HAMDEN, CT – After falling in the first set on the campus of Quinnipiac University, the Iona College volleyball team rebounded to claim set two through four and earn a 3-1 (16-25, 25-17, 25-18, 25-23) MAAC victory this afternoon.

Claire Archibald led the Maroon & Gold (10-14, 8-4) with 19 kills on a .310 hitting percentage while also adding team-best 13 digs and an ace. Mia Bonsignore joined Archibald in double-digit kills with 10 while Tess Connolly posted 12 digs and Taylor Cole added 11. Bonsignore also added six block assists as the team accumulated 10 on the afternoon with Shaina Campbell contributing one solo and three assisted. Emma Rose and Jamie Smith nearly evenly split setting duties with the freshman notching 23 compared to 22 for Rose.

The Bobcats (6-19, 5-7 MAAC) were led by 12 kills from Natalie Alechko, who also notched eight digs. Kaleigh Oats recorded five kills and five blocks (one solo, four assisted) in the effort while Maria Pansari registered a match-high 30 assists.

Forcing 11 attacking errors from the Gaels and recording 13 kills as a team, Quinnipiac was able to create a margin later in the first set. A 15-13 advantage quickly turned into a 10-3 run to close out the set with and take the early 1-0 lead in the match.

The Maroon & Gold responded in the second frame with Archibald connecting on five kills throughout 12 attempts with no errors. However, it was Bonsignore that helped clinch the victory with a kill and a block, joined by Smith, for the final two points of the game. The two points were the end of a 9-3 run to end the set for Iona at 25-17.

After losing the lead at 13-12 in the third set, Iona strung together a 7-0 run that included three kills from Archibald and an ace from Cole. The spurt proved to be the difference for the Gaels in the set, claiming the 2-1 match advantage behind a 25-18 win. Archibald finished the set with six kills while Smith set for nine assists and Bonsignore posted three kills and two block assists.

Iona looked to end the match in four sets, building an 11-2 lead to open the set and force a Quinnipiac timeout. Following the Bobcat break, the hosts cut the deficit to two points at 13-11 following a Haley Anderson ace. The margin fell to one point at 24-23, however, Connolly was able to cap off the win behind a kill on a set from Rose.

The Maroon & Gold continue the MAAC Connecticut trip on Sunday afternoon with a meeting at Fairfield, scheduled for a 1:00 pm start.