BUFFALO, NY – The Iona University volleyball team faced off against Canisius in their first conference game of the season. The Gaels won the first two sets but were unable to get the third set win as they fell in five sets to the Griffins.

THE RUNDOWN: CANISIUS: 3, IOna: 2

SET 1: The Gaels earned their first points of the match off a kill from freshman Julia Leonardo. It was a quick start for the Maroon and Gold, as they jumped out to a six-point lead that forced Canisius to call its first timeout. Out of the break, the Griffs found their rhythm, scoring four unanswered points to climb back into the set. Although the score was tied three times, the Gaels never surrendered the lead and secured the set 25-21. The Maroon and Gold tallied four service aces in the frame, while Leonardo led the attack with four kills and senior Caleigh Schroeder contributed eight assists.

SET 2: The set opened as a back-and-forth battle, with both teams trading points and limiting extended runs. Three unanswered points from the Maroon and Gold forced the first timeout of the set as their lead grew to four. Out of the break, the Gaels kept the pressure on, turning the stretch into a 7-2 run. The Griffs took advantage of three attack errors to cut the deficit to two, but the Maroon and Gold responded with four straight points to push the lead back to six as they closed in on set point. The Gaels finished strong and secured the set 25-18.

SET 3: The Gael offense started strong, with five of their first six points coming from kills. The Maroon and Gold held a slim lead of about two points until a 5-1 run by the Griffs gave them their first lead of the match. Junior Sanem Bas capped off a 4-0 response to swing the momentum back to the Gaels, but a late 5-1 run by the Griffs sealed the set 25-23.

SET 4: The Maroon and Gold faced their largest deficit of the day, trailing by five to open the fourth set. After falling behind by seven, the Gaels responded with a 7-2 run to cut the gap to two. Canisius pulled away again with an 8-2 stretch to build an eight-point advantage, and the Maroon and Gold never found their offensive rhythm as they dropped the set 25-17.

SET 5: In the decisive fifth set, the Gaels earned their first point on an attack error. With the score at 4-3, junior Buse Tinaz swung momentum with a powerful kill that put the Gaels up by two. A service ace from Leonardo and a kill from sophomore Kari Smith extended the lead to four. The Griffs responded with a 9-4 run to take the lead, forcing the Maroon and Gold to call a timeout. After a long rally, Smith delivered another kill to give the Gaels a one-point edge. In a tense finish, the Griffs scored two straight points to close out the set and secure the match with a 19-17 victory.

IONA Performers

• Leonardo led the offense with 15 kills. She also had 11 digs on the day.
• Tinaz and Smith were tied in second in kills. Bas' 11 kills was enough to give her a new career high.
• Sophomore Avery Gaume had three service aces. Gaume led the team in digs with 26.
• Schroeder led the squad with 42 assists.

THE OPPONENT

• Emma Isroff had a double-double in kills (14) and digs (11).
• Bella Mosquera had 12 kills.
• Ella Bourque led with 46 assists.
• Brenda Reynaga was the leader in digs with 34.

UP NEXT

The Maroon & Gold return to action on tomorrow to face off against Niagara at 3 P.M at the Gallagher Center.

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.