NEW ROCHELLE, NY – The Iona University volleyball team faced Manhattan and secured its first conference win of the season in five sets. The Gaels won the opening two sets before the Jaspers rallied to even the match, but Iona closed the door on the comeback with a decisive victory in the fifth set.

THE RUNDOWN: IOna: 3, Manhattan 2

SET 1: The Maroon and Gold earned their first point of the match on a kill from freshman Emma Koceja. With the score tied at four, sophomore Kari Smith delivered a kill that gave Iona its first lead. Smith's point sparked a 5-1 run that pushed the Gaels ahead by four. Manhattan closed the gap to one, but Iona responded with three unanswered points to restore the four-point cushion. After an even stretch, the Gaels strung together five straight points to build a seven-point advantage. The run proved too much for the Jaspers to overcome as the Maroon and Gold closed out the opening set 25-18.

SET 2: Koceja once again opened the scoring for the Gaels with a kill. The Maroon and Gold would later put together a 5-1 run to build a four-point lead and force the Jaspers to call their first timeout. Out of the break, Iona added four unanswered points to stretch the advantage to eight, their largest of the set at that stage. The Gaels maintained control from there, leading by as many as 11 before closing out the set with a 25-17 win to take command of the match.

SET 3: The Gaels claimed the first point of the set, but the Jaspers responded with four straight to take a 4-1 lead. Manhattan maintained the four-point cushion at 9-5, which forced Iona to call its first timeout. The Jaspers extended their advantage to eight, their largest of the match, by the media break. Coming out of the timeout, Manhattan used a 5-2 run to push the margin to ten. The Gaels battled back with an 8-2 surge as the Jaspers reached set point, but their comeback bid ended with an attack error that sealed the set for Manhattan, 25-19.

SET 4: The Jaspers carried their momentum into the fourth set, opening with four straight points. The Gaels answered with three in a row to pull back within one, but Manhattan responded with a 10-1 run to stretch the lead to ten. After an attack error, Iona strung together an 8-2 run to cut the deficit to five. The late surge was not enough, as the Gaels dropped the set 25-18.

SET 5: The Gaels jumped out to an early 5-2 lead backed by a couple attack errors and a couple kills. The Maroon and Gold continued their hot play by going on a 6-1 run sparked by Koceja to put them up eight. The Gaels continued to be in full control the rest of the way as they won the decisive set five 15-8.

IONA Performers

• Koceja with a career high in kills with 19. She additionally tallied 21 points on the day!
• Freshman Julia Leonardo with a double-double on the day in kills (19) and digs (17).
• Senior Caleigh Schroeder led the team in assists with 45.
• Sophomore Avery Gaume led the team in digs with 22. Sophomore Kari Smith was second in digs with 18.
• Freshman Gabby Taylor matched her career high in blocks with five. Koceja tallied four blocks.

THE OPPONENT

• Hanna Kaczynska had a double-double in kills (15) and digs (13).
• Fiona VanDyke had double digit kills with 10.
• Sarah Emmons led the team in assists with 25 assists and was tied for the team high with 13 digs.
• Helenn Montilla had seven digs on the day.

UP NEXT

The Maroon and Gold hit the road to travel to Loudonville, NY to face off against the Siena Saints. The match is set to tip off at 6 P.M.

SOCIAL MEDIA

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