NEW ROCHELLE, NY – The Iona University volleyball team faced off against the Marist Red Foxes in their first game of their four game home stand. The Maroon and Gold ultimately fell in three sets, while all three sets remained close.

THE RUNDOWN: Marist: 3, Iona: 0

SET 1: The first point of the match for the Maroon and Gold came off a kill from junior Ezzie Thompson, followed by a block from freshmen Julia Leonardo and Cassandra Rohan. The score remained within three as both teams traded points nearing the midway mark of the set. The Gaels earned their first lead following a kill from Leonardo. That lead extended to three at 14-11 after a block from Rohan and freshman Emma Koceja, along with a service ace from senior Caleigh Schroeder. Marist tied the score at 19 after taking advantage of a few Gael errors and a kill. Iona regained the lead on a kill from Kari Smith, but the Red Foxes quickly tied it back up. After falling behind by three, the Gaels responded with a 3-1 run to close the gap, but a Marist kill sealed the set 25-23.

SET 2: Leonardo opened the scoring for the Maroon and Gold with a kill, followed by another from Rohan. Marist responded with five straight points to take a 6-2 lead. After Iona closed the gap to two, the Red Foxes scored three in a row to push their lead to five. A Thompson kill capped off a 3-0 Gael run to bring them within two. After a few back-and-forth rallies, a kill from Rohan brought the Gaels within one. Marist answered with four straight points to create a five-point cushion. Trailing by seven, the Gaels scored four consecutive points to pull within three, forcing Marist to use its second timeout of the set. Out of the timeout, sophomore Jaylyn Simon and Thompson combined for a block to cut the deficit to two. Despite the late push, Marist held on to take the set 25-21.

SET 3: Simon struck first for the Gaels with a kill, helping Iona jump out to a 3-1 lead following a block from Leonardo and freshman Gabby Taylor. Marist tied the score at five after a 3-1 run, but Smith responded with a kill to reclaim the lead. Taylor followed with a service ace. After leading by two, the Gaels saw Marist score three straight to take an 8-7 advantage. Koceja quickly answered with a kill to tie it again. After Marist regained the lead, Iona went on a 6-1 run to build a four-point edge. The Red Foxes answered with three straight to close the gap. Out of the media timeout, Marist scored three consecutive points to regain the lead and later extended it to five with an 8-1 run. That stretch proved decisive, as the Red Foxes took the set 25-19.

IONA Performers

• Smith had a double-double with 12 kills and 12 digs.
• Schroeder led the team with 15 assists.
• Sophomore Avery Gaume led the team in digs with 18.

THE OPPONENT

• Sara Dasic and Mallory Reck both had ten kills.
• Claire Lewis led the team in assists with 21.
• Cecilia Potter-Pessoa led the defense with 17 digs.

UP NEXT

The Maroon and Gold return to action tomorrow at home as they face off against Siena University. The match is set to begin at 2 P.M. and will be streamed on ESPN+.

SOCIAL MEDIA

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