BUFFALO, NY - The Iona University volleyball team earned a straight set victory (25-15, 27-23, 25-23) over Canisius on Sunday afternoon at the Koessler Athletic Center. With the win, Iona improves to 16-9 overall and are currently tied for second-place in the MAAC standings with an 11-4 conference record.
Iona's weekend sweep over Niagara and Canisius marks only the fourth time in school history the Gaels have swept the Western New York trip.
Match SUMMARY
Set 1 (25-15)
Elena Bianchi and
Emma Jacobs opened the scoring for the Gaels, pouring in consecutive kills to start the afternoon. Following swings from
Julia Thomas and
Greta Stjade Iona extended the lead to 12-7 but Canisius used a 5-2 run to climb back within two points. However, the Gaels answered with a set changing 9-0 run to grab control of the opening frame and leading 24-15,
Fleur Wiersma closed it out with a kill.
Set 2 (27-25)
In a thrilling second-set that saw 15 ties,
Hope Matschner set what is believed to be a new program record for most digs in a single set with 17. Matschner's defensive efforts helped the Gaels fight off two set-points in the later stages of the frame. After a kill from Ella Shult Canisius had a set-point leading 24-23, but a clutch kill from Jacobs deadlocked the set once again. An attack error on the ensuing point gave Canisius their second opportunity to even up the match, but Jacobs shut it down with another timely kill and after a kill from Wiersma on the next point, Iona had a chance to serve out the set. Taking advantage of an attack error from Canisius, Iona took the back-and-forth set to pull within a set of the victory.
Set 3 (25-23)
Carrying momentum from the previous set, Iona jumped out to a 14-5 lead, capitalizing on eight errors from the Golden Griffs. Consecutive kills from Wiersma pushed the lead to 19-9, but a 12-4 run from Canisius, made the set more intriguing down the stretch. A service error put Iona in front with multiple match-points but Canisius battled off the first two following back-to-back kills. However, a match-ending kill from Thomas sealed the set and match for the Gaels as Iona sweeps the season series over Niagara and now Canisius.
STAT LEADERS
ON OFFENSE
- For the second straight match, Wiersma (11) and Jacobs (10) reached double-figures in kills to lead the offensive attack.
- Tamara Pichardo (22) and Samantha Juran (12) accounted for all but one of Iona's 35 assists on the afternoon.
ON DEFENSE
- Matschner finished with a match-high 31 digs, increasing her NCAA lead in digs (653) and D/S (7.02)
- Thomas matched a season-high seven blocks while Wiersma finished with four, continuing her stellar play at the net.
UP NEXT:
With the Gaels completing their final road game, Iona will return home for the last three games of the '22 regular season. The Gaels will begin the home-stand with a matchup against first-place Fairfield on Saturday, November 5 at 1:00 pm.
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