NEW ROCHELLE, NY - The Iona University volleyball team upended Marist in four sets in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play at the Hynes Center. The Gaels took the match 25-18, 25-18, 25-27 and 25-21 avenging an earlier season loss to the Red Foxes and taking down a team ahead of them in the standings.

SET 1: IONA 25, MARIST 18

The Gaels took control of the opening set early following ties at 3-3 and 5-5. A 6-1 run gave Iona a 14-8 advantage. Marist got as close as four points at 22-18 before three straight points for the Maroon & Gold closed out the first frame. Seniors Jen Soto and Morgan Madasz combined for seven kills on 11 swings to lead the Gaels who hit .435 as a team in the set win. Junior Tamara Pichardo posted 10 assists and senior Hope Matschner posted seven digs.

SET 2: IONA 25, MARIST 18

Iona never trailed in the second set though Marist rebounded from a 4-0 deficit and tied the score twice at 8-8 and 9-9. The Gaels' decisive run of 6-2 gave them a 15-11 cushion. The Red Foxes closed to within two points before Iona ended the frame with eight of the final 11 points. Sophomore Mackenzie Wiggins had four kills and Soto and freshman Ava DeGuzman had three apiece. Pichardo added another 10 assists while Matschner had five digs.

SET 3: MARIST 27, IONA 25

Eleven tie scores and five lead changes highlighted the third set. The Gaels had a chance to close out the match with a 24-21 advantage. Marist clawed back with three straight points and tied the score at 24-24. After a Matschner ace, the Red Foxes took the set on three Iona errors. Wiggins had a team-high six kills. Senior Greta Stjade and junior Nerin Valasakos combined for six kills on 11 attempts. Pichardo posted 15 assists and Matschner had 11 digs.

SET 4: IONA 25, MARIST 21

Marist held an early four point advantage that was erased at 9-9. The game remained within two points until an Iona 4-0 run made the score 22-19. Marist scored back-to-back points to close within two before a Madasz kill and combo block with Soto ended the match. Wiggins had another six kills and Madasz was 5-for-9. Iona had 17 kills and hit .417 in the frame.

IONA PERFORMERS

• Wiggins posted a team-high 18 kills and hit .250 while adding a block and six digs.
• Soto hit .500 with 10 kills on 18 attempts. He had three blocks and four digs.
• Madasz had her third straight double-digit kill effort with 10 while hitting .375.
• Pichardo posted 49 assists. She had six aces and seven digs in the win.
• Matschner had 28 digs and was 25-for-26 on serve receptions. It was her first error in eight matches and 29 sets.

THE OPPONENT

• Sasha van der Merwe posted 18 kills and 14 digs while recording two blocks for a match-high 19.0 points.
• Gabriella Heimbauer and Jordan Newblatt each had nine kills. Newblatt shared the team lead with 14 digs.
• Claire Lewis had 33 assists and eight digs.

TEAM STATS

• Iona hit .311 for the match with 58 kills.
• It also combined for 13 aces.
• Marist hit .202 with 44 kills.

UP NEXT

The Gaels host Siena tomorrow at 1 p.m. at the Hynes Center.

SOCIAL MEDIA

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