HAMDEN, CT - The Iona College volleyball team took down Quinnipiac in straight sets in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference action at Burt Kahn Court. The Gaels cruised through the first two sets 25-18 and 25-12 before a late run in the finale sealed a 25-22 set and 3-0 match victory. With 27 assists in the match, junior setter
Samantha Juran became the 12th player in Iona history to record 1,000 or more career assists.
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The Maroon & Gold won its fourth straight MAAC match to improve to 5-4 in MAAC play. The Gaels answered a four-match losing skid with four straight victories.
The Match
Set 1 (25-18)
After surrendering the first point of the opening set, Iona scored five straight and took the lead for good. The Bobcats got within two points at 19-17, but a 6-1 Gael run that included two Iona blocks and three Quinnipiac errors. Senior outside hitter
Cassandra Patsos posted six kills in the opening frame while sophomore libero
Hope Matschner had 12 digs to lead the way defensively.
Set 2 (25-12)
In set two, Iona scored seven straight points on Juran's serve rotation to open a 16-6 advantage and never looked back. Junior middle hitter
Fleur Wiersma was the top performer offensively with five kills on seven attempts (.714).
Set 3 (25-22)
The Maroon & Gold struggled to open the third frame surrendering the first four points. The Bobcats led by as many as five points at 12-7. Juran's rotation proved valuable again, sparking a 5-0 run and an erasure of the deficit. The Gaels finally took the lead at 17-16, during a six-point rally with Matschner on service. The score tied at 20-20, Iona recorded five of the match's final seven points to earn the road sweep. Patsos and Wiersma accounted for 10 of Iona's 17 kills with five each.
STAT LEADERS
SAM 1K
Juran's millennia mark assist came on the Gaels' second point of the final set on a Wiersma kill. She is the first Gael since Emma Rose reached the mark early in her junior campaign in 2017.
ON OFFENSE:
Patsos 14 kills led all performers in the match. She added an ace and an assisted block for a match-high 15.5 points. Wiersma put 11 to the floor on 19 attempts, a .579 hitting percentage. Sophomore right side
Emma Jacobs had six kills while classmates
Kiarra Roth and
Jen Soto and freshman
Nerin Valasakos had four a piece.
ON DEFENSE:
Matschner posted a match-high 20 digs, her seventh straight match with at least 19. She was perfect on 14 service receptions. Valasakos added 10 digs, her third double-digit effort of the season. She returned all 27 Quinnipiac serve attempts put her way. Wiersma added four blocks in the win.
THE OPPONENT:
Quinnipiac's leaders included Aryanah Diaz' eight kills, Nicole Migliozzi and Chloe Ka'Ahanui with six assists, Ka'Ahanui and Diaz' nine digs, and Lexi Morse with five blocks.
AS A TEAM:
The Gaels hit .222 as a team and held the Bobcats to .056.
UP NEXT:
The Gaels face a tough test on Sunday when they take on defending regular-season champion and current first-place standing Fairfield on the road. The Stags are unbeaten in nine MAAC matches this season and have taken four-straight in the series following Iona's MAAC semifinal sweep in 2018. Â
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