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Iona University Athletics

VB Recap 9/21
2
Iona Iona 6-6,1-1 MAAC
3
Winner NJIT NJIT 4-12,0-0 America East
Iona Iona
6-6,1-1 MAAC
2
Final
3
NJIT NJIT
4-12,0-0 America East
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 5 F
Iona Iona 25 17 18 25 12 (2)
NJIT NJIT 18 25 25 17 15 (3)

Game Recap: Volleyball | | Jack Ravitz

Iona Volleyball Drops Five-Set Match to NJIT

NEWARK, NJ - The Iona University volleyball team came up short to NJIT, falling in a back-and-forth five setter (25-18, 17-25, 18-25, 25-17, 12-15) on Wednesday night. Despite the loss, Mackenzie Wiggins recorded a career-high 20 kills along with Morgan Madasz pouring in a season-best 18 kills to lead the offense, in the Gaels non-conference finale.

Match SUMMARY

Set 1 (25-18)

Powered by an efficient hitting percentage of .448, the Gaels managed to jump out to a 15-7 lead after a kill from Fleur Wiersma. Iona's lead stretched to 12 after kills from Jen Soto and consecutive kills from Madasz. After NJIT fought off several set points, Elena Bianchi closed out the opening set for the Gaels with a kill.

Set 2 (17-25)

Trailing 6-3, Iona rallied off four of the next five points bringing the frame to its fourth tie, but soon after NJIT managed to create separation. The Highlanders used an 8-3 run, taking advantage of four errors from Iona during the swing, and later in the set, a 7-2 stretch extended NJIT's lead to 23-15. The Gaels got within six after a kill from Emma Jacobs but the Highlanders closed out the second set, winning the final two points.

Set 3 (18-25)

Carrying momentum from the previous set, NJIT opened up the frame on 15-6 run powered behind their match-best 13 kills. Trailing 24-14, the Gaels fought off four straight set points,  following an impressive stretch of three consecutive kills from Madasz all assisted by Samantha Juran and a kill from Soto. A service error on the following points gave the Highlanders the third set and a two sets to one advantage.

Set 4 (25-17)

Down a set, the Gaels began to rally behind a fierce offensive attack of Wiggins and Madasz who combined for 12 of Iona's match-high 18 kills in the frame. After leading 5-0, NJIT managed to get within two at 12-10, but eight straight points from the Maroon & Gold became the difference maker in the set. Leading 24-17, Wiggins sent the match into a decider on a kill from Juran. 

Set 5 (12-15)

After falling behind 5-2 in the final set, Iona got within a point on six different occasions but couldn't manage to get over the hump. Wiggins 20th kill of the match, brought the frame to 10-9, but NJIT rattled off four out of the next five points and eventually closed out the match on a kill from Courtney Branch to seal the victory.

STAT LEADERS

ON OFFENSE

  • Wiersma continued her presence at the net, finishing with a season-best 7 total blocks.
  • Along with her career-high 20 kills, Wiggins hit for a season-best .318
  • Madasz also hit for an efficient .405 to go along with her season-best 18 kills.
  • Bianchi recorded a career-high as a Gaels with 10 kills.
  • Tamara Pichardo and Juran paced the offensive attack combining for 50 of Iona's 58 assists.

ON DEFENSE

  • Hope Matschner led the defensive effort, recording a match-high 27 digs .
  • Wiggins (9) and Greta Stjade (8) finished second and third in digs.

UP NEXT:

The Gaels will return to the Hynes Center this weekend after playing nine consecutive games on the road, when they face Rider on Saturday at 1:00 PM.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Be sure to follow Iona Athletics on all social media platforms:
IonaGaels: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube (Email Updates)
Iona Volleyball: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube (Email Updates)


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