NEW ROCHELLE, NY – The Iona University volleyball team faced off against the Niagara Purple Eagles, sweeping Niagara in three sets to finish the weekend 2-0 and improve to 6-1 at home.
the rundown: iona: 3, niagara: 0
SET 1: The Maroon & Gold got off to a hot start, using four blocks to build an early 4-1 lead. Sophomore Julia Leonardo recorded the Gaels' first kill of the match. Iona maintained a 7-4 advantage before a 3-1 run by the Purple Eagles cut the lead to one at 8-7. A Niagara attack error sparked a 4-1 run for the Gaels, extending their advantage to four as the set approached the midway point. The set remained close until a service ace from freshman Grace Daniels capped off five consecutive points for Iona, giving the Gaels an 18-11 lead. Niagara responded with four straight points to cut the deficit to three at 18-15. The Purple Eagles continued to battle, scoring four consecutive points to trim Iona's lead to one at 22-21. Niagara later used a 4-2 run to take a 25-24 lead and force a win-by-two situation. The teams continued to trade points, with the Purple Eagles holding a 29-28 advantage before a service ace from junior Jaylyn Simon capped off three straight points for the Gaels. Iona secured the opening set, 31-29.
SET 2: After the Purple Eagles scored the opening point, kills from Leonardo and junior Katherine Ferng, along with two service aces from senior Sanem Bas, helped the Gaels establish an early 4-1 lead. Iona maintained a 7-4 advantage before four consecutive points, capped off by a kill from senior Emma Koceja, extended the lead to 11-4 as the Gaels' defense continued to hold strong. Niagara responded with a 7-1 run to cut Iona's advantage to one at 12-11. The Maroon & Gold answered with consecutive points, including a block by Leonardo and senior Ezzie Thompson, to extend the lead to 14-11. The Gaels continued to build momentum as three straight points, capped off by a service ace from sophomore Kari Smith, pushed the advantage to 17-11 and forced a Niagara timeout. Following the timeout, a Niagara attack error and two kills from Ferng extended Iona's lead to eight. The Gaels maintained control for the remainder of the set, securing a 25-16 victory to take a two-set lead.
SET 3: The Gaels came out strong once again, opening the set with a 6-2 lead as Buse Tinaz capped off the early run. The Purple Eagles responded with a 4-1 spurt to cut the deficit to one at 8-7. Both teams traded points before a service ace from Bas helped Iona take a three-point advantage heading into the media timeout. Coming out of the timeout, Tinaz delivered a kill to give the Gaels a 16-12 lead. Niagara answered with four consecutive points to even the score at 16. Leonardo responded with a kill to put Iona back in front, and Koceja followed with a kill of her own to force a Niagara timeout. The Purple Eagles opened the next stretch with a block, but the Gaels answered with a 3-1 run to take a 21-18 lead. Niagara trimmed the advantage to one with two straight points, making it 21-20. The teams continued to battle, eventually tying the score at 22. Smith delivered a kill to give Iona a 23-22 edge before following it with a service ace to put the Gaels one point away from victory. A Niagara attack error sealed the match for the Maroon & Gold, as Iona claimed the third set, 25-23, to complete the sweep.
IONA PERFORMERS
- Tinaz and Leonardo led the attack with nine kills each.
- Daniels paced the passing game with 16 assists.
- Bas and Simon anchored the defense with 12 digs apiece.
- Tinaz led the Gaels at the net with three blocks, while Thompson and Ferng added 2.5 blocks each.
THE OPPONENT
- Kattai led the offense with 16 kills and recorded a double-double with 11 digs.
- Ka'ahanui led the team with 18 assists.
- Brown recorded three total blocks.
NEXT MATCH
The Maroon and Gold return to action on Friday as they travel to New Jersey to face the Rider Broncs. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m.
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