NORTH ANDOVER, MA – The Iona University volleyball team faced off against the Merrimack Warriors in their final road match of the 2025 season. The Maroon and Gold would fall in difficult three sets.

THE RUNDOWN: Merrimack: 3, Iona: 0

SET 1: The scoring for the Maroon and Gold began with a kill from freshman Julia Leonardo, the first point of a 6-2 run to open the set. Merrimack responded with a 4-1 run to cut Iona's lead to one. The Gaels answered with a 5-2 stretch fueled by kills from four different players. The Warriors then scored four straight points to tie the set at 12. Iona regained the lead with three consecutive points, highlighted by a kill from freshman Emma Koceja and two Merrimack attack errors. Merrimack tied the match again at 15 after three straight points. The set remained even until a 5-1 run from the Gaels gave them a 22-18 advantage. The Warriors answered with four consecutive points to tie it at 22. Iona held a one-point lead while serving for set point, but Merrimack scored three straight to take the set 26-24.

SET 2: The Gaels' first point came off a kill from freshman Emma Koceja. Iona led 3-2 before the Warriors went on a 4-0 run to take a three-point lead. Merrimack maintained control, keeping a two- or three-point edge before extending it to five and forcing Iona to call a timeout. Out of the break, Koceja and Leonardo each recorded a kill. The Gaels went on a 4-2 run to trim the deficit to two, but Merrimack responded with three straight points to extend its lead back to five. Iona was unable to mount a late push and dropped the set 25-20.

SET 3: Leonardo tallied the first two points for Iona with back-to-back kills, followed by a service ace from sophomore Avery Gaume. The score was tied at four until a Merrimack setting error and a Leonardo service ace gave the Gaels a 6-4 lead. The Warriors responded with four straight points to regain a two-point edge and later extended their lead to four. After falling behind by five, Iona rallied with a 4-1 run to cut the deficit to two. Despite keeping the set close, the Gaels could not generate a late run and fell 25-21, ending the match in three sets.

IONA Performers

• Leonardo led the attack with 10 kills.
• Senior Caleigh Schroeder led the team in assists with 27.
• Guame and Schroeder both had double digit digs.

THE OPPONENT

• Mckenna Shotwell led the attack with 16 kills. Aubrey Baker would tally 15 kills. 
• Lilly Konrad led the team in assists with 16. 
• Ella Maldonado would lead the team in digs with 19. 
• Marissa Kobelski had four blocks. 

UP NEXT

The Maroon and Gold return to action on Friday as they face off against Marist University. The match is set to begin at 1 P.M. and will be streamed on ESPN+.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Be sure to follow Iona University athletics on all social media platforms:
Iona Gaels: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube (Email Updates).
Iona Volleyball: Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.