POUGHKEEPSIE, NY – The Iona University Volleyball team battled the Marist Red Foxes in a hard-fought fourth match of Metro Conference play. The Maroon & Gold battled through three competitive sets, but ultimately fell to the Red Foxes in straight sets.
the rundown: MARIST: 3, IONA: 0
SET 1: The Red Foxes opened the set strong, jumping out to an early 5-2 lead behind three kills and two aces. With Marist leading 7-4, the Red Foxes extended their advantage to 13-5 following a 6-1 run, but a block from senior Ezzie Thompson and junior Kari Smith put a stop to the run. Shortly after, Marist went on another run, pushing its lead to 11 points at 18-7. Two straight points from Smith cut the deficit back to single digits, but the Red Foxes responded with three consecutive points to make it 21-9. The Gaels then put together four straight points, fueled by two Marist errors and two kills from Leonardo. However, the late rally was not enough, as the Red Foxes took the opening set, 25-16.
SET 2: The Gaels opened the second set strong, as a kill from Smith, a combined block from senior Buse Tinaz and sophomore Emma Koceja, and a Marist error gave Iona an early 3-1 lead. Two kills from the Red Foxes quickly tied the score at three. After several back-and-forth rallies, Marist held a narrow 9-8 advantage before a kill from Leonardo sparked four straight points, capped by a kill from Koceja, to give the Gaels a 12-9 lead. Iona maintained its advantage through more intense rallies and point trading, leading 17-15 before another kill from Leonardo sparked a four-point run that pushed the Gaels closer to set point at 21-15. The Red Foxes would not go down easily, closing the set on a 10-2 run to erase the deficit and claim the second set, 26-24.
SET 3: The Maroon & Gold opened the third set with a kill from Koceja and two aces from senior Sanem Bas to take an early 3-0 lead. The Red Foxes responded with an 8-2 run to take an 8-5 advantage. Iona answered with a 4-3 run featuring two kills from Leonardo, a kill from Thompson, and an ace from freshman Grace Daniels to tie the score at nine. Marist would regain control, using an 8-2 run to build a 17-11 lead. With the Gaels trailing 19-13, two kills from Leonardo and a kill from freshman Reese Henderson cut into the deficit and brought the score to 19-16. The late push was not enough, however, as the Red Foxes closed out the set, 25-20, to secure the three-set victory.
IONA PERFORMERS
- Leonardo led the Gaels' attack with 15 kills.
- Daniels and Simon each recorded double-digit kills, finishing with 16 and 12, respectively.
- Gaume anchored the Gaels' defense with a team-high 22 digs.
- Thompson recorded two solo blocks in the match.
THE OPPONENT
- Reck led the attack with 18 kills.
- Dumas led the team with 31 assists.
- Reck, Potter-Pessoa, and Dumas each recorded double-digit digs.
NEXT MATCH
The Maroon and Gold return to action on Saturday as they face off against Siena. First serve is scheduled for 2 p.m.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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