NEW ROCHELLE, NY – The Iona University volleyball team faced off against the Marist Red Foxes in a Saturday afternoon Halloween matchup. The Maroon & Gold battled back from an early one-set deficit to even the match at one set apiece, but Marist responded by taking the next two sets. Despite a late comeback effort from the Gaels in the fourth set, the Red Foxes secured the match in four sets.
the rundown: MARIST: 3, IONA: 1
SET 1: The first point of the match for the Gaels came off a kill from senior Buse Tinaz. The Red Foxes responded with three consecutive points to take a 3-1 lead, but a joint block from Tinaz and sophomore Emma Koceja brought the Maroon & Gold within one. Marist answered with another three-point run to extend its advantage to 6-2 before a kill from junior Kari Smith cut the deficit to three. The Red Foxes continued to build their lead, scoring four straight points to take a 10-3 advantage. With the score at 11-6, the Gaels looked to work their way back into the set, but Marist created further separation with five unanswered points to take a 15-6 lead heading into the media timeout. With the score at 20-9, an intense rally ended with the Gaels recording their 10th point of the match on a joint block from freshman Anissa Cooper and Koceja. However, Iona was unable to put together a scoring run to close the gap as Marist claimed the opening set, 25-12.
SET 2: The Gaels opened the second set with a block from Tinaz and a joint block from Tinaz and Koceja to keep the score tied at 2-2. Marist responded with three straight points, but a kill from Koceja ended the Red Foxes' run. Koceja's kill sparked a three-point run for the Gaels, featuring another kill from Koceja, a kill from senior Ezzie Thompson, and a joint block from Thompson and junior Katherine Ferng to give the Maroon & Gold a 6-5 lead. Marist briefly regained the advantage at 7-6, but two consecutive kills from Thompson put Iona back in front, 8-7. The Gaels quickly extended their lead to four at 12-8, thanks to two service aces from sophomore Joy Houdre and a pair of Marist attack errors. The set remained competitive as Iona maintained a 16-13 advantage, but three unanswered points from the Red Foxes brought them within one at 17-16. An Iona attack error allowed Marist to even the score at 18-18, setting up a close finish. Trailing 20-19, the Gaels responded with three consecutive kills from junior Julia Leonardo to take a 22-20 lead and force a Marist timeout. Coming out of the timeout, freshman Grace Daniels recorded a service ace before Leonardo followed with another kill to put Iona one point away from taking the set. Tinaz delivered the deciding point with a kill to secure a 25-22 second-set victory for the Maroon & Gold.
SET 3: The Red Foxes opened the third set with a 4-1 run, giving the Gaels an early deficit to overcome. However, consecutive kills from Tinaz and Thompson brought the Maroon & Gold back within one at 4-3. Marist responded with a 3-1 run to restore its three-point advantage. Following a kill from Smith that cut the deficit to two, the Red Foxes scored three consecutive points to extend their lead to 10-5. Marist continued to build its advantage with a 5-1 run, taking a 15-7 lead heading into the media timeout. The Red Foxes eventually pushed their lead into double digits, but a joint block brought them closer to securing the third set. Following an Iona attack error, the Gaels responded with four consecutive points, highlighted by a service ace from junior Jaylyn Simon, to cut the deficit to 20-12. With the score at 23-12, the Maroon & Gold mounted another late push, scoring five straight points. The run featured a kill from Thompson, two service aces from Smith, and a kill from Simon to bring the score to 23-17. Despite the late rally, Marist held on to take the third set, 25-19.
SET 4: The first point of the fourth set for the Maroon & Gold came off a kill from Tinaz to even the score at 1-1. However, the Red Foxes quickly gained momentum with a 5-1 run to take a 6-2 advantage. The Gaels continued to search for their offensive rhythm as Marist extended its lead to 10-4. Looking to get back into the set, Iona put together a 3-1 run, sparked by a kill from Leonardo, to cut the deficit to 11-7. Marist responded with three consecutive points to extend its advantage to 14-7. Leonardo once again sparked a Gaels run as Iona scored four of the next five points, capped by a joint block from Thompson and Koceja, to bring the score to 15-11. The Red Foxes answered with three straight points to build an 18-11 lead. As Marist moved closer to match point, the Gaels put together another four-point run. A kill from Smith, a joint block from Koceja and Thompson, and two consecutive kills from Leonardo brought the Marist lead down to 20-16 and forced a Red Fox timeout. Coming out of the timeout, Leonardo recorded two more kills to bring the Gaels within two. With Marist leading 22-18, the Maroon & Gold mounted one final push, scoring four consecutive points capped by another kill from Leonardo to even the score at 22-22. Despite the late comeback attempt, the Red Foxes closed out the set with a kill to secure a 25-22 victory and take the match in four sets.
IONA PERFORMERS
- Leonardo led the attack for the Gaels with 16 kills, a hitting percentage of .326 and 17 digs. Tinaz also recorded double digit kills.
- Daniels and Simon each dished out 20 or more assists.
- Houdre recorded three aces on the afternoon.
- Junior Avery Gaume led the defense with 22 digs.
- Koceja recorded 2.5 total blocks.
THE OPPONENT
- Malone and Bumstead each recorded 12 kills.
- Dumas recorded 44 assists on the evening to lead the Red Foxes.
- Dasic tallied three aces.
- Reck and Dumas each surpassed 20 or digs, with 25 and 21 respectfully.
NEXT MATCH
The Maroon & Gold return to action Friday as they travel to Massachusetts to take on the Merrimack Warriors. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m., with the match streaming live on ESPN+.
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