone, they scored 14 kills, which was a higher total than any player on the Gyrenes. The Lady Falcons prevailed over the Gyrenes in the first set 25-21.

The second set saw the Lady Falcons uncharacteristically generate quite a few unforced attack errors. Florida College only scored 11 kills on 31 attempts, which saw their percentage drop from .216 in the first set to .065 in the second. Despite this, Ave Maria still had to work to get ahead in this set. The Gyrenes took the second set 25-18 and kept their hopes of getting their first win of the season alive.

The Lady Falcons came storming back in the third set, scoring 15 kills with a hitting percentage of .297. Not only did they have their best hitting performance of the match in the third set, but they dominated the net resulting in the Gyrenes having a negative -.027 hitting percentage. The Gyrenes managed just six kills on 37 attempts and forced seven errors at the net. The control at the net rewarded the Lady Falcons with a big win in the third set 25-14 and they would look to wrap it up in the fourth set.

The Lady Falcons dominated at the net in the fourth set, forcing the Gyrenes to another negative hitting percentage at -.024. This set finished identical to the first with the Lady Falcons victorious 25-21 extending their winning streak. Raquel Teixeira registered 17 kills, 11 digs, and scored 19 points for the Lady Falcons enroute to her being named the Attacker of the Week for the Continental Athletic Conference.

Teixeira had this to say about the game, "It is a blessing to be able to play the sport that I love at Florida College. Every game brings its own emotions, but fun is always present. The last game against Ave Maria was not an exception. We played hard while enjoying the process and it would never be the same without this team."