NEW ROCHELLE, NY - The Iona College volleyball team earned its ninth straight victory, defeating rival Manhattan in three sets in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play at the Hynes Center. The Gaels dispatched the Jaspers 25-14, 25-13, and 25-15 to improve to 11-1 in MAAC play while earning a two-game advantage for first place following a Marist loss at Niagara earlier in the day.
The Players
Sophomore right side hitter
Jamie Smith led the Gaels with 12 kills and an assisted block for 12.5 points, hitting .375 on 24 attempts. Senior outside hitter
Claire Archibald posted 11 kills, 10 digs and an ace, while hitting .360.
Senior middle hitter
Mia Bonsignore hit .571 with nine kills and rounded out an 11-point effort with two solo blocks. Junior
Karla Johnson entered the match late in the second set and had 10 kills on 10 swings for a perfect 1.000 hitting percentage, including 9-of-9 in the final frame. She added two assisted blocks for 11.0 points in the win.
Senior setter
Emma Rose led Iona's stellar offensive effort with 42 assists on the Gaels 53 kills. Rose added seven digs and a block as the Gaels hit a season-best .448 in the match. Red shirt junior libero had 15 digs and was 14-of-14 on the serve receive. She was a defensive stalwart behind limiting Manhattan to a .049 hitting percentage.
Inside the Numbers
- Emma Rose's 42 assists were one shy of a career-high in a three-set match, matching her output from Wednesday night's win over Saint Peter's. Rose averaged 14.0 assists per set in the win, above her 11.8 per set season average.
- Iona's .448 hitting percentage was the fourth-highest single-match effort since 2003 and the highest in a MAAC contest since October 6, 2013 in a win at Niagara (.444).
- Iona's 53 kills were their highest in a three-set match this season and highest since recording 57 in the aforementioned victory vs. the Purple Eagles in 2013. It was just the fourth effort of 50 or more kills in a three-set match in the last 10 seasons. It also matched a MAAC season-best set by Quinnipiac against the Jaspers last month.
- Claire Archibald recorded her 14th double-double in 18 matches this season. She has recorded at least nine kills in and eight digs in all 18 contests.
Up Next
Iona takes a break from MAAC play to host America East leading Stony Brook at the Hynes Center tomorrow at 3 p.m. on ESPN+. The two teams will each put a their nine-game winning streaks on the line in the contest. Stony Brook is 7-0 in America East play this season.
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