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Iona University Athletics

Claire Archibald
Stockton Photo Inc.
0
Marist MAR 14-13, 11-6 MAAC
3
Winner Iona College ION 17-7, 15-2 MAAC
Marist MAR
14-13, 11-6 MAAC
0
Final
3
Iona College ION
17-7, 15-2 MAAC
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 F
Marist MAR 20 16 20 (0)
Iona College ION 25 25 25 (3)

Game Recap: Volleyball | | Jonathan Stanko

Iona Volleyball Wins First Ever Outright MAAC Regular Season Title

Archibald surpasses career milestone; just the second player in program history to surpass 1,500 kills

NEW ROCHELLE, NY – The Iona College volleyball team clinched its first ever outright Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Regular Season Championship on Saturday afternoon with a sweep of the Marist Red Foxes at the Hynes Athletics Center.

The Gaels won in straight sets (25-20, 25-16, 25-20) with senior Claire Archibald leading the way on 11 kills and 10 digs. Archibald is just the second player in Maroon & Gold history to surpass 1,500 career kills. She enters tomorrow's senior day game against Siena with 1,510 career kills.

MATCH SUMMARY

The Gaels battled through nine ties and a pair of lead changes in the first set to take the initial lead. Senior Mia Bonsignore recorded four of her eight kills in the first game. Archibald and rookie Cassandra Patsos each had three kills. Iona had a strong 69.0 side out percentage; it kept this trend throughout the game by maintaining a 64.0%-plus mark in each set.

Iona's defense in the second set was suffocating. Marist hit 0.111% with six kills and nine attacking errors. The Gaels attack was at its strongest with a .333 hitting percentage. Archibald had five kills on 11 attempts and junior Tess Connolly had four points. The Gaels led by just two at 17-15 in the set, but an 8-1 run to end it secured a 2-0 lead.

Iona led by as many as 10 in the third set but Marist made a late run to keep the Gaels off balance. Down 20-12, the Red Foxes scored four straight points to force a Maroon & Gold timeout. Bonsignore restored order with a kill and made the scoreboard read 21-16 following the break. The MAAC foes seesawed till the end when sophomore Jamie Smith ended the match with her seventh kill.

NOTEABLE NUGGETS

  • Archibald ranks second all-time in career kills. She trails Miki Hogg '05 who holds the program record at 1536.
  • Bonsignore had eight kills and a match-best .636 hitting percentage. Redshirt junior Jessica Paolucci had 13 digs. Iona had the top three diggers in the match with Paolucci, Archibald and Connolly.
  • Freshman Cassandra Patsos led the Maroon & Gold in blocks with four. It's her highest total since her career-best five against Quinnipiac on Oct. 14. The Gaels as a team had eight block assists for the third straight match.
  • Rose had 37 assists and helped the Maroon & Gold to a .221 attacking percentage.
  • Iona had just one reception error in the match. It's ties a season best which has happened five times, most recently coming against Niagara on Oct. 27.

UP NEXT

The Gaels play in their final regular season game tomorrow, Sunday, Nov. 11, against Siena. Head coach Patric Santiago and the Iona athletics community are honoring four seniors prior to the game as part of the annual senior day ceremony. The game begins at 1 p.m. and is being streamed on ESPN+.

Following Sunday, Iona will play as the No. 1 seed in the MAAC Volleyball Championship. The quest for an NCAA tournament bid begins on Friday, Nov. 16 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, FL.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Be sure to follow Iona College athletics on all social media platforms:
ICGaels: Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
Iona Volleyball: Twitter, Facebook and Instagram


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