NEW ROCHELLE, NY – With just 24 hours preparation, the Iona College volleyball program took care of business against Quinnipiac at the Hynes Center. The Gaels defeated the Bobcats in four sets (25-17, 23-25, 25-22, 25-18) behind the strong play of senior
Jamie Smith and rookie
Hope Matschner.
GAME SUMMARY
Defense was the mantra for the Gaels in its impromptu Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference matchup on Friday. Iona allowed Quinnipiac an attack percentage of only -0.03% in the first set and overall the Bobcats hit 0.039% for the match.
Matschner got off to a hot start in set one with five kills on eight swings. Both Smith and
Taylor Cole had five digs in the first set. The Gaels had 11 kills in the first set and had a side out percentage of 72% (13-for-18). Iona led by as many as seven in the second set and took the early edge in the match with a 25-17 decision.
The Bobcats only winning set of the day was the second. Aryanah Diaz had six kills in the second set on 13 swings. Maggie Baker had four kills and received 12 of Iona's 21 serves in the game. The Gaels hit a match-low 0.071% in the second set. It was the only set of the match where they also did not record a service ace. The Maroon & Gold did have a shot to win the set and go for the sweep but Diaz put away two kills to end the set a 25-23.
Coming out of the extended break, the momentum of the match was on the line. The Gaels jumped out early and held a 19-12 lead, but Quinnipiac crawled back and found themselves within one, 22-21. Iona head coach
Esai Velez-Perez subbed in
Cassandra Patsos and it proved the by the magic keystroke.
Kiarra Roth buried a set from
Tamara Pichardo to give Iona back the serve and
Jen Soto put down the final spike for Iona's 2-1 lead. Seven different players had a kill in the third set and the Gaels had four service aces.
Set four was the least stressful of the day for the Maroon & Gold. Quinnipiac made a match-high 11 attack errors while the Gaels hit a match-best .241% to close it out. Matschner had three kills in the final set. She and Cole each had four digs to close it out. The Gaels won the final fourth set, 25-18.
STATISTICAL LEADERS
•
Jamie Smith and
Hope Matschner each had a team-high 11 kills. Matschner's offensive day is the best of her your career thus far.
Jen Soto chipped in six kills.
•
Taylor Cole had four aces with Smith and
Fleur Wiersma each throwing in a pair.
• Wiersma was again a menace in the middle with eight blocks. Soto and Roth each had four.
• Pichardo, who started the game, finished with a personal-best 18 assists.
Samantha Juran, in hear return to action, played the majority of the third and fourth set and closed out with 13 helpers.
• Cole had a season-high 20 digs. Matschner ensured her first collegiate double-double with 15 digs.
• Maggie Baker had a game-high 12 kills for Quinnipiac. Aryanah Diaz had a match-best five aces. Lexi Morse had four blocks. Chloe Ka'Ahanui had 21 assists and Daniella Balsano bumped up 18 digs.
NOTABLE NUGGETS
- Iona tied its season-best with nine service aces. The Gaels were able to win Friday's match despite a season-high 13 service errors.
- In all the Maroon & Gold's wins this season they have had over 20 blocks. There has been a total of 13 blocks in each of the victories this season.
- The Bobcats 0.038 attack percentage is the lowest by an Iona opponent this season.
UP NEXT
The Gaels travel to Buffalo, NY for a pair of matches against the Canisius College Golden Griffins on Sunday, March 21. The first match of the doubleheader is scheduled to start at noon. The Maroon & Gold and Golden Griffins will be on ESPN3 for match one and Canisius' All-Access video streaming service for match two. Gael Nation can also follow Iona via Live Stats and Iona athletics social media.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Be sure to follow Iona College athletics on all social media platforms:
ICGaels: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube (Email Updates)
Iona Volleyball: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube (Email Updates)
