NEW ROCHELLE, NY - The Iona College volleyball team picked up a four-set win over Manhattan in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference action at the Hynes Center. After losing the first set 25-18, the Gaels (9-5, 3-1 MAAC) came back to win three straight (25-19, 25-19, 25-18) to salvage a 1-1 weekend at home.
The Gaels responded to the first set loss early in the second. The Gaels took an early 4-3 lead and never looked back, leading by as many as eight points at 16-8 after back to back Lady Jasper attack errors. The visitors pulled to within three points at 19-16 but would not get any closer in the 25-19 set loss. The third set featured seven tie scores and two lead changes in Iona's six-point win. With the score tied at 15-15, junior setter
Nicole Tamburri rallied the Gaels for four straight service points and a four-point advantage the team would not relinquish. The Gaels captured four of the set's last five points in the win. In the final set, a 11-11 score would be the final tie of the match. Iona went on a 9-1 run to match its largest set lead of the match at 20-12. Manhattan cut the deficit to 20-15 but once again would not get any closer.
Sophomore OH
Theresa Harvey posted her fourth double-double of the year with a team-best 17 kills and 10 digs. She hit .289 for the match but converted 12 of 22 (.545) attack attempts with no errors in the final two sets to lead Iona. Freshman OH
Alicja Pawelec complemented her teammate with 14 kills, her seventh double-digit effort of the season and fourth in the last five matches. Pawelec hit .333 for the contest but her stretch of nine kills in 13 attempts in sets two and three sparked Iona in its victory. She added five digs and two blocks.
Senior MB
Colleen Genett recorded eight kills along with a season-high seven blocks. Tamburri came on midway through the first set and had 37 assists and three aces. She had five kills in eight attempts in the win.
Defensively, four different Iona players recorded 10 or more digs. In addition to Harvey, senior libero
Allison Nieters recorded her third 30+ dig effort of the season with 31. She moved up four spots on the NCAA's all-time dig list and stands at No. 16 with 2,345 in her career at Iona. Senior RS
Bethany Schornack pitched in 13 digs while senior DS
Laura Fojanesi added 11.
The Gaels continue a four-match homestand next weekend when they host Rider and Fairfield at the Hynes Center on Saturday (Oct. 2) and Sunday (Oct. 3). Both matches are slated for 2:00 pm.
