FAIRFIELD, CT – The Iona College volleyball program lost its first MAAC contest on the road in Alumni Hall to the Fairfield Stags on Sunday afternoon. The defending league champions bested the Maroon & Gold in four sets (24-26, 22-25, 25-23, 22-25).
PLAYERS SPOTLIGHT
Sophomore
Jamie Smith had her second straight strong outing for Iona. She finished with a season-best and team-high 16.5 points. Smith had 15 kills on 41 total attack attempts. She chipped in 10 digs for a double-double effort. Junior
Tess Connolly had a team-best .229 hitting percentage and ended with 12 kills and 15 digs.
Senior
Emma Rose had 42 assists and 13 digs. Senior
Claire Archibald had 13.5 points on two blocks and 12 kills. Senior
Jessica Paolucci had a team-high 43 receptions and 25 digs. Sophomore
Taylor Cole came off the bench and had two service aces.
MATCH SUMMARY
Fairfield won the first set 26-24 behind a .308 hitting percentage. The Gaels also had three service aces and eight attacks errors. The Stags took the second set 25-22 with another plus-.300 hitting percentage effort. Iona had 11 more attack attempts but couldn't't capitalize with a .148 hitting percentage.
The Maroon & Gold took the third set 25-23 with a resounding defensive effort. The Stags had a -.089 hitting percentage and flustered themselves with two service aces and two ball handling errors.
The Stags ended the match in the fourth set, 25-22. The score was knotted at eight apiece before Fairfield went on a 5-0 run and induced a timeout called by the Maroon & Gold. The Gaels tied the set at 20-20 with a service ace from Cole but the Stags bounced back and won four straight points to give itself some cushion despite Iona having the final serve.
UP NEXT
Iona volleyball's next match is at home in the Hynes Athletics Center on Saturday, Sept. 29 against the Canisius Golden Griffins. Last season the Gaels were swept by the Golden Griffins. Iona lost in straight sets in New Rochelle and fell in five in Buffalo. The game is being broadcasted on ESPN3.
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