The Iona University Volleyball team faced off against Niagara Saturday in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play. The matchup marked the second half of a home-and-home series, with the previous October tilt going the Maroon & Gold's way, 3-1. Previous bouts between the Gaels and Purple Eagles have continued a trend of close affairs, with the previous eight matchups in all competitions being split with four-a-piece for each side.
As it happened
The Gaels would quickly assert themselves, taking the first four points of the match. Despite seven kills from
Grace Ehler, three successful challenges aided the Purple Eagles' charge into the lead. The Maroon & Gold would drop the first, 23-25.
The second set saw Iona land more kills than their opponent, with 12 compared to the Purple Eagles' 11. Despite the advantage in kills and a close battle that saw Niagara's lead never reach more than four, Iona would find themselves behind for nearly the entire set and drop the second 21-25.
The third set saw an outstanding seven lead changes between the two sides, but the hosts prevailed. Rookies in Maroon & Gold would continue to lead the way on an afternoon that saw three Iona Freshman count double-digit digs, but the Gaels would fall in tiebreaker points in the third set 24-26 and drop the match 0-3.
