NEW ROCHELLE, NY - The Iona College volleyball team notched their third straight victory in a four set (25-20, 23-25, 26-24, 25-13) win over Saint Peter's at home on Wednesday night. The winning streak has jumped Iona into a tie at fourth place in the current MAAC standings, as they're back to .500 in league play and 6-10 overall.
GAME SUMMARY
Marking their first meeting since the 2019 season, Iona quickly put the pressure on Saint Peter's, opening up a 7-2 advantage. Sophomore
Emma Jacobs and senior
Cassandra Patsos sparked the offense early, combining for Iona's first three kills of the match. Only trailing once in the set, Iona put together it's strongest offensive effort in the opening frame, with a match-high 18 kills and a .316 hitting percentage. Junior Fluer Wiermsa sealed the set for Iona with a kill, giving Iona for the fourth straight match the first set win.
In the second set Saint Peter's struck first, winning six straight points to give the Peacocks a 7-2 lead. The Gaels regrouped and clawed their way back into the set, cutting the deficit to one, thanks to a 7-3 run. It took a late 5-0 run from the Gaels to earn it's first lead in the set since 2-1, when the Gaels went on a 5-0 stretch to take a 19-17 lead. Coming off the bench, sophomore
Kiarra Roth provided a spark with three kills along two blocks during the second set for the Maroon & Gold. Saint Peter's responded, answering with a 6-1 run that ultimately proved to be the dagger in the frame. Alanis Alvarado who had match-high 16 kills, leveled us up at a set apiece with a kill, to give the Peacocks the set, 25-23.
Set three was the turning point in the match, and might've been the most exciting set the Gaels have played in all season. The majority of the set was controlled by Saint Peter's leading 13-9 and then 22-16. After an attack error from the Peacocks and then three straight kills from Roth, sophomore
Jen Soto, and senior
Alessandra Brady Iona came within two, 22-20. After winning two out of the next three points Saint Peter's led 24-21 with three chances to close out the frame. In amazing fashion Iona came up clutch, putting together a 5-0 run to fight off three set points and eventually taking the set, 26-24 on an ace from junior
Samantha Juran, sending the Hynes Center into a frenzy.
After rallying in the third set Iona never looked back, grabbing all the momentum and using it to close out the match. Trailing 6-3, Iona used a 14-1 run to take a commanding 17-7 lead that forced Saint Peter's to call timeout as seven kills from four different Gaels punctuated the run. Leading 24-13, Soto sealed the set with her team-high 14th kill of the match giving Iona the home four set victory.
STATISTICAL LEADERS
Sophomore
Hope Matschner was all over the court, pouring in her career-high 32 digs in the winning effort. Patsos recorded her fourth double-double on the season with 11 kills and 18 digs as Juran and sophomore
Tamara Pichardo cominbied for 50 of Iona's 57 assist on the night.
UP NEXT
Iona hits the road for two games in Connecticut this weekend, starting on Saturday, when they take on Quinnipiac, followed by a Sunday afternoon contest against Fairfield. Both matches are slated for 1:00 p.m. starts.
SOCIAL MEDIA
